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Dutch Embassy Sale Sparks Debate in Bangkok


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Posted

It's unfortunate, but it wouldn't be the first such sale, and won't be the last. Governments see how much they can make by selling their land in city centers and moving to office buildings, and they never really consider the intangible benefits of keeping a visible presence in the middle of town.

 

If I recall, didn't the Dutch previously sell part of their land on Wireless in the late 80s? And the Spanish sold their property just up the road in the early 90s, and of course the UK sold the front of its embassy, and then the rest. Sad.

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Posted
1 minute ago, khunjeff said:

It's unfortunate, but it wouldn't be the first such sale, and won't be the last. Governments see how much they can make by selling their land in city centers and moving to office buildings, and they never really consider the intangible benefits of keeping a visible presence in the middle of town.

 

If I recall, didn't the Dutch previously sell part of their land on Wireless in the late 80s? And the Spanish sold their property just up the road in the early 90s, and of course the UK sold the front of its embassy, and then the rest. Sad.

More often than not, some doner get rich on the sale, and some doner gets rich renting the new location. 

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Posted
11 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

More often than not, some doner get rich on the sale, and some doner gets rich renting the new location. 

 

These sales are all to large Thai corporations or developers. No "doners" are involved.

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Posted
4 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

 

These sales are all to large Thai corporations or developers. No "doners" are involved.

Do you think there is not someone deciding who gets it? 

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Posted

The US embassy owns a huge tract of land along there including the iconic Ambassador's residence. At one time, the US Embassy in Thailand was the largest US foreign Mission in the world (or Asia, I forget). I believe the newer US Embassy in Iraq eclipsed it.

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Posted
14 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

For what ???

 Maybe for when one of their citizens need help. Oh silly me, of course for helping their countries citizen embassies aren't here.

 

They are only here for spending tax payers money, and charging ridiculous fees when you need something

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Posted
1 minute ago, CallumWK said:

They are only here for spending tax payers money, and charging ridiculous fees when you need something

Yes. A friend of mine was the head of consular services at a Western embassy (not US), and she was always complaining about staffing shortages. She explained the Consulate side of the Embassy (to serve expat citizen's needs) was the Expenditure side of the house, while the Chancery side (Ambassador and 1st, 2nd secretaries) was the Revenue side of the house..

Posted

Well all these European countries that have merciless tax rates do need the billions after all to fund Ukraine or the other broke nations within the European Union. No wonder more and more countries are fed up with the dogmatic rules of Bruxelles and wish to get out of the current functioning of the European Union. 

 

The point is not if or if not,  the European Union will break up. The point is,  when,  will it happen. 

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Posted
8 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

the Chancery side (Ambassador and 1st, 2nd secretaries) was the Revenue side of the house..

 

I remember when I sold my property in my home country, and since I lived in Thailand, the notarial act had to be "legalized" by the ambassador.

The fee for that was not much short of a return flight to my country in Europe

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Posted
21 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 Maybe for when one of their citizens need help. Oh silly me, of course for helping their countries citizen embassies aren't here.

 

They are only here for spending tax payers money, and charging ridiculous fees when you need something

Silly you🤗. You don't need a palace with astronomical high maintenance costs but an effective, modern embassy. Maybe in a business center with parking facilities and public transport.

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Posted
2 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

The US embassy owns a huge tract of land along there including the iconic Ambassador's residence. At one time, the US Embassy in Thailand was the largest US foreign Mission in the world (or Asia, I forget). I believe the newer US Embassy in Iraq eclipsed it.

 

Yes, it was the second-largest in the world when the new annex was completed in 1996.  https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/us-breaks-ground-on-massive-thai-embassy-annex/

 

Today, however, it doesn't even rank among the top 20. U.S. embassies in terms of size.  In fact, the largest embassy in 1996 was Cairo, which now ranks in 20th place.  https://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-largest-us-embassies-world-124339985.html

 

It's unclear, though, whether it's an apples-to-apples comparison between 1996 and 1923.  The top=20 list covers the size of the entire embassy compound, but the 1996 ranking may just be the size of the embassy buildings.

Posted

I am pleased to see many readers expressing concern about the sale of the Netherlands Embassy.

There is a petition going around, urging the Dutch Government to reconsider this decision and protect this irreplaceable site. If you are also concerned, please sign the petition below to support this cause. You do not need to be Dutch or living in Thailand to sign—this is an issue of shared heritage and global significance. Thank you for signing and sharing. !! 

 

https://secure.avaaz.org/community_petitions/en/casper_veldkamp_minister_of_foreign_affairs_of_net_dont_sell_the_dutch_embassy_in_bangkok/

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