UK govt review casts doubt on future of British Embassy in Bangkok

[scotchonrocks]

Given their woeful support of citizens, maybe all the developed world embassies could do at least something for Thais by snubbing their noses up at the junta and close up shop until they get their act into gear. Then again the farang beat-ups would probably escalate.

[wvavin]

Whoever posted here would be cursing & swearing for the loss of luxury times for their personal entertainments if the UK decides that to dispose this.

[simon43]

The ambassador Mark Kent is moving to Argentina later in the year

Why does the tenure of these ambassadors in Thailand seem so brief?

[Tanlic]

Cant we Brits not just share the Pakistani Indian UAE or Chinese embassy? there's more of them live in the UK than us anyway

[trogers]

The ambassador Mark Kent is moving to Argentina later in the year, it was in the latest FCO announcements. So I guess an embassy is pointless.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/change-of-her-majestys-ambassador-to-the-argentine-republic

Why the move? Planning to sell the Falklands soon?

[English 1]

Oh Dear and we are due to get a Gay Ambassador and his Chinese Husband/Wife in September!

[Erik BKK]

Don't forget the Germans.

The English are obsessed with their envy for the superior football nation.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Erik BKK

[phantomfiddler]

What better way to raise money for all the illegal immigrants who are flooding into the country with no intention whatsoever of working for a living Ploenchit Fair fare thee well, great while it lasted

[Pepper1959]

As countries like UK, USA and Australia look to always save money, why don't they outsource all their consular business to call centres, typically to some country where English is a second language like India or the Philippines? Would probably achieve the same level of service and frustration.

[TKDfella]

Well, I had a feeling something was going on just before I sent the info for the income L.o.C. For some reason I had problems accessing their website so couldn't find out the fee. I emailed to my usual yearly person/contact at the BE and in two weeks received no reply. I then sent a second email but copied it to someone else there also and the same thing happened. I tried to phone an Englishman there and all I got was the 'run around'. I wrote another email containing disparaging remarks, that I thought might stir things up, and received a reply the next day. All three people I had been trying to contact 'no longer work there'. One person leaving, yeah that's okay, two from the same dept, hmmmm but three? That was too much of a coincidence so I expected something to be in the news soon. Sure enough when I received my LoC it was signed differently to previous versions.

But now I'm wondering. Is this 'writing on the wall', so to speak? That is, with the current situation in Thailand that seems to heading in one direction, does someone at the BE know more than they are telling? And if that is so I would expect the American embassy to know also. Any American expats here have similar ideas/experience?

[reptile91602]

Who cares? is the only response to this garbage.

[DaveinAsia]

Well it might as well not be there anyway.

Trendy Embassy anyone?

Very true! Not the embassies fault of course but policy of the fascist government in London under leadership of fuhrer Dave Cameron whose family are all tax dodgers

[DannyS1951]

With the Australian embassy due to move to Wireless Road somewhere over behind the Japanese embassy near to the Alliance francais maybe the British will take a couple of floors on whatever new building the Australians are moving into, after all they share the floor in the Trendy Building for visa issuing. It will be a shame to see the rest of the trees go though, not that the public got into the grounds in recent years.

[sabaii69]

A 7 11 and a Mc Ds would be of more use anyway. I know a Nigerian who offered to sell it to me last month!

[Classic Ray]

In this modern connected world, if they offered all their services online a la gov.uk website, I would quite happily do without an overpriced embassy for all the routine stuff they do. With just an emergency service for people in trouble, and an online portal, they could do away with the ridiculous visa service, that demands people come from all over Thailand to hand deliver an application and later make another journey to collect a renewed passport, that could all have been done online or through the post.

As for the scams about income letters, and freedom to marry certification, they don't check anything anyway and you have to fill your own forms out, so who needs them?

[Basil B]

Seen a lot of moaners on this thread about service at our Embassy, may be our embassy should be more like Thai hospitals, first person to great you is the cashier... maybe our Embassy and Consulate services should first ask if you are still paying UK tax and NI...

Edited April 7, 2016 by Basil B

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

They sold off half of it about 12 years ago after a review by the last Labour government.

The Japanese embassy has moved, I can now see no reason why the British embassy should not relocate, perhaps next door to one of Bangkok's many Mosques would be PC enough...

[MadMuhummad]

I am not normally one to complain... but

The way us British citizens are treated by our own government in Thailand is disgraceful.

I paid my taxes for many years, in fact I still pay some to the UK and I get ZERO in return, the blighters in Embassy forget who pays their bloody wages.

The UK has no monopoly on disgraceful treatment to their citizens in foreign lands they are all the same oxygen sucking bunch of political hacks. I wonder if they intend to just pull embassy services out of Thailand it could start a trend. All governments are turning over stones to find new money they have squeezed all the old ways to death. When you leave your homeland you are truly on your own.

Are you stating these reasons for dislike because you, as many do, believe that all embassies are there to do their bidding and dig them out of whatever predicament one has created for ones self?

[Suradit69]

These single-story sprawling embassies are a waste of real estate anyway. Whatever business is transacted inside could probably be accomplished in a dozen rooms of economy office space.

Or they might be going for a multipurpose operation ... Noodle shop & Embassy ... 7/Eleven cum consular services ...

[jippytum]

They are a useless lot at the UK embassy sell up and send them all home

[watso63]

I will miss reading about all of those ostentatious garden parties. Bankrupt UK, run by inept and corrupt MP's grubbing the bottom of the barrell for cash???

[thaigold]

Kind of sad ... seeing this historical landmark being divided up for developers.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Well it might as well not be there anyway.

Trendy Embassy anyone?

Very true! Not the embassies fault of course but policy of the fascist government in London under leadership of fuhrer Dave Cameron whose family are all tax dodgers

Perhaps you would comment on the Blair/Brown government review that sold off the first (and better) half of the BE and left the UK bankrupt?

You socialists have convenient memories.

[fishhooks]

I am not normally one to complain... but

The way us British citizens are treated by our own government in Thailand is disgraceful.

I paid my taxes for many years, in fact I still pay some to the UK and I get ZERO in return, the blighters in Embassy forget who pays their bloody wages.

Actually, they are going to keep hold on the land, fit out some new rooms and run lessons teaching Thai citizens how to master the language prior to going to the UK.

[khun custard]

Did the Brit Embassy ever own the land??

I was always of the opinion that the land foreign embassies occupied was by the grace of the Monarchy (sorry if that causes flashing lights on TV's dashboard) or the socialist, dictator (whatever) entity ruling that country.

The days of dispatching a telegram and high tea awaiting the intrepid traveler on arrival - the only real value of Embassies is long gone.

For individual to expect any form of assistance from their embassy abroad is a joke; to expect tax payers to prop up government funded trade offices (for the benefit of free marketing of big biz) quite frankly is a wank!

Please, if they take out the Brit Embassy can they also dispose of that other bastion of the "sun never setting on the Empire" and all the pompousness that goes with it in the nether regions, in an alley, off Silom Rd. :-)

Edited April 7, 2016 by khun custard

[Thian]

Sell it, Central Embassy looks terrible when it reflects the sun and it's an ugly building anyway. The UK needs a stately building in a park, not next to an ugly tinfoil strange towerthing.

[johnatong]

I was always of the opinion that the land foreign embassies occupied were by the grace of the Monarchy (sorry if that causes flashing lights on TV's dashboard) or the socialist, dictator (whatever) entity ruling that country.

The days of dispatching a telegram and high tea awaiting the intrepid traveler on arrival - the only real value of Embassies is long gone.

For individual to expect any form of assistance from their embassy abroad is a joke, to expect tax payers to prop up government funded trade offices (for the benefit of free marketingof big biz) quite frankly is a wank!

Please, if they take out the Brit Embassy can they also dispose of that other bastion of the "sun never setting on the Empire" and all the pompousness that goes with it in the neither regions, in an alley, off Silom Rd. :-)

Did the British Club decline your membership application or were the fees beyond your financial means ?

[Top man]

What is it with some people. This is the uk government selling off what ever they can. This is what happens, you will have a micky mouse building and instead of a two hour wait, you will have a four hour wait. I'm not getting in to an argument about other countries, but I'll tell you this, the uk is <deleted>.

[JAG]

I heard that all UK Consulate services in TH will be outsourced to a man with a folding table on Sukhumvit soi 4.

So it won't be available on a Monday then?

[crazykopite]

Useless place anyway so it would not be missed ! Having worked out of the British Embassy in Washington DC this place falls well short of what I would regard as a good standard !