Abandoned, Ailing Australian Woman Gets Help

[webfact]

The Australian woman being taken to Klang Hospital from the hostel in Bang Rak area. Photo: Matichon

 

by TNR Staff 

 

AN AILING elderly Australian woman abandoned at a hostel in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district by an unidentified foreign man was helped by a city councillor who got her admitted to Klang Hospital for treatment, Matichon newspaper said this evening (Nov. 27).

 

Mr. Viput Sriwaurai, a councillor for this district, said hostel staff contacted him yesterday about the 67-year-old woman who was brought here by a foreign man who had called them to rent accommodation for a sick friend for two nights. However he could no longer be contacted.

 

The Australian woman, whose one leg has been amputated, suffers from burns on her body with sores having also developed and is unable to help herself.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2022/11/27/abandoned-ailing-australian-woman-gets-help/

 

-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2022-11-28

 

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[Phnom Penh Trader]

Sounds terrible but a lot of the story missing,was the amputation performed in Thailand and did the burns come from in country also?

[nausea]

Probably bed sores. Once you get sick things compound. Anyway, good someone is taking care at last.

[ezzra]

Just in case you'd be asking where the Australian embassy in all of that, don't bother, those lofty perched bureaucrats  are not interested in helping Aussies unless it's hit the main news papers.

[steven100]

isn't the Australian pension eligibility age 67 yrs ?

[ChrisY1]

14 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Just in case you'd be asking where the Australian embassy in all of that, don't bother, those lofty perched bureaucrats  are not interested in helping Aussies unless it's hit the main news papers.

Is the Australian embassy even open?

[ChrisY1]

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

isn't the Australian pension eligibility age 67 yrs ?

What does that have to do with it?....

[brianthainess]

7 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Is the Australian embassy even open?

I believe they (police) have an emergency number. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by brianthainess

[brianthainess]

14 minutes ago, steven100 said:

isn't the Australian pension eligibility age 67 yrs ?

And that will help her how ?

[brianthainess]

27 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Just in case you'd be asking where the Australian embassy in all of that, don't bother, those lofty perched bureaucrats  are not interested in helping Aussies unless it's hit the main news papers.

Or when your dead.

[steven100]

1 minute ago, brianthainess said:

And that will help her how ?

If she doesn't already receive the pension, she could possibly apply and then if successful she could pay a carer to look after her.   just saying  ....

[brianthainess]

Just now, steven100 said:

If she doesn't already receive the pension, she could possibly apply and then if successful she could pay a carer to look after her.   just saying  ....

You have to live in Australia for 2 years after applying, before you can live overseas and it is means tested, unless she was just here on 'Holiday' 

 

[Will27]

6 minutes ago, steven100 said:

If she doesn't already receive the pension, she could possibly apply and then if successful she could pay a carer to look after her.   just saying  ....

You have to be inside Australia to apply/receive the pension.

[Boomer6969]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Just in case you'd be asking where the Australian embassy in all of that, don't bother, those lofty perched bureaucrats  are not interested in helping Aussies unless it's hit the main news papers.

I reckon that's unfair. When you travel it is your responsibility to take care of yourself and to buy proper insurance if highly recommended. Now in this case should the embassy have known that this person was ill? How? Give them a chance they will intervene, if warranted.

Edited November 28, 2022 by Boomer6969

[Peterw42]

As others have said, a lot is missing from the story.

People overestimate the roll of embassies, their role isn't to pay your bills, take care of your medical needs, they don't automatically step in every time one of their citizens goes to hospital.

67 year old, one legged women dont just appear in Thailand. One can presume she has somehow got herself here, has otherwise somehow been paying the bills, feeding herself etc, been responsible for her own circumstances.

[wwest5829]

38 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

And that will help her how ?

Might provide tracking information?

[RichardColeman]

Sounds more like the sons new boo wants the old woman out

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

As others have said, a lot is missing from the story.

People overestimate the roll of embassies, their role isn't to pay your bills, take care of your medical needs, they don't automatically step in every time one of their citizens goes to hospital.

67 year old, one legged women dont just appear in Thailand. One can presume she has somehow got herself here, has otherwise somehow been paying the bills, feeding herself etc, been responsible for her own circumstances.

It is their role to help citizens who can't help themselves. They just don't fulfill it.

[wwest5829]

29 minutes ago, Will27 said:

You have to be inside Australia to apply/receive the pension.

So, Aussies already retired cannot get their pension paid if outside Australia?

[ozimoron]

3 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

So, Aussies already retired cannot get their pension paid if outside Australia?

Only if they lived the last 2 years in Australia before applying and were in Australia to apply.

[johnarth]

37 minutes ago, steven100 said:

If she doesn't already receive the pension, she could possibly apply and then if successful she could pay a carer to look after her.   just saying  ....

you do not get that kind of money on an Australian pension, if you not have money of your own you are left to die, she would have more hope of living if the TV news follows up and makes a story out of it, and shames the Australian government into helping her

[itsari]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

isn't the Australian pension eligibility age 67 yrs ?

Not much hope in that with her out of the country . The woman would need to get to Australia for being offered a pension with there draconian portability rules . 

[Peterw42]

26 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

It is their role to help citizens who can't help themselves. They just don't fulfill it.

Their list of things they "cannot" do is pretty extensive.

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/consular-services/consular-services-charter

What we can’t do

Some tasks are outside the consular role. For example, we can’t:

• guarantee your safety and security in another country or make your travel arrangements
• give you legal advice, interpret or translate documents
• intervene in another country’s court proceedings or legal matters including employment disputes, commercial disputes, criminal cases, and family law matters or child custody disputes
• investigate crimes or deaths overseas, or carry out searches for missing people, which are the responsibility of local authorities
• get you out of prison or prevent you from being deported
• get you better treatment in prison than local prisoners
• post bail or pay your fines or legal expenses
• enforce an Australian or any other custody agreement overseas or compel a country to decide a custody case
• pay for medical or psychiatric services or medications
• pay your pension or social security benefits
• arrange visas, licences, work or residency permits for other countries
• intervene in immigration, customs or quarantine matters in other countries
• store luggage or other personal items
• receive or send postal items on your behalf

 

Our assistance may be limited in some circumstances

You don’t have a legal right to consular assistance and you shouldn’t assume assistance will be provided. For example, we may limit assistance where:

• your actions were illegal
• you’ve deliberately or repeatedly acted recklessly or negligently
• you put yourself or others at risk
• you’ve demonstrated a repeated pattern of behaviour requiring multiple instances of consular assistance previously

Edited November 28, 2022 by Peterw42

[itsari]

13 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

So, Aussies already retired cannot get their pension paid if outside Australia?

They can if they applied in Australia or in a country where  there is a social agreement made . Thailand has no such agreement .

[johnarth]

there is a lot that can be said about the Australian Government and the old age pension, the number one being the government want to get their greedy hands on the pension money

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, itsari said:

They can if they applied in Australia or in a country where  there is a social agreement made . Thailand has no such agreement .

I suspect they have to be a dual citizen of that country.

[itsari]

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

I suspect they have to be a dual citizen of that country.

Not the case with the Australian agreement with Norway .

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, itsari said:

Not the case with the Australian agreement with Norway .

An Australian tourist in Norway can apply for an Australian pension? Bear in mind that the reciprocal agreement provides that the pension in this case would be funded and paid by Norway.

[MrJ2U]

They will eventually have to send her back to her country through her embassy or on their own dime.

 

Thailand definitely isn't going to foot the bill for a sick homeless foreigner. 

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, MrJ2U said:

They will eventually have to send her back to her country through her embassy or on their own dime.

 

Thailand definitely isn't going to foot the bill for a sick homeless foreigner. 

Yes, I believe they just hand her the bill in Australia and she can't leave the country again without paying it.