Honorary Consul To Pattaya Still In The Ether

[Rimmer]

Honorary Consul to Pattaya Still in the Ether

PATTAYA:--Despite a few invitations by various groups in Pattaya to visit “Fun City”, the British Ambassador to Thailand hasn’t seen fit to accept any yet, according to our Embassy source, as he is well aware that any Q&A session could lead to the embarrassing question of the Honorary Consul appointment, promised in December and ,as yet, still un-announced.

newsjsAccording to a senior member of the FCO staff, the Embassy has managed to quickly appoint people to the Salary paid positions advertised in Bangkok. Those positions now filled, we are told, by local nationals, were created to supply consular assistance to British citizens in Thailand and, specifically to the busy resort of Pattaya.

Despite the good wishes of Club committees it would be seen as highly embarrassing were his Excellency to be asked such leading questions as..”who’s it gonna be”, in a crowded room of Elderly Brits with a potential need for more than an ET version of consular support.

Full story:http://www.pattaya103.com/still-no-honcon-pattay/

--Pattaya 103 FM 2013-02-10

[LeCharivari]

Your facts seem to be correct and supported by other reports; it now appears, for example, that the earlier allegation that Michael Hancock, the British Consul, had "indeed also qualified the report regarding a new Hon Consul for Pattaya" at a meeting of the Chiang Mai Expats Club was not quite correct as apparently he simply said something along the lines of don't believe everything you read in the press rather than anything specific relating to your actual report.

I have some doubts, though, about your conclusions.

Neither the Left wing or the Right wing of British politics, whether in government or opposition, has ever had any interest in "improving support for British nationals overseas”. It would be against their interests to do so, as any additional support would be at the financial expense of British nationals in the UK, who have a vote, as distinct from those of us overseas who don't (regardless of how much tax we have paid, etc) and neither party are going to support a vote loser for nothing - that's just a case of using any available stick to beat the opposing party, who just happen to be currently responsible for what the FCO do.

I doubt if the Ambassador's been put off coming here by the thought of facing "such leading questions as..”who’s it gonna be”". Rather, he's probably got far better things to do than talk to "a crowded room of Elderly Brits" and provide a photo opportunity to be made much of by British and other "local VIPs" who may have some vested interest in inviting him in the first place. What can he actually talk about? Visas? Not the Embassy's problem anymore. Passports? Ditto. Advice on local lawyers? Not if you've got any sense! Help in the hospital or if you're ill? Not if you've got access to a phone and can call a relative yourself. "Who's it gonna be?" Who cares?

[Basil B]

Neither the Left wing or the Right wing of British politics, whether in government or opposition, has ever had any interest in "improving support for British nationals overseas”. It would be against their interests to do so, as any additional support would be at the financial expense of British nationals in the UK, who have a vote, as distinct from those of us overseas who don't (regardless of how much tax we have paid, etc) and neither party are going to support a vote loser for nothing - that's just a case of using any available stick to beat the opposing party, who just happen to be currently responsible for what the FCO do.

I have to disagee...

There are many Brits who are short term visitors with a vote in the UK who are right to expect support when things go wrong, but this should only be advice as they should have travel insurance, but it would be great if at least for those who have bad luck through no fault of there own, had someone to give advice and pull a few strings to get things moving.

One thing that I am aware of is the number of expiates who have said why they live outside the UK is to avoid the UK's taxes, why are they moaning about not getting full pensions and having to travel to Bangkok for consular services.

[BlackPuddingBertha]

One thing that I am aware of is the number of expiates who have said why they live outside the UK is to avoid the UK's taxes, why are they moaning about not getting full pensions and having to travel to Bangkok for consular services.

As someone who left the EU (not just the UK) largely in order to avoid paying silly amounts of tax I can assure you that I will never moan about my fixed pension. In 35 years of extensive travelling I have never had occasion to use any of the services of any British consulate either, so I really don't care whether it is 10 minutes walk from my condo in Jomtien or a 130B bus ride away in Bangkok. Or indeed in Guadeloupe or at the North Pole.

[Ohio]

"Quite Frankly Charlotte I don't give a dam_n! "

Geez you'd think the Brits were the only expats in Pattaya

Maybe they should hire the Russian Ambassador he gets more action happening in Pattaya than a one legged man in an a** Kicking competition

[RabC]

"Quite Frankly Charlotte I don't give a dam_n! "

Geez you'd think the Brits were the only expats in Pattaya

Maybe they should hire the Russian Ambassador he gets more action happening in Pattaya than a one legged man in an a** Kicking competition

Nothing to say then say nothing, rather than amaze us with you intelligence.

[LeCharivari]

As someone who left the EU (not just the UK) largely in order to avoid paying silly amounts of tax I can assure you that I will never moan about my fixed pension. In 35 years of extensive travelling I have never had occasion to use any of the services of any British consulate either, so I really don't care whether it is 10 minutes walk from my condo in Jomtien or a 130B bus ride away in Bangkok. Or indeed in Guadeloupe or at the North Pole.

My point isn't that I'm asking for a nanny state to take care of me overseas as well as at home, nor do I want or expect them to do so, but that FCO staff are highly paid to do a job - well over 5,000,000 pounds in salaries and allowances just for the staff at the Embassy in Bangkok alone.

Part of that job is assisting British nationals overseas if and when they need it, and some of us are lucky enough to have never needed it while others have not been quite so lucky through no fault of their own - Gareth Davies, the English teacher who died in a Bangkok hospital last year, is an example of the latter. In his case the British Embassy not only refused to visit him despite repeated requests from him and his family in the UK but justified their total lack of interest and action on the grounds that their only obligation was to "contact" those admitted to hospital - something the Ambassador considered they had done adequately, despite never visiting him, by establishing that he had a mobile phone so was in a position to call his family himself, even though he was dying and had to be restrained to stop him accidentally pulling out the various tubes and drips he was connected to and so was unable to use the phone.

They are simply not doing the job they are being paid to do - if they are unable or unwilling to do the job properly then they should either be replaced or, if the job isn't necessary, then the Embassy should be closed or downsized and a lot of money (and "silly amounts of tax") would be saved.

Even the Thais are embarrassingly disappointed by the British Embassy - as Patrachit Chotikapanich, the prominent Bangkok businesswoman who got Davies admitted to hospital when the Embassy took no interest, said "What is the point of having a large embassy compound with hundreds of staff if they refuse to intervene on behalf of their citizens? Is this the service standard that British people expect?”