US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney announces leaving Thailand

[khunjamesjohnson]

The last ambassador? You know, the one with all the embarrassing wikileak cables about the Thai upper crust & command. Really blew the doors off the official story...

The hi-so in Thailand would have an ordinary citizen locked up for some of those messages. They must have been fuming. I don't think we ever saw that Ambassador after those messages came out.

Kenny had to come in & had to face down all those grumpy people, smooth things out. I think that's why they sent such a personable type person such as herself.

I met her and she was nice so I'll give her a thumbs up.

[rtr4]

For me it was fantastic fluent Thai. Wondering how many years was she learning.

All the best back home.

[Local Drunk]

Good... I never liked her anyway.

[boomerangutang]

IMO, she will feel very much at home in the blind cave fishes' tank the State Department is, ....

Thanks for the laugh. I've never heard that expression before. However, it may not be PC as it besmirches 'blind cave fishes.' Have you heard from their union, ....after that callous remark?

Speaking of getting offended, probably the primary duty of a US ambassador to Thailand is to be respectful of Thai culture and its important people. In that sense, Ms Ambassador scored a perfect 10. Good thing the job wasn't offered to me. I don't care much for Thai food, and even less for the MSG they slather on it. If a Thai meal has more than 2% fresh veges in it, it's probably served in a backpacker guest house.

I grew up in an always-relocating diplomatic family, so I have an inkling of what it entails. As much as anything else, the job description requires 'ass-kissing.' Along with that, is dressing everything you want to say in chiffon and powdered sugar. In other words, being a diplomat means you can't say what you really want to say in the manner you'd like. For some folks, that's ok, but for me, I'd rather say what I want to say. It's a good thing I didn't choose diplomacy as a career path, eh? The US would probably be invading even more small countries if I had.

[cup-O-coffee]

Kudos to her for learning Thai, an example to all the long term ex-pats who still can't bother to learn the local language.

I suspect many USA citizens don't give a hoot that she can speak a language other than English. I also suspect that many of same believe that she is one of the last persons on a long list that would merit being called an example to "long term expats". That is actually an insult.

She is not a standard by any means, and moreover government officials these days disgust me for their uselessness to anyone other than their of self gain and obsession to hang on to their jobs at any cost.

I cannot help but think "ass kisser" when I read posts that pat these people on their arms and shoulders and wish them well in quaint and polite emphasis. It's kind of sickening actually.

Just being truthful.

[MikeENZ]

The rabid PDRC Fans hate her, as do the supporters of fascism, which is good enough for me to support her. She wasn't scared of butting heads with the locals over sensitive issues, and faced some fairly severe threats from some of the more bat**** crazy ones in the land of smiles who couldn't understand that the official policy of the US was to support democracy rather than military dictatorship.

Hopefully she is replaced with someone else who isn't afraid to criticise, as opposed to the wet blanket that the UK embassy appears to have. I'm sure that if it was a US citizen that was killed in Koh Tao that she would be moving mountains to ensure something was done about it.

[Jingthing]

...

She is not a standard by any means, and moreover government officials these days disgust me for their uselessness to anyone other than their of self gain and obsession to hang on to their jobs at any cost.

...

Coffee party or TEA party, actually?

Dudes, we need embassies, we need diplomats, we need ambassadors, and yes we need SOME government bureaucrats. Fact of life.

[cup-O-coffee]

...

She is not a standard by any means, and moreover government officials these days disgust me for their uselessness to anyone other than their of self gain and obsession to hang on to their jobs at any cost.

...

Coffee party or TEA party, actually?

Dudes, we need embassies, we need diplomats, we need ambassadors, and yes we need SOME government bureaucrats. Fact of life.

No, "we" do not, Jingthing. Maybe you, but not "we". I can take care of myself, thank you.

[MyFriend You]

Probably one of the few Ambassadors of any nation who could also speak Thai. Best of luck in your next job.

Ambassador Skip Boyce could read, write and speak thai at the Four level - he even had a Thai Keyboard to send email...............he also did his post graduate work inThai History during his three tours in Thailand, almost ten years.

[cup-O-coffee]

The rabid PDRC Fans hate her, as do the supporters of fascism, which is good enough for me to support her. She wasn't scared of butting heads with the locals over sensitive issues, and faced some fairly severe threats from some of the more bat**** crazy ones in the land of smiles who couldn't understand that the official policy of the US was to support democracy rather than military dictatorship.

Hopefully she is replaced with someone else who isn't afraid to criticise, as opposed to the wet blanket that the UK embassy appears to have. I'm sure that if it was a US citizen that was killed in Koh Tao that she would be moving mountains to ensure something was done about it.

December 9, 2010.

United States Ambassador to Thailand, Kristie Kenney, assumes office

July 31, 2013

PHUKET – Police have arrested three pub musicians who killed an American man and severely injured his son after the two men sang with them but then refused to get off the stage at the Long Horn Saloon in Krabi’s Muang district early on Wednesday morning.

Bobby Carter, 51, was stabbed to death in the stomach while his son, Adam Carter, 27, was badly beaten up. The injured son and the father’s body were taken to the Bangkok Hospital Phuket.

Results: Not a damn thing. Can't find the verdict anywhere.

Prior to the murder: "

Krabi has been the scene of several violent crimes against tourists in the past 18 months, including the unprovoked knife attack on a British man strolling home with his girlfriend.

A German woman had a thumb cut off in another attack.

The notorious rape of a Dutch tourist in Krabi triggered her father to pen and sing a viral YouTube song about justice and revenge, ‘Evil Man from Krabi.’"

It's not just Koh Tao. This goes on all the time. Those islands need to be nuked and the world would be a better place in my opinion. But lets put the bureaucrats and lawyers, etc. on those islands first to make a clean sweep.

So, where was your precious ambassador then? That's Two US citizens who did not deserve a death sentence and a beating, but the Thais carry them out all the time (Who says "not since 2009"?). Who needs a court? Courts are simply there to get the Thais out of the problem they got themselves into for being over eager, that is... if the police can;t get there in time to arrest a Burmese man or label it a suicide or that the foreigner slipped and fell..

So, now that you bring this up, she is also a piece of #### in my estimate. Why? Because Bobby Carter, 51, was stabbed to death in the stomach while his son, Adam Carter, 27, was badly beaten up... on her watch... and she did not do a damn thing about it, and I'll apologies publicly if she did and someone can prove it..

Yeah! We sure need them, like Jingthing says. NOT!

Apologies, I am simply imagining Adam holding his father's head in his arms as he watched life flicker out of those eyes, whilst those Thai scum stood there like ghouls, gawping victorious for killing yet another tourist via a gang attack. All because everyone was drunk and the deceased was being mouthy. Police escort? Hell no. THAI JUSTICE.

Flame out, and apologies again, but this just gets my goat. People shouldn't get murdered for being stupid drunk and wanting their tip back for poor service.

Edited October 10, 2014 by cup-O-coffee

[ccarbaugh]

Unfortunately, I didn't stay abreast of the the photo-ops, PR appearances or social events attended by the ambassador. I have lived in Bangkok for the entire tenure of her ambassadorship. The only memory I have of her "service" is the promotion of Mitt Romney in the 2012 election and the (misguided) condemnation of the military-coo. (My experience is that Bangkok has been a much more peaceful, sane, convenient... place to live ever since the good-general put a stop to all the red-shirt, Yingluck, Thaksin nonsense!) I am happy that she learned to speak Thai - albeit at the expense of hard-working taxpayers and all the while collecting a most formidable salary! I hope the replacement ambassador is more practical and substantial as opposed to frill, flash and appearance. Her appointment has always appeared to me to be similar to the Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, "lipstick-on-a-pig" job-performance.

Misguided condemnation of the coup? Did it ever occur to you the US has better information about the situation.

Even I know the reason for the coup and it aint what The Nation has been telling you.

So please- DO bless all of us morons with your privileged knowledge of the "reason for the coup." Maybe some of us that aren't blessed with such privileged knowledge are just enjoying the more peaceful, convenient, quiet city without all the protests, marches, whistle-blowing mobs.

[Jingthing]

...

She is not a standard by any means, and moreover government officials these days disgust me for their uselessness to anyone other than their of self gain and obsession to hang on to their jobs at any cost.

...

Coffee party or TEA party, actually?

Dudes, we need embassies, we need diplomats, we need ambassadors, and yes we need SOME government bureaucrats. Fact of life.

No, "we" do not, Jingthing. Maybe you, but not "we". I can take care of myself, thank you.

How can anyone take such an EXTREMIST and radical POV seriously? That the USA does not need an embassy in an important country like Thailand. File that under simply bizarre. Again, thank you ambassador Kenney for your long service as a career diplomat and good luck back in good old D.C. Go Skins!

[cup-O-coffee]

...

She is not a standard by any means, and moreover government officials these days disgust me for their uselessness to anyone other than their of self gain and obsession to hang on to their jobs at any cost.

...

Coffee party or TEA party, actually?

Dudes, we need embassies, we need diplomats, we need ambassadors, and yes we need SOME government bureaucrats. Fact of life.

No, "we" do not, Jingthing. Maybe you, but not "we". I can take care of myself, thank you.

How can anyone take such an EXTREMIST and radical POV seriously? That the USA does not need an embassy in an important country like Thailand. File that under simply bizarre. Again, thank you ambassador Kenney for your long service as a career diplomat and good luck back in good old D.C. Go Skins!

Calm down Jingthing. Take a cold shower and have a cup of coffee. You still have another thirty thousand posts to complete today. Three insults in one post is enough to drain the energy of anyone.

These are extreme times, Jingthing. Extreme times call for extreme measures. Embassies perform the extreme in areas that do no benefit for the foreigner abroad. The things foreigners abroad do need extremely from an embassy is also the area where embassies are utterly pathetic, slow, arrogant, interfering, nosy and etc.

Useless ornaments.

Give me a post office, a good lawyer and a magistrate with powers to issue orders and passport related items and I'll be fine thank you. The political scum and their quaint, tax dollar wasting little games and salaries can go elsewhere. Their presence is not felt by me, and I suspect anyone else living here.

[ravip]

US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney seems to be one of the rarest people in the world who are bold enough to speak the truth.

The world needs more of this type of Ambassadors.

[Mister Fixit]

She seems to have done a better job than our UK sycophant Mark Kent, when he was on Ko Tao slobbering over the police there ...