Both countries have agreed to hold activities and celebrations along the year 2015 to celebrate the fifth decade of Thailand-UK relations.

Only 50 years? What about the period during the reigns of Rama 4 & early Rama 5 when the British Consuls used gun-boat diplomacy to uphold questionable treaties which allowed their countrymen to rape then Siam of much of its natural resources? (History of Anglo-Thai Relations by M.L Manich Jumsai, Chalermnit)

I think if you look at an old map of Siam and see where it went you find that the British got a bit for Burma and a bit for Malaya, by far the biggest grab, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam went to the French. Non of which appears to be on the history curriculumn for the Thai education system at this moment in time.

Kent has no balls, previous Ambassadors did have, this appeared on TV in 2009 from an article in the Nation, just part of a long report on leaving, they stopped this practice several years ago:

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous.
"Nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich, and that licentiousness is the main pleasure of them all,"

Can't argue with the bloke!

Kent has no balls, previous Ambassadors did have, this appeared on TV in 2009 from an article in the Nation, just part of a long report on leaving, they stopped this practice several years ago:

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous.

"Nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich, and that licentiousness is the main pleasure of them all,"

Can't argue with the bloke!

Rumbold's report was a hoot, albeit highly accurate though I suspect incomprehensible to many on this forum.But it was just one of the traditional end of tour missives that all Ambassadors sent to the Foreign Secretary in London and its recent release to the great unwashed had nothing to do with the long dead Rumbold. It only became available after the 30 year secrecy period expired.The end of tour missive tradition was abandoned some years ago.

Personally I think Mark Kent is doing a great job.For sceptics that believe he has caved in to the Gauleiters now in power,just place close attention to what he says, not third hand reports.

In the original article there are no referenced quotes. It is like listening to a rather annoying neighbor gossip.

Funny... only a few months ago MK was tweeting "I love Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy.” in response to Martial law and the coup d'état.

Was not David Cameron threatening sanctions...

What's changed or are we back peddling???

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

My thoughts too, and many others who can not speak for them selves

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

Well done

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

If he bothers to reply to you his answer will clearly have to be "no" as he did not say that, that was you twisting what was said. He actually expressed thanks for providing information on those murders which is completely different.

As opposed to the American Ambassador who in a recent alleged sexual assualt case against a western teacher in Indonesia said:

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake said in a statement to CBC Hamilton that the investigation and the accusations "raise serious questions about the standards of evidence applied."

"The outcome of these cases and what it reveals about the rule of law in Indonesia will have a significant impact on Indonesia’s reputation abroad," Blake's statement continued.

Note: Assault, NOT double rape and savage murder! You see, that's why so many have a problem with Kent and his Govt. right now. Cowards and spineless traitors the lot of them!!

Alleged assault. Regarding a previoous trial of one of the 3 boys concerned in the current case from a WSJ article containing the same US Ambassador's quote:

"The judges also cited the testimony of one doctor who said the fact that medical examinations had found no bodily damage didn’t rule out the possibility that the boy had been raped. Three separate exams didn’t find evidence of sodomy."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/jakarta-school-sex-abuse-verdicts-come-under-fire-1419334026

Kent has no balls, previous Ambassadors did have, this appeared on TV in 2009 from an article in the Nation, just part of a long report on leaving, they stopped this practice several years ago:

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous. [/size]

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

Kent has no balls, previous Ambassadors did have, this appeared on TV in 2009 from an article in the Nation, just part of a long report on leaving, they stopped this practice several years ago:

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous. [/size]

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

A remarkably foolish comment.As noted earlier many will find Rumbold's comments incomprehensible - separated as they are by a chasm of time,class,intelligence and culture.Actually at the time Rumbold's comments became available many educated Thais recognised that His comments remained remarkably relevant.

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous.

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

A remarkably foolish comment.As noted earlier many will find Rumbold's comments incomprehensible - separated as they are by a chasm of time,class,intelligence and culture.Actually at the time Rumbold's comments became available many educated Thais recognised that His comments remained remarkably relevant.

Defending racism is remarkably foolish, but have at it.

MK is a pathetic and weak chull!

http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/markkent/

Read his blog, he seems like a very decent guy and a good ambassador for your country.

Sir Anthony Rumbold, British ambassador to Thailand from 1965 and 1967, said of Thai society: "They have no literature, no painting and only a very odd kind of music; their sculpture, ceramics and dancing are borrowed from others, and their architecture is monotonous and interior decoration hideous.

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

A remarkably foolish comment.As noted earlier many will find Rumbold's comments incomprehensible - separated as they are by a chasm of time,class,intelligence and culture.Actually at the time Rumbold's comments became available many educated Thais recognised that His comments remained remarkably relevant.

Defending racism is remarkably foolish, but have at it.

Since none of Rumbold's comments come even remotely under the category of racism, your observation is meaningless.If you mean he sets out the absurdities of the Thai ruling class and the second rate nature of much of the aristocratic culture, that is a different matter altogether.Personally I cannot fault him.

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

A remarkably foolish comment.As noted earlier many will find Rumbold's comments incomprehensible - separated as they are by a chasm of time,class,intelligence and culture.Actually at the time Rumbold's comments became available many educated Thais recognised that His comments remained remarkably relevant.

Defending racism is remarkably foolish, but have at it.

Since none of Rumbold's comments come even remotely under the category of racism, your observation is meaningless.If you mean he sets out the absurdities of the Thai ruling class and the second rate nature of much of the aristocratic culture, that is a different matter altogether.Personally I cannot fault him.

Well, at least you had your go at defending racism.

Google images certainly reveal that he looked like the archaic and moronic racist that he sounded like.

A remarkably foolish comment.As noted earlier many will find Rumbold's comments incomprehensible - separated as they are by a chasm of time,class,intelligence and culture.Actually at the time Rumbold's comments became available many educated Thais recognised that His comments remained remarkably relevant.

Defending racism is remarkably foolish, but have at it.

Since none of Rumbold's comments come even remotely under the category of racism, your observation is meaningless.If you mean he sets out the absurdities of the Thai ruling class and the second rate nature of much of the aristocratic culture, that is a different matter altogether.Personally I cannot fault him.

Well, at least you had your go at defending racism.

Repeating your error doesn't make it any truer.There is no racism to be defended.

Any chance Kent mentioned Thai officials bad habit of making unauthorised statements on behalf of Britain and other countries ?

If he did, which is unlikely, the Embassy probably wouldn't say say so and the Thais definitely wouldn't but without it being out in the open they won't stop.

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

At the time KT was headline news I e-mailed the British Embassy about comments attributed to Kent and received a computer generated reply that my message would receive attention and if necessary would be followed up/

Needless to say I was never contacted and a second message from me was similarly ignored.

"The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs explained that the political landscape of Thailand is different from other nations"

But of course, and therefore beyond the comprehension of pesky foreigners.....................

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

If he bothers to reply to you his answer will clearly have to be "no" as he did not say that, that was you twisting what was said. He actually expressed thanks for providing information on those murders which is completely different.

As opposed to the American Ambassador who in a recent alleged sexual assualt case against a western teacher in Indonesia said:

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake said in a statement to CBC Hamilton that the investigation and the accusations "raise serious questions about the standards of evidence applied."

"The outcome of these cases and what it reveals about the rule of law in Indonesia will have a significant impact on Indonesia’s reputation abroad," Blake's statement continued.

Note: Assault, NOT double rape and savage murder! You see, that's why so many have a problem with Kent and his Govt. right now. Cowards and spineless traitors the lot of them!!

Double rape?

I have sent a tweet to Mark Kent to see if he is aware he has thanked the PM for the Koh Tao murder enquiries.

At the time KT was headline news I e-mailed the British Embassy about comments attributed to Kent and received a computer generated reply that my message would receive attention and if necessary would be followed up/

Needless to say I was never contacted and a second message from me was similarly ignored.

You should have just read his twitter page. Someone asked him if he had praised the Thai's for the handling of the case. He gave a short 2 letter answer.

"NO".

h90, on 16 Jan 2015 - 18:49, said:

bangkokfrog, on 16 Jan 2015 - 18:45, said:

Both countries have agreed to hold activities and celebrations along the year 2015 to celebrate the fifth decade of Thailand-UK relations.

Only 50 years? What about the period during the reigns of Rama 4 & early Rama 5 when the British Consuls used gun-boat diplomacy to uphold questionable treaties which allowed their countrymen to rape then Siam of much of its natural resources? (History of Anglo-Thai Relations by M.L Manich Jumsai, Chalermnit)

I think they don't want to remember that....both the UK and the Thais.

Are you suggesting that countries that once had conflict can NEVER find common ground in order to prosper? You really need to look to the future you poor poor thing.

If the ambassador of the UK said all that and praised the General, who are you, the other ones, speaking against him on TVF?

I think it's about time he starts correcting some of you also.

How about being a British taxpayer ... remember Kent effectively works for me and it's a pity those paying his salary don't get a say otherwise he'd be on the unemployment line along with the rest of the morons.

Oh dear, you may have been a failure back home, but somehow I don't think it is the "morons" fault. It seems a few million Brits are happy with the government, if not then hey, it's not like Thailand, Britain actually is a democracy, the government can be voted out, unlike Thailand, land of the free, well, I hardly call them "free."

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Both countries have agreed to hold activities and celebrations along the year 2015 to celebrate the fifth decade of Thailand-UK relations.

Only 50 years? What about the period during the reigns of Rama 4 & early Rama 5 when the British Consuls used gun-boat diplomacy to uphold questionable treaties which allowed their countrymen to rape then Siam of much of its natural resources? (History of Anglo-Thai Relations by M.L Manich Jumsai, Chalermnit)

Are you a social justice warrior?

I think it was the French who sent a gunboat and troops. The British didn't. It was known as the Paknam Incident.

Youre wrong mate. The gunboat Policy was a British policy of pursuing foreign policy with naval intimidation. Theyd moor a huge fleet just off the coast before starting 'negotiations' lol. This was used by the french also, but in Bangkokfrogs post, i think he is referring to a specific incident in the mid 1800s, just before the Bowing or Bowring treaty was signed in the 1850s......I think....anyway, try googling it, its an interesting piece of anglo siam history :-)

Folks, if I could just intervene here. The Ambassador is referring to 50 years of Thai-Anglo relationships. Here you're referring to historical events of over a century ago!

However we might as well get the facts right. The Paknam incident occurred during the Franco-Siamese war of 1893 and was nothing to do with the British. I don't think there has ever been a military engagement between the Brits and the Siamese/Thais, despite our imperial ambitions.

Of course they would,money and ethics don't enter the same sentence when it comes to politics in ANY country.Does Libya,South Africa,Russia, ring a bell.

Don't believe an of this Bull,