I was only trying to help, says minister in visa inquiry

The minister at the centre of an investigation into a visa awarded to a Thai overstayer says he was only trying to help.

It had not yet been decided who will carry out the inquiry into requests by Taito Phillip Field that Associate Immigration Minister Damien O'Connor review applications for New Zealand work visas by Sunan Siriwan and his wife.

Mr Siriwan went to Mr Field for help. He was facing deportation, and his de facto Thai wife had already been deported. Mr Field approached Mr O'Connor who agreed to review the case, Mr Field then offered Mr Siriwan, who had to leave the country, a place to stay in Samoa.

While in Samoa Mr Siriwan did tiling work on Mr Field's half-completed house.

But Mr Field told National Radio he had only been trying to help and had looked at the options for the Thai man and another European man who came to his office.

"The final decision to go to Samoa was theirs after the options were laid out to them and it was a question of solving the issues of accommodation and solving the issues of how... that gentleman was going to survive for three to four months. End of story," he said.

The European man who insisted on going to Samoa with Mr Siriwan was "a problem from day one".

"He had two incidents with police... Given pressure, he had to leave the country because of the problems he created. He had to pay $10,000 to a rental car company because of his behaviour."

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for caretaker prime minister Helen Clark said today that the timing of the investigation was not a political manoeuvre.

National Party Immigration spokesman Tony Ryall has accused Labour of putting off dealing with allegations regarding Mr Field because it may have hurt their election chances.

Mr Ryall said Miss Clark had waited until her Associate Pacific Islands Affairs Minister had secured a strong South Auckland vote before investigating his role in the "visa-gate immigration scandal".

Helen Clark's spokeswoman said: "It (yesterday's caucus meeting) was just the first opportunity for all her ministers and colleagues to get together to talk to Phillip."

- NZPA