Last month in the Consular team #3

[British Consular Team]

Greetings from the Consular team! Apologies for the delay on sharing updates about last month. 

 

August was yet another busy month, despite a slight drop of British travellers from 64,457 in July to 62,781 in August.

 

Last month we issued 44 Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) and provided 151 documentary services, including 117 affirmations of marriage. But, that's not all – we handled 128 urgent assistance related cases, ranging from arrests and detention, welfare, hospitalisations due to various reasons, which included strokes and age-related concerns. We provided support to a total of 58 families following the death of a loved one, which included a mix of hospital deaths, road traffic accidents and a drowning.

 

Our assistance does not stop with the office operations. We’ve been meeting with various Thai authorities, strengthening our partnerships to better assist British nationals in the Thailand in times of need.

 

Immigration

Deportation cases continue to be a big focus for the team. To ensure our team stays up to date with current practices and policies, the Head of IDC Deportation Unit, delivered an informative session on the deportation process in Thailand and hosted a Q&A discussion with our team. It's worth noting that IDC handles upwards of 50 deportations on a daily basis, meaning we’re constantly looking for ways to improve our planning and time efficiency to ultimately reduce the time required for those in detention.

 

Within the detention facility, medical support is available at the clinic located onsite. A certified volunteer nurse is present every day to offer assistance, and regular doctor visits are scheduled on a weekly basis. We have contributed a range of supplies to the clinic, for detained British people to help support their needs.

 

Police Forensic Institute

Each year there are on average 400 deaths of British nationals within Thailand. Our role is centred on providing support to bereaved families & partners, while relaying the step-by-step process which must be followed to register the death and proceed with funeral arrangements. In recent years, approximately 90 British nationals’ were transferred to The Police Forensic Institute (PFI) for autopsies. The team recently visited PFI to meet with the frontline staff and learn more about the procedures when dealing with autopsies for foreigners. It was an interesting experience, as we were given a behind the scenes tour of the various procedure rooms & storage facilities etc.

 

Northeast

Our first outreach to Northeast Thailand took place last month. HMC and delegates from Consular team met with Immigration, Police, Hospitals, Care homes, and Tourist Assistance Centres, to discuss our work and enhance cooperation to support British Nationals in the area. British communities in these areas are predominantly retirees, with authorities advising that they experience very few problems involving British Nationals. Accompanied by the Tourist Police, the team also visited Soi Samphan Thamit in Udon Thani, meeting British nationals and discussing their experiences of living in, and visiting the area. They also met Consular colleagues from the British Embassy Vientiane near the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai, to update on issues jointly affecting our regions.

 

Hua Hin  

We also managed to include a brief outreach to Hua Hin – Deputy Consul and delegates from Consular team, met with Hua Hin hospital, Hua Hin police station, Hua Hin vice Mayor and the director of Bangkok Hua Hin hospital. Each meeting was based around relaying gratitude for the support from each agency to British nationals in the province, particularly during the pandemic. Another key aim was to discuss areas where we can build on our working relations & better understand areas open to improvement.

 

Making Contact

For emergency assistance, (such as in the event of the death, assault, arrest or hospitalisation of a British national), you can contact the Embassy on +66 23058333 and follow the instructions to be connected with consular officers.

 

Here are examples of some of the ways in which we can assist British nationals:

• Help with making contact to friends and family back home using our phones and internet
• Issue an emergency travel document, print out tickets and other urgent documents to enable travel
• Provide information about transferring money or receiving emergency funds
• Support families and partners following the death a British national in Thailand
• Provide a list of local lawyers, interpreters, doctors & funeral directors etc.
• Provide support to British nationals detained, liaise with lawyers, authorities and families
• Support victims of rape, sexual or physical assault or other victims of crime when liaising with police, medical and victim support services
• Direct those in need of places of safety, specialist welfare services or support networks to the appropriate agencies
• Signpost those in need of emergency shelter to places of safety and charitable accommodation providers

 

Areas which we’re unable to assist with:

• Making travel arrangements
• Helping with entering or exiting Thailand without a valid passport or Visa
• Paying any outstanding bills, medical costs or penalty fines
• Providing advice that is best given by a professional in that field or making decisions on your behalf
• Investigate crimes, search for missing people or interfere with the judicial process
• Request an enhanced level of treatment in hospital or prison than is already provided locally
• Look after children, force medical help or provide shelter at the Embassy

[blackcab]

Thank you for the detailed and informative update. Much appreciated.

[lungbing]

And it's good to see that we in Isaan cause very few problems.