PHOTOS: French expats in Thailand receive COVID-19 vaccinations

[vinci]

2 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

And the UK has dispatched a Navy task force to Thailand who have cavernous hangers to bring vaccines. The Embassy was quick to vaccinate all staff and employees at the Embassy but couldn't care less about it's expats!

so did the America, all their staff are vac

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

I wish the Aussie government will follow suit, they have no qualms in bringing hundreds of so called "new Aussies" some infected with the Indian variant already, and quarantine them for free while other true Aussies are left behind to fend for themselves...

How many "new Ausies" are entering Australia every day? And what does Australia's immigration policy got to do with Aussies living in Thailand? And do you pay tax the the Australian government? None, I bet. They owe you nothing. 

[Sydebolle]

All the while the Swiss Ambassadrice threw a cash check of CHF 200'000 towards Anutin some 15 months ago - for pure popularity reasons. 
They now came, like lame ducks, and offered a society of almost 10'000 compatriots some twenty free Astra Zeneca vaccinations on a first come first serve basis - in Bangkok only. 

CHF 10'000 per person - quite an achievement, even for the Swiss ???? Well, I leave it up to the Swiss to work on that ....... 

[Justgrazing]

4th pic' .. is that a giant boomerang .. 

I thought they were from Ozz' ..

 

[Justgrazing]

If you've got a French bulldog does that qualifies you .. 

[Thomas J]

Now the questions are how many doses did France send to Thailand and how many were dedicated to French nationals, and most importantly if the numbers don't match, what happened to the remainder of the vaccines not directed towards the French.  

My understanding is that France sent Johnson & Johnson and so far, I have not seen any sign up for Thai's to get the J&J vaccine.  What a mystery. 

[BobinBKK]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I'm guessing that France does not leave a political vacuum when it appoints ambassadors. That is why they maintain such outsized influence in Thailand and the region. The US as a counterexample demonstrates how not to operate diplomatically. Just look at the last three US ambassadors and the gap between when they left their post and when the next ambassador presented their credentials:

 

Kristie Kenney:  left post on 6 November 2014

 

Glyn Davies: presented credentials 2 October 2015. Almost one year with no ambassador. 

 

Glyn Davies: left post on 29 September 2018

 

Michael DeSombre: presented credentials on 2 March 2020. Almost a year and a half with no ambassador.

 

Michael DeSombre: left post on 20 January 2021.

 

Today, 26 June 2021: Still no new ambassador. Coming up on six months with no ambassador.

 

The current person in charge at the embassy is just a career lickspittle. He carries no influence. Americans in Thailand have nobody of ambassadorial rank to speak for them either here or back in the US. (To DeSombre's credit now that he's back in the US he has been calling for the vaccination of expats in Thailand.) A so-called Super Power that can't be bothered to send representatives to a region of the world it says is important will soon not have any influence in that region.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Thailand

 

 

The US government is more focused on buying its friends than helping their own citizens. The US State Department confirmed on April 20th that it has sent to each U.S. embassy sufficient vaccines to administer to all American employees. There's absolutely NO excuse why US citizens could not be included in this plan to countries where foreign nationals are put at the end of the line. If China and France can do it, then so can America which obviously has the financial means to do so. 
 

The American government has absolutely NO right to accuse any country of human rights violations when they willfully abandon their own citizen during a global health crisis. Speaking as a tax paying American citizen, I have every right to call my own government shameful and a global disgrace!

 

In a bid to win friends in the South China Sea dispute with China, the US government will vaccinate members of the South Korean Military, citizens of The Philippines (under threats from the Philippines president), Taiwan and Thailand .

 

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-americans-who-cant-get-vaccines-11622156230

 

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-us-will-vaccinate-south-korean-soldiers-against-covid-19-2021-05-21/

 

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210619-us-triples-covid-19-vaccines-for-taiwan-with-2-5-million-dose-shipment

 

Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Duterte-threatens-to-end-US-military-pact-if-no-vaccines

 

Source: https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2574948/us-provides-php170-million-to-support-covid-19-vaccine-deployment-in-the-philip/

 

Source: https://th.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-support-for-thailand-to-beat-covid-19/

[BostonRob2]

Im expecting the UK embassy to announce free vaccination for all their expats shortly.

 

Subject to a certification letter obtainable from the consular section for 200 quid in local currency (based on 65 baht to the pound). 

 

Ambassador?

[Golden Triangle]

1 hour ago, Golden Triangle said:

I have just sent an email to the Prime Minister via the cabinet office, you are allowed a maximum of a 1000 characters, enough to get the point across, I also informed them that the Bangkok hospital group has hospitals in 40 major cities in Thailand & reminded them that they have promised spare vaccines to poorer countries and that we should be included ????

 

I don't however expect a response, so get on yer keyboards people ????????????????

 

Thank you for your message.

Please note that the Prime Minister’s Office is a part of the Cabinet Office, a Government Department.  If you wish to contact the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Leader of the Conservative Party, you should instead contact the Conservative Party, at https://www.conservatives.com/contact.

Please confirm the message by clicking on the following link: https:/

 

Above is the auto reply I have received, as I say I won't hold my breath on a reply.

[BobinBKK]

All made possible by the Americans that liberated them from Nazi Germany. As I have many American relatives that fought for their freedom in WWI and WWII let me be the first to say "you're welcome"...

[Greenhill]

And the French Embassy is using the 'one jab' Johnson & Johnson jab - not otherwise available in Thailand!

[John Drake]

5 minutes ago, BobinBKK said:

All made possible by the Americans that liberated them from Nazi Germany. As I have many American relatives that fought for their freedom in WWI and WWII let me be the first to say "you're welcome"...

 

Huh?

[IvorBiggun2]

1 hour ago, Golden Triangle said:

But they are not interested are they.

Why should they? We turned our backs on our mother country in the hope of having a better life here and when things go tits up we criticize them because they don't help us. Will 'GoFundMe' help?

[Golden Triangle]

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why should they? We turned our backs on our mother country in the hope of having a better life here and when things go tits up we criticize them because they don't help us. Will 'GoFundMe' help?

You make far too many incorrect assumptions in your reply, don't label people when you know nothing about them. 

[John Drake]

4 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why should they? We turned our backs on our mother country in the hope of having a better life here and when things go tits up we criticize them because they don't help us. Will 'GoFundMe' help?

 

Just my impression. But what I see of most British expats here, it seems the "mother country" gave them such miserable prospects for retirement that they would be nuts not to seek better conditions somewhere else. 

[IvorBiggun2]

6 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

You make far too many incorrect assumptions in your reply, don't label people when you know nothing about them. 

 

What 'assumptions'?

 

4 minutes ago, John Drake said:

the "mother country" gave them such miserable prospects for retirement

I did well. And that's with a 'local government' pension.

Edited June 27, 2021 by IvorBiggun2

[vandeventer]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Vive la France! 

Where can I buy a French Passport?

[Rookiescot]

19 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why should they? We turned our backs on our mother country in the hope of having a better life here and when things go tits up we criticize them because they don't help us. Will 'GoFundMe' help?

 

Can I have my tax money back then?

[IvorBiggun2]

4 minutes ago, Rookiescot said:

Can I have my tax money back then?

Yep. Fill ya boots. Tell 'em I sent ya.   ????

[Rookiescot]

44 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

Thank you for your message.

Please note that the Prime Minister’s Office is a part of the Cabinet Office, a Government Department.  If you wish to contact the Prime Minister in his capacity as the Leader of the Conservative Party, you should instead contact the Conservative Party, at https://www.conservatives.com/contact.

Please confirm the message by clicking on the following link: https:/

 

Above is the auto reply I have received, as I say I won't hold my breath on a reply.

 

Actually now is a good time to spam the UK government with requests for vaccinations for expats.

The new health minister will probably want to make some announcement putting him in a good light. 

[Rookiescot]

7 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Yep. Fill ya boots. Tell 'em I sent ya.   ????

 

Not sure your voice will carry much weight.

[4MyEgo]

56 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Why should they? We turned our backs on our mother country in the hope of having a better life here and when things go tits up we criticize them because they don't help us. Will 'GoFundMe' help?

 

What are you on about, your obviously speaking without thinking, so you can speak for yourself.

 

Don't assume others turned their backs on their mother country because they chose to move abroad because it is more affordable and also providing them with the opportunity to retire 12 years earlier in life, in my case.

 

I will add to that, using my own funds to survive, and pay taxes from income earned from within my home country while living overseas, albeit it I do get some tax benefits from my investments to survive, otherwise it wouldn't be worth while.

 

Citizenship is for life, like a son is part of a family for life.

 

Criticizing ones mother country is ones right when they force you to become a non-resident when your out of the country for 186 days.

 

1) You lose your right to vote in elections.

 

2) They tax you on income earned within your mother country at 32.5c for every $ earned with no tax threshold which is different to citizens living there.

 

3) Tax you at the highest tax rate i.e. 42% on your principal place of residence, starting on the day you purchased it, when you sell it when living overseas.

 

4) Strip you of your right to Medicare

 

5) Forces you to return to your mother country to get your pension after 35 years of paying taxes and make you wait 2 years before they will allow you to get it made portable, e.g. to have it transferred to you in Thailand where you live, but if you live there at pension age, you can get it and go, no 2 year waiting period,   W-T-F is that all about, affordability no doubt, I mean how many people will return to spend more than it's worth in those 2 years to get it paid to Thailand, e.g. will take 4 years at least to recoup the money spent in those 2 years spent in Oz. 

 

6) They donate 2.8 million dollars to Thailand's vaccination program without a thought of or mention of getting their citizens vaccinated.

 

I could go on, but hey, I see the Australian government for what it is, shallow, it treats immigrants and those who cheat the system better than those who have contributed to it's tax system for 4 decades from where I am sitting. 

 

Shame on Australia and others who have turned their back on those who contribute/d to their mother country, they are nothing more than mother (word withheld) in my opinion, but hey, I'm good because I can handle my own !

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2021 by 4MyEgo

[jaiyenyen]

I'm sure there's an old French letter somewhere in my wallet.

Would that get me a place in le queue?

[daejung]

3 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

They could do one step better and allow the Thai wives of their citizens over 55 to get jabbed with a decent vaccine. Then allow the kids next. USA may be falling short here but at least they over in the USA don't discriminate and give it to everyone.

In France too, it's given to all, free of charge

[Moonlover]

I could post a photograph of me getting my 1st free vaccination 4 days prior to our French colleagues, without the largess of the British government. And I only had to go 10kls for it.

 

But I wouldn't want to rub it in. ????

 

[4MyEgo]

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

 Of course it is.

 

 

 

You obviously didn't read my post, if you did you would have worked out that I was born there so don't send me stuff that's not relevant to try and save face.

 

 

[daejung]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Probably the French did it to p$#@ off the Americans. They succeeded.

 

Personally I didn't pay tax back home since many years and I don't expect that my home country provides any service to me while I am in Thailand.

 

It's paid by french Social Security System, not by taxes (government budget), even if it's almost the same

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, mokwit said:

So if one Embassy could do it, how is it that the others couldn't?. No doubt they will say it is not their responsibility, to which I would ask particularly of the British Embassy, what exactly IS your responsibility?

 

My guess is that it is a lot harder for the British Embassy to vaccinate its citizens than for the French Embassy. 

 

There are a lot more British People in Thailand than French - Thus it is easier to Distribute a smaller number vaccines for a smaller number to hospitals at major locations (i.e. Chiang Mai, Samui etc).

 

Additionally, British are consummate whingers... the moment the British Embassy announces that it will vaccinate over 55 year olds... Anyone under 55 complain why only those over 55 years old... then others complain why not also those in high risk groups below 55 years old....  then others complain that people outside of Bangkok around Thailand cannot get to the major locations receive the vaccine & why couldn’t the British Embassy do a better job of distribution. 

 

There is no right answer, but I do know that whatever the British Embassy choses to do there will be an extremely vocal majority complaining that its not good enough. 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2021 by richard_smith237

[balo]

Getting a vaccine would help you'd think, but there are reports that people are getting sick even after they are vaccinated.   Don't think you can relax and hug everyone you meet. 

[Rookiescot]

18 minutes ago, josthomz said:

Why I see no baguettes on the pictures? Where'd they leave their baguettes?

 

No onions or berets either.

Are we sure these pictures are genuine?