US pays Bt8.8bn for new consulate in Chiang Mai

[CorpusChristie]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

Part of the consulate’s mission, said the US, was to target transnational crime in the North, including narcotics trafficking and trafficking in persons.

Since when has that been a duty of a foreign Embassy ?

[FlyingThai]

1 hour ago, Raymonddiaz said:

Just another spy center in Thailand. From there the US will have much more capabilities to spy on Thailand, Laos, Myanmar..... 

You must be living in a fantasy world if you think that either of these countries have anything worth spying on. This is clearly a convenient base to collect intelligence on China and to coordinate drug enforcement  efforts in the golden triangle. This "consulate" will be packed with FBI/DEA/CIA/NSA agents. Actual ACS duties will be clearly in the minority of the tasks performed at such a huge complex.

[PEE TEE]

3 hours ago, SupermarineS6B said:

Indeed.... But it begs the question.... How did it once run nearly all the other nationalities on this forum..... ?  

iwas born 1948 so the 60s were great and the 70s .80s. till about the mid 90s them all downhill i could go on with my reason but would take too long been in thailand now for 20 years left the Uk when it got silly. all the best to you take care  

[brianthainess]

I hear a Mexican restaurant will open next door once the wall is up. 

[Dice Man]

8 hours ago, steve187 said:

and the UK have a small space in a 7/11 store in Bangkok

Ah Yes...the janitors store room but I hear that cost cutting will mean it needs to downsize - to a bar stool !

[LawrenceN]

5 hours ago, EricTh said:

Where is this new US embassy located? Is it near the Thai immigration inside the shopping mall (forgot what its name)

Did you read the article? In a heartbeat, I looked up Nong Pakarang Sub-district in Google maps. Given that the new consulate is on the Super-highway, it's going to be south of BigC and north of Highway 1006. That's the road that runs past the train station and goes out to Sankamphaeng. The article doesn't say which side of the Super-highway, so we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled. 

[SunsetT]

Simple! The CIA need a base near China.

Edited September 26, 2020 by SunsetT

[phetpeter]

Of course as the Thai's say "There are no US for5ces in Thailand! so who was that man in Udon at the shopping center in the US marked truck wearing US uniform? surely it would be good for employment if they built up country a embassy city, which housed all nations, out of the main cities, good reason to improve rail and air links, and create jobs. Plus it would encourage companies to relocate businesses. Na! too easy!

[LawrenceN]

32 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The British and Australian embassies have outreach programs. Perhaps other too. They have consular officers who set up meetings regularly in big cities, where the expat community is able to ask and get answers to issues that pertain to them. This is past of the duty of consular officers. Whether you choose to participate is on you. But, as least the service is offered, and the option of there. 

 

America is either too arrogant, too indifferent, or simply too incompetent to accomplish such a task. An empire in decline. 

Prejudiced nonsense. Just this week the Consulate sent an email offering help with voter registration and actual voting, including collecting ballots and mailing them Stateside. We have been getting frequent information about Covid-19, and updates on the political situation in Thailand.

 

When the Consulate quit providing those bogus income letters to Thai Immigration, they held info sessions to give all interested citizens the reasons for ending that practice. 

 

Then there's the work of consulates worldwide, that is, registering births, deaths, and marriages of US citizens. The Consulate also has outreach sessions in other provinces, as you said the Aussies and Brits do. Those sessions are announced here in TV. You're not paying attention! 

[owl sees all]

8 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

Simple! The CIA need a base near China.

So the ear asia* on the 2022 will be no longer needed soon. Many will feel a lot safer when this 3000 rai site has been returned to the farmers.

 

* also known as Voice of America and CIA special complex for anti-US people.

[bipper]

7 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Appears we've got some space to offer. ????

Without a trade agreement if their star doesn't behave himself. That would be Cummings not Johnson.

[wandasloan]

7 hours ago, donnacha said:

You certainly get better visa treatment in Vietnam compared to those of us from countries that didn't try to carpet bomb them into the stone age just 40 years ago.

As Barbie explained, arithmetic is difficult.

 

[bronzedude]

Now those going to the Chiang Man consulate can get the same poor service as those who go to the US Embasy in Bangkok. Should have saved the money.

[pixelaoffy]

What's the point of spending all that on a consulate?  Americans with money to waste! It's been handing out 1200$ to expats l over the world .. adds to the trillions of debt !

Edited September 26, 2020 by pixelaoffy

[ronaldo0]

Slightly overpriced me thinks !! ????????????????

[wwest5829]

18 hours ago, Guderian said:

The Thais could have built a high-speed rail line to China for less than that. No wonder the West is going broke. 

Very funny. Looking at that complex for 284 million USD?

[FlyingThai]

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

Since when has that been a duty of a foreign Embassy ?

Depends on the arrangements with the host country. Thailand already hosts a range of U.S. operations including a military base that has in the past been used for some rather sketchy operations.

 

As far as law enforcement goes Thailand and the U.S. cooperate a lot and the DEA has been integral in the region for decades. It's a pretty popular foreign posting.

 

I'm surprised China hasn't caused a ruckus with their local lackeys yet about the U.S. government building such a big spy apparatus in the North.

[wwest5829]

8 hours ago, cxxis said:

Imagine how much of the USA left behind onexploded ordinace garbage we could have cleared in the Lao PDR with this cash.

 

“We were never there” ... the then President told me and as we know ... American Presidents never lie ...

[FlyingThai]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

So the ear asia* on the 2022 will be no longer needed soon. Many will feel a lot safer when this 3000 rai site has been returned to the farmers.

 

* also known as Voice of America and CIA special complex for anti-US people.

Nothing will be "returned" but interested parties can buy the land just as it happened in Bangkok where the Central Embassy complex has been build. That cost them a pretty penny and the cash went back to the British Taxpayer (yeah right, as if).

[wwest5829]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Not sure why they need it, Americans aren't all that welcome with the infection rate back home.

And as an American retired in Thailand,I hope the USA will be among the last country allowed to freely enter Thailand. I do respect their right to control their own bodies and their right to die ... to bad the right wingers cannot even comprehend that this is what they are supporting.

[wwest5829]

8 hours ago, donnacha said:

You certainly get better visa treatment in Vietnam compared to those of us from countries that didn't try to carpet bomb them into the stone age just 40 years ago.

Funny how that works and now best buddies (in no small measure because they stand against Chinese aggression with which they are all to familiar), reminds me of Japan .... history is a great teacher to reflect upon. Afghanistan? Not so much ...

[wwest5829]

6 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Yes, this is just showing that there are many Americans who do not

want to live or work inside the USA

Geezer

Including this retired American who determined he could live a much more comfortable lifestyle in Thailand than he could have afforded on a monthly budget of $2400.00 ($1306.00 from SS). Thailand targeting the rich and famous to replace the mass tourism and retired working middle class that cannot afford to live in their own western countries? Uh, huh ...

[wwest5829]

5 hours ago, tonray said:

Can I do the same on next year's Tax form ?

Seems to work for Trump, Inc. ... just sayin ...

[wwest5829]

4 hours ago, Olmate said:

 Dont they know no one has ever attacked a foreign embassy.

Could word it so you are referring only to Thailand?

[NancyL]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The British and Australian embassies have outreach programs. Perhaps other too. They have consular officers who set up meetings regularly in big cities, where the expat community is able to ask and get answers to issues that pertain to them. This is past of the duty of consular officers. Whether you choose to participate is on you. But, as least the service is offered, and the option of there. 

 

America is either too arrogant, too indifferent, or simply too incompetent to accomplish such a task. An empire in decline. 

You've been living under a rock.  Representatives from the U.S. Consulate have been at the last several gatherings of the CM Expats Club helping Americans to register to vote.  If you enroll in STEP  https://step.state.gov/  and let the State Dept know that you live in Chiang Mai, you'll receive helpful emails several times a month about local events, like antigovernmental demonstrations that are best avoided.  They did a great job of keeping us updated about the Covid situation and flights to the U.S., etc.

 

Before Covid, they hosted meetings at least once a year on subjects like Social Security, voting from abroad, etc.  

 

In my experience, they do at least as much as the Australian Embassy and much more than the British Embassy.  (I'm on the email lists of all three)

[Thongsaeng]

I suspect that North Korean laborers will be 'used' and most of that money will be going to floor 39 ?

[rumak]

1 hour ago, pixelaoffy said:

What's the point of spending all that on a consulate?  Americans with money to waste! It's been handing out 1200$ to expats l over the world .. adds to the trillions of debt !

hahahaha    what debt ?    "i'll see your 2 trillion...... and raise you 2 trillion"    

 

[HaleySabai]

11 hours ago, Olmate said:

New OZ Embassy in Wireless Rd reportedly cost $110 million to build! Must be a big one!

Prime real estate in BKK is SUPER expensive!

16rai in central CM wouldn't be cheap either.

[dabhand]

6 hours ago, tomauasia said:

Yes outrageous cost. Getting robbed.

I had direct experience of a US embassy construction project in West Africa back in the 80's. My company was the main contractor with the resident engineers for the US state department being a US company. Our profit margin was quite substantial and I would imagine that also went for the US guys. Likely that most, if not all, of such projects have similar levels of profitability.

 

I was asked, by the US company, to get involved in a subsequent US embassy project that was in the works in Mogadishu. Luckily I passed on that.

[daftdada]

21 hours ago, Guderian said:

The Thais could have built a high-speed rail line to China for less than that. No wonder the West is going broke. 

The West, as in the USA, is not only broke but in the red to the tune of 23 TRILLION+ USD.