Your Chance To Quiz UK Ambassador To Thailand

[jayboy]

Wether or not he can do anything its a question that should be asked, and as for your last comment you are right it will not win you any popularity, in fact it makes you sound like an ASS , your silver spoon is showing, stop trolling

It's very far from trolling.Rather it's a serious problem, namely the assumption that impoverished British residents (ie no significant financial assets or savings beyond a few thousand pounds) in Thailand believe they can subsist on a tiny state pension in the context of a weakening Pound Sterling.These people, who tend not to be very sophisticated, really should not be here on such a fragile financial basis and my reaction is certainly not patronising, rather one of pity.I speak with experience having had to organise the repatriation of one very decent fellow in my moobaan:needless to say he had no medical insurance.

[bigbamboo]

The ambassador told us he is ready for any sort of question.

He's going to regret saying that.......

Does he really know what we know?

It did occur to me too that maybe it's the ambassador who should be the one asking the questions!

[ginjag]

Wether or not he can do anything its a question that should be asked, and as for your last comment you are right it will not win you any popularity, in fact it makes you sound like an ASS , your silver spoon is showing, stop trolling

It's very far from trolling.Rather it's a serious problem, namely the assumption that impoverished British residents (ie no significant financial assets or savings beyond a few thousand pounds) in Thailand believe they can subsist on a tiny state pension in the context of a weakening Pound Sterling.These people, who tend not to be very sophisticated, really should not be here on such a fragile financial basis and my reaction is certainly not patronising, rather one of pity.I speak with experience having had to organise the repatriation of one very decent fellow in my moobaan:needless to say he had no medical insurance.

Who are you to call some persons here Impoverished....near no assets....or large savings....or ridicule some posters minute pensions, and imply they are not sophisticated-and shouldn't be here, or he has a choice not to take out insurances that mostly pay out peanuts.

I have harly any words for you --to put it mildly you aer a snob and rude to say the least. Many people live here and have done for 30 years on small incomes, and live happily and modestly, spend a lot of money over the period. You would like all persons staying here to be very wealthy?? and only upper class ??? thank goodness we are not all the same.

When it comes to the Ambassadors time to ponder on any given query, I hope he has more tolerance than you.

[looping]

I emailed these earlier today:

To whom it may concern,

1, Do you find it hard to accept the current Thai government as democratically elected, or even legitimate, when:

a) They won the election on false promises, most of which have already been broken (even admitting it after the election "you have to understand that these were just election promises")?

They refused to hold a public debate before the election, stating that there would be time after the election for a debate (yet to happen!).

c) Their 'red army' didn't allow the Democrats to canvass in many areas of Thailand.

d) Their slogan was "Thaksin thinks, PT does"? (Thaksin being a convicted criminal on the run).

e) Some of their current MP's were actively involved in the red shirt riots of 2010, inciting huge crowds to commit acts of violence, burning and looting.

2, How do you think the creation of red shirt villages and districts will affect democracy in Thailand? What do you think PT's 'end game' is with this tactic?

3, Do you think it's possible for Thaksin to simply absolve himself of his sentence and regain credibility in the eyes of the international community, or do you believe that he should serve his sentence, and face the other charges against him in an internationally appointed neutral court set up for this single purpose?

4, Do you believe that people with criminal records should be allowed to enter politics?

5, Do you think that the Prime Minister of a country should be allowed to run their personal business as well as running the country, or should the post of PM be their only job and concern?

6, Do you think that foreign residents in Thailand should be able to play an active role in politics?

7, What do you think of Thaksin's persistance to be involved in politics, and the fact that he's prepared to divide an entire country on the issue of his return to Thailand with a 'get out of jail free' card?

8, Do you think that Yingluck's request to Japan for Thaksin's 'special' visa was a good move on her part, or do you think she had no choice in the matter?

And finally...

9. What makes a country democratic? How does Thailand fare on this scale? Would Yingluck agree with your definition? Maybe you could ask her for her definition.

Many thanks for reading.

[Buchholz]

^ Best Question Post of Thread Award

[rubl]

The ambassador told us he is ready for any sort of question.

He's going to regret saying that.......

Does he really know what we know?

It did occur to me too that maybe it's the ambassador who should be the one asking the questions!

Being ready for any sort of question is not the same as being ready to answer any sort of question

Mind you a career diplomat should be able to bypass any tricky or too direct question. An Ambassador represent his/her country and works to safeguard and promote it's interests (mostly business related). When that conflicts with individuals, being pragmatic, selectively deaf and magnificently able verbally, really helps.

Edited October 16, 2011 by rubl

[JohnAllan]

I think I'll pass. I know for a fact that any question that even hints at criticism - of which the visa process offers vast scope - will be viewed as an affront by the UK ambassador, who will only look to cover the section's collective a**e.

One point of interest, however, is that they process 60,000 applications annually - official figure. That amounts to some B220,000,000, or GBP4.4M. And nothing produced for it. Yet the standard of service continues to underwhelm.

[JohnAllan]

I have many questions to ask here but I'm not going to because I do not believe it would make a difference and I'm pretty sure many feel the same way

I have absolutly no confidence in any governments ability to govern considering the current state of things right now - the debt they have got us all into - the billions they have shelled out to the banks - the billions the banks have shelled out to unregulated institutions and the general inability of any of them to see that they are being taken to the cleaners, global economics are not working and only now are we seeing how flawed it has been the last 20 years, the rich get richer through greed and deception and the poor people end up paying for the global shambles

time to hit the big reset button

Not really the right thread is it? None of it has anything to do with the Ambassador and he is not an 'elected' member of Government., he just does a job like any civil servant and does what he is told to do. He has nothing to do with the banks, you getting in debt or the global financial crisis. Just a point for clarification.

I suggest you check your facts. He is an ex-investment banker.

[theoldgit]

One point of interest, however, is that they process 60,000 applications annually - official figure. That amounts to some B220,000,000, or GBP4.4M. And nothing produced for it. Yet the standard of service continues to underwhelm.

That's an interesting angle, I'm assuming your calculations on Visit Visas which start from 3,800 Baht, for a bit of fun, and because I was bored, I recalculated using the August figures as a baseline, working on their published figures, and making a couple of assumptions on the lower side, I calculate the income from the visa business, we're referred to as customers so it must be a business, in August to be a minimum of 44m Baht, that could equate to 528m Baht per year. Whilst you say nothing is produced they are as you point out processing a large number of applications a year, and that does involve staff. There will be a a number of ECO's, two ECM's, and contribution towards the cost of the Regional Manager and all the support staff, there will also be all the on costs to be factored in, not least VFS. Doing a "back of a fag packet" calculation, I guestimate their salary costs to be under 30m Baht per year, I could be wildly out, but even allowing for on costs, the processing of visas in Thailand makes a massive profit, it's fair to add that it shouldn't make a lass.

It's not a massive secret but the Bangkok post is one of the few around the world that makes an operating profit.

[Wallaby]

Wether or not he can do anything its a question that should be asked, and as for your last comment you are right it will not win you any popularity, in fact it makes you sound like an ASS , your silver spoon is showing, stop trolling

It's very far from trolling.Rather it's a serious problem, namely the assumption that impoverished British residents (ie no significant financial assets or savings beyond a few thousand pounds) in Thailand believe they can subsist on a tiny state pension in the context of a weakening Pound Sterling.These people, who tend not to be very sophisticated, really should not be here on such a fragile financial basis and my reaction is certainly not patronising, rather one of pity.I speak with experience having had to organise the repatriation of one very decent fellow in my moobaan:needless to say he had no medical insurance.

Who are you to call some persons here Impoverished....near no assets....or large savings....or ridicule some posters minute pensions, and imply they are not sophisticated-and shouldn't be here, or he has a choice not to take out insurances that mostly pay out peanuts.

I have harly any words for you --to put it mildly you aer a snob and rude to say the least. Many people live here and have done for 30 years on small incomes, and live happily and modestly, spend a lot of money over the period. You would like all persons staying here to be very wealthy?? and only upper class ??? thank goodness we are not all the same.

When it comes to the Ambassadors time to ponder on any given query, I hope he has more tolerance than you.

Ginjag I have to agree with your comments. He seems like a first class muppet. I know of many people that are hardly what would be considered impoverished but they still want the pension, and why shouldn't they.

Also, if someone is finding it difficult to live in Thailand on the UK pension just imagine how much harder it would be in the UK to survice on that amount. I know that when I hit pension age from oz I will have a better quality of life in Thailand than in oz considering the cost of living.

[7by7]

It's not a massive secret but the Bangkok post is one of the few around the world that makes an operating profit.

I know you are aware of the following, OG, but others may not be.

The profit made on visa applications is not kept by the embassy, it goes back to the UK to fund the UKBA's other, uncharged for activities such as immigration officers at ports of entry and immigration enforcement officers and operations within the UK. Any surplus made by the UKBA goes to the Treasury.

Tony Blair when he was PM decided that what was then the IND, but is now called the UKBA, should run at a profit and therefore introduced massive charges for in UK applications such as FLR and ILR, which had previously been free, or rather the cost of which had previously been included in the initial visa fee (according to what an ECO at the Bangkok embassy told me in 2000), and a regime of massive, above inflation increases in all fees ever since. A policy which was vociferously objected to by both the Tories and LibDems at the time, but one they are continuing with now they are in government!

I can't understand why some people want to question the British ambassador about Thai immigration law and policy; surely that is something completely outside the control of the British government.

[theoldgit]

I can't understand why some people want to question the British ambassador about Thai immigration law and policy; surely that is something completely outside the control of the British government.

Spot on, many of the other comments are also outside of the Ambassadors remit, I can only assume that some posters are just having a little rant on here in the full knowledge that they will not get across his desk, I doubt very much if they will actually e-mail these comments to him.

[LeCharivari]

MR Ambassador. Why do you have an uneducated man with conflicting business interests. ie Media running your Jomtien consulate.

When's the replacement due?

[GentlemanJim]

I have many questions to ask here but I'm not going to because I do not believe it would make a difference and I'm pretty sure many feel the same way

I have absolutly no confidence in any governments ability to govern considering the current state of things right now - the debt they have got us all into - the billions they have shelled out to the banks - the billions the banks have shelled out to unregulated institutions and the general inability of any of them to see that they are being taken to the cleaners, global economics are not working and only now are we seeing how flawed it has been the last 20 years, the rich get richer through greed and deception and the poor people end up paying for the global shambles

time to hit the big reset button

Not really the right thread is it? None of it has anything to do with the Ambassador and he is not an 'elected' member of Government., he just does a job like any civil servant and does what he is told to do. He has nothing to do with the banks, you getting in debt or the global financial crisis. Just a point for clarification.

I suggest you check your facts. He is an ex-investment banker.

I know my facts John. Whatever the man did before has nothing to do with his current appointment now does it, nor does it have anything to do with Smedly's rant.

[slipperx]

So I want to see the broadcast on teh web - what's the website for that? Is it going out Monday coming?

[jayboy]

Ginjag I have to agree with your comments. He seems like a first class muppet. I know of many people that are hardly what would be considered impoverished but they still want the pension, and why shouldn't they.

Also, if someone is finding it difficult to live in Thailand on the UK pension just imagine how much harder it would be in the UK to survice on that amount. I know that when I hit pension age from oz I will have a better quality of life in Thailand than in oz considering the cost of living.

I have no idea what is meant by a first class muppet!Doesn't sound like a particularly sophisticated epithet.

However my earlier comments are relevant.I'm not sure about Australia but the problem for British pensioners in Thailand is that there is no annual increase (unlike British pensioners in Australia or Canada for example).Again unlike the commodity strengthened Australian dollar, the Pound sterling is very weak, and there has been substantial depreciation against the Thai baht which is likely to continue.For British state pensioners in Thailand without access to other funds there is a real problem which cannot be wished away.On the whole many of these people came to Thailand on a cheap package tour when the Pound was strong, liked what they saw and eventually decided to stay.I'm not being patronising to suggest that many of these people were not very sophisticated and often ended up in some flea blown Isaan village or down market condo in Bangkok or Pattaya..Certainly it was no part of Thai government policy to have this kind of person as permanent residents.Still the Thai bureaucracy is quite liberal and these people were able to hang on.The problem is that if something unexpected happens these people have to be bailed out by others (I have personal experience of this).

[theoldgit]

.......the problem for British pensioners in Thailand is that there is no annual increase (unlike British pensioners in Australia or Canada for example).

Most people will be aware that British pensioners get no increase in their State Pensions in either Australia or Canada, though they do in The USA and The Philippines.

[jayboy]

.......the problem for British pensioners in Thailand is that there is no annual increase (unlike British pensioners in Australia or Canada for example).

Most people will be aware that British pensioners get no increase in their State Pensions in either Australia or Canada, though they do in The USA and The Philippines.

Not me I'm afraid - see earlier post - but thanks for the correction.Anyway the point is it's frozen in Thailand.

[baboon]

Sir - Please ignore the asinine diatribes and childishness on this thread.

My question: Any chance you could lend me a twenty, just until Friday? Cheers!

[theoldgit]

Sir - Please ignore the asinine diatribes and childishness on this thread.

My question: Any chance you could lend me a twenty, just until Friday? Cheers!

Best question yet, but you cannot get much for twenty Baht these day my friend.

[baboon]

Sir - Please ignore the asinine diatribes and childishness on this thread.

My question: Any chance you could lend me a twenty, just until Friday? Cheers!

Best question yet, but you cannot get much for twenty Baht these day my friend.

Guineas, old boy, Guineas.

[siampolee]

jayboyHowever my earlier comments are relevant.I'm not sure about Australia but the problem for British pensioners in Thailand is that there is no annual increase (unlike British pensioners in Australia or Canada for example).Again unlike the commodity strengthened Australian dollar, the Pound sterling is very weak, and there has been substantial depreciation against the Thai baht which is likely to continue.For British state pensioners in Thailand without access to other funds there is a real problem which cannot be wished away.On the whole many of these people came to Thailand on a cheap package tour when the Pound was strong, liked what they saw and eventually decided to stay.I'm not being patronising to suggest that many of these people were not very sophisticated and often ended up in some flea blown Isaan village or down market condo in Bangkok or Pattaya..Certainly it was no part of Thai government policy to have this kind of person as permanent residents.Still the Thai bureaucracy is quite liberal and these people were able to hang on.The problem is that if something unexpected happens these people have to be bailed out by others (I have personal experience of this).

I do think the wonderful thing about jayboy is that he will have no problem with the current flooding scenario as he plainly can walk on water, or if in fact he fell in he would never drown as the substance he spouts and is made from floats with no trouble at all

[LeCharivari]

One could also wonder what the Embassy actually does for Brits generally, as they no longer have anything to do with either UK passports or UK visas and all their "consular" duties are carried out by locally employed personnel (LEPs).

Comparing the Embassies in Bangkok and the Embassy in Hanoi (and Consulate in HCMC) is like comparing chalk and cheese. In Vietnam they are pleasant, efficient and genuinely helpful; in Bangkok they are doing you a favour by allowing you to breathe the same air as them.

[slipperx]

I am dumbfounded. I never realised that the country where you choose to live makes a difference to how your pension is calculated - that is just plain wrong. Why does every country seem to have such wanke_rs as politicians. Why do we vote for these people jeez.

[PoPanda]

Non indexed pensions, that's the one that really gets me!

Not too worry the ambassador will sort it out.

The Ambassador can do nothing about the issue of non indexed pensions for British expatriates , nor really give any information beyond that which is freely available.In current economic circumstances there is no possible chance that the policy will be amended in the foreseeable future.It's a minor irritation which will affect me too in a few years ... but I wouldn't dream of interrogating the Ambassador when there are many other issues.

There's also a another point which won't win me any popularity - namely any British national whose UK state pension is vital - or even a significant contribution - to his financial security shouldn't really be retired in Thailand anyway.

Wether or not he can do anything its a question that should be asked, and as for your last comment you are right it will not win you any popularity, in fact it makes you sound like an ASS , your silver spoon is showing, stop trolling

I can see why some people are getting upset with Jay's comments but what I believe he is trying to say is... As the pensions are not indexed linked then some people who have drawn their pensions at 65 could be in trouble when they are, let's say, 80 and begin needing medical assistance or care which their pensions alone could not in any way accommodate. So, he he asking the ambassador to make sure that whoever is living here for retirement really has the means to live a full life in the kingdom

[ginjag]

Ginjag I have to agree with your comments. He seems like a first class muppet. I know of many people that are hardly what would be considered impoverished but they still want the pension, and why shouldn't they.

Also, if someone is finding it difficult to live in Thailand on the UK pension just imagine how much harder it would be in the UK to survice on that amount. I know that when I hit pension age from oz I will have a better quality of life in Thailand than in oz considering the cost of living.

I have no idea what is meant by a first class muppet!Doesn't sound like a particularly sophisticated epithet.

However my earlier comments are relevant.I'm not sure about Australia but the problem for British pensioners in Thailand is that there is no annual increase (unlike British pensioners in Australia or Canada for example).Again unlike the commodity strengthened Australian dollar, the Pound sterling is very weak, and there has been substantial depreciation against the Thai baht which is likely to continue.For British state pensioners in Thailand without access to other funds there is a real problem which cannot be wished away.On the whole many of these people came to Thailand on a cheap package tour when the Pound was strong, liked what they saw and eventually decided to stay.I'm not being patronising to suggest that many of these people were not very sophisticated and often ended up in some flea blown Isaan village or down market condo in Bangkok or Pattaya..Certainly it was no part of Thai government policy to have this kind of person as permanent residents.Still the Thai bureaucracy is quite liberal and these people were able to hang on.The problem is that if something unexpected happens these people have to be bailed out by others (I have personal experience of this).

Your personal experience was gained by listening to a SNOB, your comments re pensioners without other funds--arrived on cheap packages--ending up in a flea blown village--and in a down market condo---bad to have this kind of person--and you think most of these people want you to fund-or bail them out--They would rather die........your attitude smells --you are attacking many people with enough income, all be it limited, but do not ask for nothing from the likes of you. If you live a super high lifestyle, in a lavish penthouse good for you, but keep in with your own clan-cause talking like this to most foreigners -you would find yourself with problems.

I DO agree with your comments about undesirables, wasters and well underfunded leaches. NOT most of the ordinary folks who have made their lives here and are living accordingly. the belt has to be tightened at times and most expats can do that.

[LeCharivari]

Maybe his Excellency could tell us why he thought that his new Vice Consul in Pattaya would need 6 MONTHS to be trained, asking Howard Miller to stay on until April next year to guide him around when Howard barely had 6 DAYS to learn how to do an identical job for a fraction of the salary.

Or why the new Vice Consul in Pattaya was selected based on a short interview and his own recommendations, with NO background or security checks, NO checks with past or present employers and NO serious criminal record check - with only a week between interviews and offering the post there wasn't time, so either they had no interest beyond first appearances or they had already made their choice.

(and yes, I have e-mailed my questions but somehow I don't think I'll be getting a reply)