U.s. Consulate In Chiang Mai

[ovenman]

Now that you've jogged my memory, that sounds correct. I believe I stumbled upon this item because a post in some other forum referenced it. This was a little while back, may even pre-date the advent of TV.com.

Don't think it is that old, because she was still here 4 years ago, so I think it was about 3 years ago, ovenman

Three years sounds about right. I've tried a number of different Google searches and keep coming up dry. The article is either not in existence anymore or I'm just not hitting upon the right keyword(s).

[taxout]

I don't believe this is what you're looking for, but it still makes good reading and helps all of us understand the hardships the American staff at the consulate face each day:

The Consul General and his family live on the Consulate General compound. The main floor of the house has two sitting rooms, a dining room that seats 12, a sun porch, guest bathroom and indoor kitchen. Upstairs are three bedrooms, two baths and a family sitting room. Quarters for the ORE staff and a large kitchen extend behind the house. A fenced yard with fruit- and orchid-laden longan trees is located between the house and the main Consulate office building. A colorful play area for children is part of the yard. A beautiful Chinese-style pavilion, situated in front of the residence, provides an excellent location for large receptions and parties, in addition to being used for Consular services and seminars.

Well over half of the American employees and their families are now housed in the new Consulate housing compound off the road to Hang Dong, 15 kilometers south of Chiang Mai. The compound offers peaceful, country living, with the houses built around a lake and common grassy area. Everything about the compound was custom designed for the Consulate Community – including the clubhouse, pool, weight room and gym, and spacious grounds. The compound offers a tennis and basketball court.

Chiang Mai Post Report

[ovenman]

I don't believe this is what you're looking for, but it still makes good reading and helps all of us understand the hardships the American staff at the consulate face each day:

That's not the article I was referring to, but I sure can see how Chiang Mai is a real hardship posting on the diplonatic circuit. Were I in their position, I'm sure that I'd be counting the days until I could return to the comforts of D.C.

[Ajarn]

For some reason, the chiang mai consulate website http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/consulcm/index.htm , comes to my mind as a place where it was located..

[cm das]

I heard some of the “singing” from the 4th July party this year whilst having a beer in the Bear’s Den. It was the WORST noise I’ve ever heard – please please can the organisers ban the singers next year and play some CDs instead.

Enjoyable fireworks around 8ish so overall it was worth hanging around even with your fingers in your ears!

Which singers are you talking about? Thai? Farang? Male? Female? Or couldn't you tell, it was so bad! Just curious because I know some of those singers.

[ovenman]

For some reason, the chiang mai consulate website http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/consulcm/index.htm , comes to my mind as a place where it was located..

That's not what I recall. I vaguely recollect that it was posted on a website designed for government employees posted abroad, State Dept. employees, or something to that effect. No reason why we couldn't both be correct though. You don't perchance happen to recall the lady-in-question's name, do you? It would make a web search an awful lot easier.

[Johpa]

Also, I thought the Mexican food at the 2005 Fourth of July party was okay, but I didn't write home to south Texas about it.

Too bad, years ago the 4th of July party was a blast with the Consulate flying in all-American foods (hot dogs and hamburgers), condiments, and beer. This was well before imported foods were readily available. The Consulate grounds were much larger then, just a big open yard inside the walls. Those in attendance were an odd-ball mix of free lance teachers, missionaries coming down from the hills who one rarely saw the remainder of the year in town, and Consulate staff, along with the upper reaches of Chiang Mai society including the Provincial governor, the heads of CMU and Phayap, and others who us free lance teachers and regular consulate staff employees would otherwise have no chance of rubbing elbows with. The funniest thing I remember was that the Consulate staff members who helped organized the event brought in many of the best known women from the few hostess bars catering to Farangs to help serve the food and drink to the assembled guests.

[tigerbeer]

The funniest thing I remember was that the Consulate staff members who helped organized the event brought in many of the best known women from the few hostess bars catering to Farangs to help serve the food and drink to the assembled guests.

[SamSipEt]

I heard some of the “singing” from the 4th July party this year whilst having a beer in the Bear’s Den. It was the WORST noise I’ve ever heard – please please can the organisers ban the singers next year and play some CDs instead.

Enjoyable fireworks around 8ish so overall it was worth hanging around even with your fingers in your ears!

Which singers are you talking about? Thai? Farang? Male? Female? Or couldn't you tell, it was so bad! Just curious because I know some of those singers.

Given the quality it was a bit difficult to tell but probably female non Thai. Some of the earlier performers may have been better but from about 5pm onwards they were awful.

IMO of course

[ihop]

According to a recent BusinessWeek article on the best places to launch a career, the State Dept is no. 6, the Evolution of a Diplomat. Sounds like the fellow who assisted you needs more training or sent to a real "hardship" post.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte...htm?chan=search

[Loaded]

I'm glad I'm British. Pannita at the British consulate in CM is polite, helpful and respectful.

[irrelevant information edited out. Please stay on topic and leave looks out of it. /Meadish]

Edited October 17, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[PeaceBlondie]

Okay, I went there again today, and as always, they were super polite and professional. The red-haired, reasonably plump, middle-aged lady was even walking through the waiting area handing out blank forms. The young guy was nice. William, the officer with the gray/white beard, was courteous. That makes 7 out of 7 lifetime visits to Citizen Services where I got treated right. I'm not even that good-looking!

The only time I met a local consulate staff officer off-duty, he was friendly and not ostentatious.

[Maizefarmer]

Going back to the original posting - yes, he's right sod and good for nothing - the best thing that could happen to him is fall under bus, the bus driver will leg it, so hes not going to be saying anything.

What can one say - where ever we go nowadays I notice the qeues get longer, the glass gets thicker, the walls get higher ......... and we just have no idea why the rest of the world doesn't like us??

Just look at the fools our government employs to help us it's own citizens, never mind anyone else.

Tim

[Ulysses G.]

What can one say - where ever we go nowadays I notice the qeues get longer, the glass gets thicker, the walls get higher ......... and we just have no idea why the rest of the world doesn't like us??

Just look at the fools our government employs to help us it's own citizens, never mind anyone else.

Tim

Too bad that the lord didn't bless you with Ugandan citizenship.

[jomama]

What can one say - where ever we go nowadays I notice the qeues get longer, the glass gets thicker, the walls get higher ......... and we just have no idea why the rest of the world doesn't like us??

Just look at the fools our government employs to help us it's own citizens, never mind anyone else.

Tim

Too bad that the lord didn't bless you with Ugandan citizenship.

I see...we're at the justification level of:

"At least it's not Uganda."

Wow, what a ringing endorsement for a government -- the U.S. government -- that holds itself up as an example of what the rest of the governments should be...

[Ulysses G.]

What can one say - where ever we go nowadays I notice the qeues get longer, the glass gets thicker, the walls get higher ......... and we just have no idea why the rest of the world doesn't like us??

Just look at the fools our government employs to help us it's own citizens, never mind anyone else.

Tim

Too bad that the lord didn't bless you with Ugandan citizenship.

I see...we're at the justification level of:

"At least it's not Uganda."

Wow, what a ringing endorsement for a government -- the U.S. government -- that holds itself up as an example of what the rest of the governments should be...

Another innovative "intellectual" singing the same old tune.

[Bytes]

Another innovative "intellectual" singing the same old tune.

Well Said !!

[jomama]

Another innovative "intellectual" singing the same old tune.

Hey, lets play an “intellectual” game since you seem to know something about Uganda:

How do you say hubris in Ugandan?

[Ulysses G.]

Another innovative "intellectual" singing the same old tune.

Hey, lets play an “intellectual” game since you seem to know something about Uganda:

How do you say hubris in Ugandan?

It sounds very simular to "boring" in English.

[Puwa]

๋ีJust to take this thread completely off topic--since it has degenerated into bickering anyway (surprise! surprise!)--I was in Uganda a few months ago, and noticed many similarities to Thailand.

For one, there are lots of foreigners who show up there and stay for a while as teachers, volunteers, students, husbands, wives, drifters. It's a green, hilly, and fairly lush country, especially compared to its neighbors Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania. There is a developing national park system that aspires to be the heart of a tourism industry. Although Uganda doesn't have the happiest history--remember Idi Amin--many people there feel that they are better off than their neighbors. Meanwhile, there are brutal insurgencies and border wars that don't really affect the outlook of people in the capital (though they do more so than their counterparts in Thailand).

And by the way, at the risk of sounding like an intellectual: the dominant language spoken in Uganda is not Ugandan, but Luganda, which belongs to the Buganda tribe.

I hope these observations help to complete the non sequitur.

[jomama]

๋And by the way, at the risk of sounding like an intellectual: the dominant language spoken in Uganda is not Ugandan, but Luganda, which belongs to the Buganda tribe.

Yaaa, that's what I meant, Luganda!

[meadish_sweetball]

Mu Luganda ogamba otya nti get a life or get a room?

[Gonzo the Face]

Is anyone aware of a revised policy at the security check point entering the US Consulate....???

Yes, for some time you have had to check in your mobile phone, keys, coins or other metal such as pens,,,,,, but for what reason are they now demanding that you put you wallet in a basket prior to going thru the metal detector????

What do they do at such time as some of our fine upstanding young citizens, who are totally pierced with pin, nuts and bolts, screws, etc, prior to going thru the metal detectors???

Are citizen services still 2 mornings per week or has that been increased or decreased??

[Physherman]

Is anyone aware of a revised policy at the security check point entering the US Consulate....???

Yes, for some time you have had to check in your mobile phone, keys, coins or other metal such as pens,,,,,, but for what reason are they now demanding that you put you wallet in a basket prior to going thru the metal detector????

What do they do at such time as some of our fine upstanding young citizens, who are totally pierced with pin, nuts and bolts, screws, etc, prior to going thru the metal detectors???

Are citizen services still 2 mornings per week or has that been increased or decreased??

Consular services are still Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I was just there last week, was in and out in less than ten minutes, with all the papers I needed.

While security is tighter, and I did have to surrender my cell phone and my pocket knife, they said nothing about my wallet nor my metal belt buckle nor the pen in my pocket, although all set off the wand alarm which followed the walk-through the metal detector. What is really silly, a propos security, is that they didn't require me to remove my shoes. Most men's shoes, especially better made ones, have a steel shank between the midsole and the outer sole. Walk-though metal detectors are set to beging scanning at about 5" off the floor just to avoid them being set off by shoes. This is why when you are picked out for a special search at air ports they make you remove your shoes. The scanner doesn't check that low. Neither does the consulate. So much for security.

The Fly Fisherman

[LomSak27]

Had to be a year ago I stopped in for more pages in the passport and recall having to put wallet (everything in pockets) in those baskets. I have no idea how they deal with our metal embossed youth but could be the same as an older citizen and a mouth full of metal fillings .... Step aside and use paddle detector

For the record the extra pages I added were of a most excellent quality and this task was performed with both grace and style. That is all

[Rasseru]

I visited the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai for the first time on Tuesday morning of this week. Having read this thread before my visit, I went with some apprehension about what I would experience. As it happened, the person I dealt with was professional, friendly and helpful, and my experience was very pleasant.

[PeaceBlondie]

I visited the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai for the first time on Tuesday morning of this week. Having read this thread before my visit, I went with some apprehension about what I would experience. As it happened, the person I dealt with was professional, friendly and helpful, and my experience was very pleasant.

Rasseru, that's been my experience every time, in Thailand and even in Shanghai.

Every expat knows you shouldn't judge a country by its travelers. You can't judge the embassy staff by the country, either. Usually, the best civil servants are in the US federal govt., not the state, county and local governments. Your mileage may differ. Past performance is no indicator of the future.

[Ulysses G.]

I visited the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai for the first time on Tuesday morning of this week. Having read this thread before my visit, I went with some apprehension about what I would experience. As it happened, the person I dealt with was professional, friendly and helpful, and my experience was very pleasant.

A fellow that I know, told me that he went to the US Consulate in Chiang Mai several days ago and applied for new pages for his passport. They told him that the State Department won't allow them to issue them to him and that it is up to him to sort it out - as in go back to America and get stuffed.

He has lived here for years, doesn't want to go back to the US, can't afford to go back to the US and only has space for about two more visa stamps so he is very concerned.

He says that this has happened several times before because some sort of computer glitch and that he has even applied and recieved a new passport to prove that he has done nothing wrong, but every time he applies for new pages this happens again.

It is scary that the Consulate just doesn't seem to care about average American citizens who aren't some big shots or loaded with money!

Edited November 30, 2006 by Ulysses G.

[Physherman]

I visited the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai for the first time on Tuesday morning of this week. Having read this thread before my visit, I went with some apprehension about what I would experience. As it happened, the person I dealt with was professional, friendly and helpful, and my experience was very pleasant.

A fellow that I know, told me that he went to the US Consulate in Chiang Mai several days ago and applied for new pages for his passport. They told him that the State Department won't allow them to issue them to him and that it is up to him to sort it out - as in go back to America and get stuffed.

He has lived here for years, doesn't want to go back to the US, can't afford to go back to the US and only has space for about two more visa stamps so he is very concerned.

He says that this has happened several times before because some sort of computer glitch and that he has even applied and recieved a new passport to prove that he has done nothing wrong, but every time he applies for new pages this happens again.

It is scary that the Consulate just doesn't seem to care about average American citizens who aren't some big shots or loaded with money!

I went there about 14 days ago to get a housing paper for the Wing 41 pass. (This year my multiple entry visa requires that I now get it from the consulate rather than from Immigration.) There were two of my friends there, both applying for extra pages for their passports. Both received them quickly and politely. I'm afraid that the fellow you know has some special problems, be they real or computer generated, that are causing his troubles. I never had problems getting my extra pages, either here in Chiang Mai, or in other countries, other than the fact that they want to put them in the middle of the passport, and I like them added at the back.

The Fly Fisherman

[jomama]

As the originator of this thread, I thought I would weigh in and say that the Consulate might be helpful to U.S. citizens in routine administrative matters, especially if it is clearly part of their job description, such as providing tax forms or facilitating social security checks and the like.

My experience involved asking to see a consular official for advice on filing papers correctly for a visa application for my wife. He clearly did not think he should be spending his time doing that and seemed to be particularly annoyed that I insisted on talking to a consular official even after the secretary gave me the standard bureacratic brush off.

I know it probably isn't in his job description, but after 15 years of living in Chiang Mai and never causing the consulate any headaches, I thought maybe I would ask for a bit of assistance for the first time. His response was not only less than helpful, it was insulting and blantantly in error. Thankfully, we're now dealing with Bangkok on this.

An aquaintance of mine, who is a U.S. citizen, had a one-year multiple entry visa to Thailand and went to Singapore last week to get a new one, and was given a tourist visa instead. We know this is part of the new regulations, but when he asked more about it, one of her responses was:

"Do you know how Thai people are treated by your Embassy? At least you're able to get some kind of visa."

I know how they feel, too. Too bad those of us who live overseas are left dealing with all the resentment the arrogant government of the U.S. engenders. These consulate guys just return to their compound every night, get their groceries at the PX, and then upon retirement go back to their wonderful home towns like Enid, Oklahoma or Indianapolis, Indiana.

It seems to me from this distance away from the U.S. that they are so insulated that they have no idea that the outside world has fundamently changed its opinion of them. Perhaps instead of swaggering around, they might try a little humility.

Oh, and by the way, we are moving to a different country. I want the visa option left open for my wife, but we actually have zero desire to go to the U.S. now.