laura1c

Just got this email - thought some on here might be interested:

MESSAGE FROM BRITISH AMBASSADOR, MARK KENT, TO BRITISH NATIONALS IN THAILAND

I took up my job as British Ambassador at the end of August. Starting any job is a busy period, as there are lots of people to meet and new subjects to become familiar with. Having been in Thailand for some time learning the language has meant that I am not starting completely from scratch, but I still haven't managed to do as much as I would have liked nor to meet as many people as I might. But as Clint Eastwood once famously said, a man's got to know his limitations.

So while I have met representatives from a number of organisations and attended a number of events, I still have yet to meet many people in the British community. We are lucky to be served by a number of community organisations in Thailand, ranging from the Royal British Legion, the British club in Bangkok, the British women's group and the societies of St Andrew, St David, St George and St Patrick.

If you're new to Thailand and interested in taking part in any of these activities, please get in touch at the email addresses below.

• Royal British Legion http://rblthailand.com/ http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/chonburi-thailand
  
• the British Club http://www.britishclubbangkok.org/http://www.britishclubbangkok.org/
  
• the British women’s group http://www.bwgbangkok.org/ [email protected]
  
• Bangkok St Andrew’s Society - http://www.bangkokscot.com/ To contact the Chieftain please email [email protected]
  
• St Patrick’s Society in Bangkok - http://www.stpatricks.in.th/
  
• Bangkok St George’s Society - http://www.bangkokstgeorgesoc.org/Welcome.html -
  
• St David’s Society of Bangkok http://www.stdavidsinbangkok.com/ [email protected]
  

Two events in November which I would like to highlight are the Remembrance Sunday commemorations in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. If you would like to attend one of the ceremonies on 11 November please get in touch with us at [email protected], or with the Royal British Legion. This year the occasion will be particularly poignant as it marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the building of the death railway.

Another important event for charity will be held on Saturday 24 November at Bangkok Patana School. This is the Ploenchit Fair. If you are able to offer support please get in touch with the organisers at [email protected] or http://www.bctfn.com/. And please come along on the day to support a good cause too!

November will also be busy as we are expecting Prime Minister Yingluck to visit the UK and Foreign Secretary William Hague to come to Bangkok during the course of the month. While we will of course be discussing issues of politics, trade and international cooperation during these visits, we will also be discussing issues of direct concern to British tourists and residents such as consular and visa issues.

My predecessor and I have been in discussions with the Thai authorities to see what can be done to make life easier and safer for British tourists and residents in Thailand. We are exploring issues such as the bureaucratic demands on residents and tightening up on the policing of scams such as those involving taxis, gems and jet skis.

As far as the Embassy services to British nationals are concerned, we aim to ensure that they are as modern and user-friendly as possible. We are of course operating in an economic climate where we also need to make savings in the public service. So we will be looking to provide a high quality service in the most efficient and cost-effective way. Part of this may involve delivering some of our services in a different way, such as online. And we will centralise certain non-emergency services in Bangkok. That will allow us to focus our efforts more directly on helping those British nationals who most need it - those who are the most vulnerable and in difficulty.

With these goals in mind, we are about to change the way we work in Pattaya. British nationals in difficulty in Pattaya will in future receive consular assistance directly from the experienced team at the Embassy in Bangkok, supported by a new Honorary Consul in Pattaya. Notarial and documentary services will be provided in Bangkok. The current, small Consulate office will close. For those travelling to Bangkok from Pattaya we will aim to provide a same day service. Embassy staff will continue to visit Pattaya regularly to maintain contact with British residents and, when needed, to help people in difficulty. We are confident that these new arrangements – further details to be announced on our web site shortly - should result in a more consistent and reliable level of service for both those in need of urgent help, and those needing routine notarial services. They reflect what we have implemented in other countries across the world. We will be monitoring the new arrangements carefully, and welcome your feedback on this and the other services we offer.

The consular services we offer follow our global standards, and are explained in our publication Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide. So, for example, we have no discretion in Bangkok over the fees we charge for various Embassy services. Fees are calculated based on the cost of our global consular operation so that every British national pays the same fee for the service they use, no matter where they are in the world. Nor can we vary the pension amounts paid to British pensioners here, which are set out by UK government policy. I know that there is dissatisfaction among some residents about these issues and we take opportunities to bring this to the attention of relevant Government departments where appropriate.

Please keep in regular touch with the Embassy so that we can inform you of news and updates, especially in the event of an emergency. You can do this in a number of ways, by following our travel advice, or the Embassy’s website or Twitter or Facebook accounts [links]. If you want to keep in touch with my activities, you will find me on Twitter at @KentBKK.

6 November 2012