FILE PHOTO: People wait to receive the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as Thailand start a mass inoculation at a gymnasium inside the Siam paragon Shopping center, Bangkok, Thailand June 7, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Thailand on Wednesday turned down a direct appeal to fly in coronavirus vaccines for its citizens but said the U.S. government was taking actions to boost vaccine access worldwide.

 

The embassy in a message to its citizens in Thailand said the state department could not provide vaccines to the millions of Americans abroad, but would advocate for equitable access locally.

 

The message comes after four U.S. citizens' groups last month wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking for Thailand to be made a pilot project for vaccinating Americans abroad, who should have the same rights as at home.

 

U.S. embassies have posted information about local vaccinations on their websites, saying the U.S. government does not provide them.

 

Thailand's mass vaccination drive, which includes foreigners, started this month amid its worst coronavirus outbreak so far. A record 51 deaths were announced on Wednesday.

 

So far, about 2.3 million people in Thailand have been fully vaccinated.

 

France's embassy on Wednesday started vaccinating its citizens in Thailand. China has donated one million vaccine doses to Thailand, with 400,000 earmarked for its nationals.

 

The need to vaccinate elderly Americans who may be unable to travel home was "paramount", Paul Risley, a U.S. citizen and chair of Democrats Abroad, told Reuters.

 

Vaccinating American citizens would help alleviate the burden for Thailand, Risley said.

 

The U.S. government will release seven million vaccine doses to countries in Asia, including Thailand, the embassy said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-06-23

 

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Got the email from the embassy this morning, and I had to just laugh. They have put their trust in Thailand and other countries to vaccinate the citizens who are living or working in those countries.

https://th.usembassy.gov/a-message-to-american-citizens-in-thailand-from-charge-daffaires-michael-heath/

Imagine every country in this world would supply vaccines to all their citizens which are in other countries in this world. That would be a lot of vaccines flying around the globe. And for what? Most (all?) countries work on the vaccination of all the people in their individual countries. It just takes some time.

 

As far as I see there is no foreigner in Thailand who didn't voluntarily come to Thailand, maybe except from prisoners. Many foreigners are in Thailand because they enjoy that Thailand is different from home. But then some complain that x and y and z is not like home. Make up your mind! What do you want? Thailand with all the good and all the bad? Or only those parts of Thailand which you like and otherwise your home country should take care of you. Really? 

The only disturbing news I am getting from friends in Bangkok is that they are coming up against a wall of " Thais first " which I find ridiculous.

If that is the case it is because of the trickle down effect of xenophobic and nationalistic verbal assaults on TV from certain people in government.

It needs reporting to Embassies if this is the case, as this will be taken very seriously and passed on up the chain to Western leaders, who are supplying South East Asia with technology,  science and surplus vaccines.

Phuket Expats now getting vaxed with AZ.

other tourist regions like Bangkok to follow soon surely.......

3 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

Phuket Expats now getting vaxed with AZ.

other tourist regions like Bangkok to follow soon surely.......

Getting vaccinated with AZ here in Bangkok already, my appointments for tomorrow.

4 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

The only disturbing news I am getting from friends in Bangkok is that they are coming up against a wall of " Thais first " which I find ridiculous.

 

I agree with this. Expecting embassies to provide vaccinations is dumb, but vaccine distribution locally should be nationality-agnostic and based on need.

 

The most vulnerable should be prioritized with the rollout moving down the chain of vulnerability until the population is vaccinated.

Phuket & Bangkok Expats now getting vaxed with AZ.

other tourist regions then non- tourist ares to follow soon surely.......

 

and why exactly should embassies start providing mass medical services ?

they provide passport related documents & emergency services for individual citizens in great distress like prisoners or severely disabled.

if not satisfied with medical service here, go elsewhere for that.....

6 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

Phuket & Bangkok Expats now getting vaxed with AZ.

other tourist regions then non- tourist ares to follow soon surely.......

 

and why exactly should embassies start providing mass medical services ?

they provide passport related documents & emergency services for individual citizens in great distress like prisoners or severely disabled.

if not satisfied with medical service here, go elsewhere for that.....

Why shouldn't foreign governments do it? France did for its most vulnerable citizens abroad.

16 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

Phuket & Bangkok Expats now getting vaxed with AZ.

other tourist regions then non- tourist ares to follow soon surely.......

 

and why exactly should embassies start providing mass medical services ?

they provide passport related documents & emergency services for individual citizens in great distress like prisoners or severely disabled.

if not satisfied with medical service here, go elsewhere for that.....

I think a deadly worldwide pandemic would classify as an emergency, no excuse for not providing proper vaccines for it’s own citizens 

then go back to USA for that then......

11 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Why shouldn't foreign governments do it? France did for its most vulnerable citizens abroad.

Because put quite simply it is not part of their mandate. France is a very notable exception and even their own ambassador said 'it is unprecedented'. 

they shouldnt do it because its not their business

individuals outside their country must surely organize their own healthcare... or return home

France are the only nation doing this ......at home -based French taxpayer expense no doubt.......

perhaps they are offloading those millions of perfectly good unused AZ vaccines , before expiration, a stockpile that Macron created, stupidly & jealously saying AZ was no good........

 

 

12 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Because put quite simply it is not part of their mandate. France is a very notable exception and even their own ambassador said 'it is unprecedented'. 

Why do you want farangs to die?

12 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

they shouldnt do it because its not their business

individuals outside their country must surely organize their own healthcare... or return home

France are the only nation doing this ......at home -based French taxpayer expense no doubt.......

perhaps they are offloading those millions of perfectly good unused AZ vaccines , before expiration, a stockpile that Macron created, stupidly & jealously saying AZ was no good........

 

 

Are you Michael Heath of the US Embassy posting under an assumed name?

12 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

they shouldnt do it because its not their business

individuals outside their country must surely organize their own healthcare... or return home

France are the only nation doing this ......at home -based French taxpayer expense no doubt.......

perhaps they are offloading those millions of perfectly good unused AZ vaccines , before expiration, a stockpile that Macron created, stupidly & jealously saying AZ was no good........

 

 

Rubbish.

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

U.S. government was taking actions to boost vaccine access worldwide.

That's the USA in a nutshell. They care about any random person in another country more or less the same as any one of their so-called citizens/tax cattle.

Good. 
I don't want an experimental, emergency-use vaccine for something that has a 99+% recovery rate, and I don't want any help from my government. 
 

But the way, why does the letter refer to the "Biden-Harris administration"? Why include the mostly ceremonial role of vice president in the title? I assume we are being primed for the 25th amendment. 

 

And what does this mean: "The US diplomatic mission has not been spared by COVID-19, as several families in our community have endured tragedies from this terrible pandemic."

So I read this as what? People working for the US government in Thailand have...died? I have never heard anything about this, and I am sure if that were the case, we would have known about it. Could someone explain? 

 

And why say "terrible" to modify the situation? Was that fear-inducing adjective necessary?

 

...and lots of bantering of the word "equitable" without actually offering your citizens anything rings hollow. 

44 minutes ago, Winegeeker said:

I think a deadly worldwide pandemic would classify as an emergency, no excuse for not providing proper vaccines for it’s own citizens 

Exactly. These retired Americans in Thailand would have worked the first 3 months of every year paying local, state and federal taxes. Now when *they* need support form their government in a global emergency they're told to wait in line like the rest of the world. Shipping vaccines to an embassy was too much to ask even. Totally unforgivable.

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

The only disturbing news I am getting from friends in Bangkok is that they are coming up against a wall of " Thais first " which I find ridiculous.

If that is the case it is because of the trickle down effect of xenophobic and nationalistic verbal assaults on TV from certain people in government.

It needs reporting to Embassies if this is the case, as this will be taken very seriously and passed on up the chain to Western leaders, who are supplying South East Asia with technology,  science and surplus vaccines.

Evidence for this? And where are you?

Like many others actually IN Thailand, I have a jab scheduled.

Whether I want it is not something the embassy would not get involved in.

20 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

Good. 
I don't want an experimental, emergency-use vaccine for something that has a 99+% recovery rate, and I don't want any help from my government. 
 

No-one said you had to take one. Calm down.

[Note: Americans have a tendency to get hysterical...]

"Like many others actually IN Thailand, I have a jab scheduled."

 

I think they bailed on all that, didn't they? And syphoned off your personal information to boot, yes? 

"No-one said you had to take one. Calm down."

 

How calm do you want me to be? I just stated an opinion, no shouting, no CAPS...jez, some people are pretty picky...

3 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

"Like many others actually IN Thailand, I have a jab scheduled."

 

I think they bailed on all that, didn't they? And syphoned off your personal information to boot, yes? 

No.

I have given them nothing beyond name, rank and number (all right, I gave them my passport number). What are you on?

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Got the email from the embassy this morning, and I had to just laugh. They have put their trust in Thailand and other countries to vaccinate the citizens who are living or working in those countries.

 

So that big 'ol nanny state aint working for ya.

 

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Getting vaccinated with AZ here in Bangkok already, my appointments for tomorrow.

 

So you're going to put your trust in Thailand after all?

 

I'm glad that's over.

Why is the head of the USA embassy in Bangkok calling himself a chargé d'affaires? Did we get sold to the French since I've been gone? 

Heads of embassies of the USA are called ambassadors. 

2 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

Why is the head of the USA embassy in Bangkok calling himself a chargé d'affaires? Did we get sold to the French since I've been gone? 

Heads of embassies of the USA are called ambassadors. 

The French would not buy you. They have vaccines.

14 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

Evidence for this? And where are you?

Like many others actually IN Thailand, I have a jab scheduled.

Whether I want it is not something the embassy would not get involved in.

I am IN North East Thailand where I have been for the last 20 plus years.

 

Who has said about whether you want it or not and Embassy involvement?

 

READ THE POST PROPERLY

 

I stated I had friends who work in Bangkok and who have businesses in Bangkok who had told me, that regardless of press announcements that Nobody is safe until everybody is safe, they were being selective there and selecting Thais first.

 

That is also something that has also been reported on TVF by a thread of Sheryl, one of the moderators.

 

So my comments are based IN Thailand.

 

Hope that clarifies where I am.

 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

You must have read of the personal data breach, right?

I repeat: what are you on? I have an appointment (and I know full well it might not materialise) for next week to get a vaccine. I have given them my age and my passport (incidentally, via a fairly sophisticated set of software) and they have asked nothing more.

BTW those details are available to authorities in any of the 57 countries I have been with that passport.

What data breach, I ask in all innocence?