British Ambassador: Thailand remains popular among British travelers

[elgordo38]

16 minutes ago, English 1 said:

Indeed he seems a personable kind of guy and I wish him well here.

 

One of the many problems at the British Embassy is that the Staff in General have no interest in actually Yes to a request because they prefer to sit in their High Chairs looking down on us.

 

I sent a letter of importance to the previous Ambassador and having not received a reply went to the Embassy and and was spoken down to by an English women who smirked and said ' Oh yes we received your letter but it was not seen by the Ambassador'... another smirk.

Not to worry your embassy does not have the "do nothing" market corned. They all have the same fleas. 

[A Skeptic]

I would be more impressed if the Ambassador and his consort the British Consul would apologise to British expats and tourists for the appalling service the embassy and consul provide. Example: making Andy Hall, a highly respected human rights activist, sign a form of indemnity before they would lift a finger to help him when his passport was stolen - yes, taken illegally - by the Thai authorities. I live here, and you do NOT apologise for me Davidson. 

[Ricardo]

1 hour ago, Fithman said:

 

Please list what you would have them do to help people. 

 

Perhaps you know of other Western Ambassadors/Embassies which provide the "helping services" on your list ?

 

Understand ? 

 

For starters, the Ambassador might try to restore the services formerly offered at our local Consulate, here in Chiang Mai ?

 

Then he might try to make it easier for us to renew our passports, when living in Thailand, the service has only got worse, while costing us more !

 

 

 

[Mahks]

Maybe the Brits he is apologizing for are the embassy staff?

[whatproblem]

32 minutes ago, louse1953 said:

Do expats pay tax?

I pay income tax in U.K. For my properties rent

[elgordo38]

14 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

 

For starters, the Ambassador might try to restore the services formerly offered at our local Consulate, here in Chiang Mai ?

 

Then he might try to make it easier for us to renew our passports, when living in Thailand, the service has only got worse, while costing us more !

 

 

 

Sorry you deserve a double like only one allowed. Governments are trying to make do with less while charging us more. 

[Dogmatix]

Respect Thai culture and enjoy Thailand even if that leads to violent crimes committed against you and the British Foreign Office soft pedals in pursuing justice for you in a devious and non-transparent way, in order to protect its insignificant trade interests in Thailand on behalf of UK taxpayers and voters.

 

Anyway it is fitting that the Foreign Office will now flog off the rest of the embassy's historic and prestigious site and move into some non-descript office block, more in keeping with the UK's flagging importance in the world, which is about to take another huge dip post-Brexit. I would suggest the Trendy Building to make it more convenient to outsource even more of its services to local firms based there.  

 

Since British citizens no longer get any service or protection from the embassy, except this sort of hot air, and the people they send out to promote trade know nothing about business, the next logical move would be to close down the embassy completely and cover British interests from the embassy in KL or Singapore.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Dogmatix

[Dogmatix]

In passing, I hope Mr Davidson will do a better job in respecting Thai culture than he did in respecting Chinese culture.  In his previous post he greatly angered his Chinese hosts by having a same sex marriage,. which is illegal in China, to a Chinese partner within the confines of the British Embassy where UK law prevails.  I have nothing against same sex marriage whatsoever and applaud equal rights for LGBTs wholeheartedly but I think it would have been more diplomatic to travel to the UK and organize a wedding there without causing offence to the Chinese, who have yet to embrace LGBT rights.  I am sure he would have had no trouble in organizing a UK visa for his partner.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Dogmatix

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Dear Mr Ambassador,please do not speak or apologise for me.I can have a good guess at your social class standing.

Have you ever mixed with normal working class people?

What are 'certain types of British' Are we meant to be the great unwashed?

It must be wonderful being driven around in limousines and being given the choicest Tee off times at the Golf clubs that accommodate you.What do you mean by 'unspecified help' from certain embassies?

I suspect that you never take a boys night out,in places like Nana or Walking street.

Have you ever been ripped off by a tuk tuk or a taxi here,of course not,you never use them.Have you ever been invited to 'sit in on a court case where a ferang gets 25 years for a minor drug possession,but the next case gets a 1000 b fine because they are Thai.Are you actually aware of the injustices that are handed out to

[samtam]

1 hour ago, Fithman said:

 

Please name these Embassies you know who provide unspecified "help" to their people. 

 

Whether you consider being able to provide a speedy passport renewal service is considered "help", I don't know. The Japanese Embassy here provides that service within 2 days.

 

Once UK leaves the EU, perhaps the focus could shift to UK citizens living abroad instead of the status quo.

 

Whether you consider being able to provide a speedy "proof of address" letter service is considered "help", I don't know. The Japanese Embassy here provides that service by drop in, on the same day. The British Embassy requires you to book an appointment online, (usually 7 days in advance), and it costs THB2500.

 

Physical communication with the British Embassy on Wittayu Road through a microphone competing with the traffic noise is beyond third rate, with English language skills of the staff who man these pillboxes wholly inadequate. 

 

Just using the Japanese expat figure as an example, there are many more living in Thailand, than there are British.

Edited October 8, 2016 by samtam

[elgordo38]

8 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

In passing, I hope Mr Davidson will do a better job in respecting Thai culture than he did in respecting Chinese culture.  In his previous post he greatly angered his Chinese hosts by having a same sex marriage,. which is illegal in China, to a Chinese partner within the confines of the British Embassy where UK law prevails.  I have nothing against same sex marriage whatsoever and applaud equal rights for LGBTs wholeheartedly but I think it would have been more diplomatic to travel to the UK and organize a wedding there without causing offence to the Chinese, who have yet to embrace LGBT rights.  I am sure he would have had no trouble in organizing a UK visa for his partner.

Talk about calling the kettle black. I guess us old fat falangs are not so bad after all. 

[Dogmatix]

9 minutes ago, samtam said:

 

Whether you consider being able to provide a speedy passport renewal service is considered "help", I don't know. The Japanese Embassy here provides that service within 2 days.

 

Once UK leaves the EU, perhaps the focus could shift to UK citizens living abroad instead of the status quo.

 

Whether you consider being able to provide a speedy "proof of address" letter service is considered "help", I don't know. The Japanese Embassy here provides that service by drop in. The British Embassy requires you to book an appointment online, (usually 7 days in advance), and it costs THB2500.

 

Physical communication with the British Embassy on Wittayu Road through a microphone competing with the traffic noise is beyond third rate, with English language skills of the staff who man these pillboxes wholly inadequate. 

 

Time was when you could explain your purpose to a smiling faced Gurkha at the embassy guard post and feel a sense of welcome combined with good security.  Since they outsourced security to Chubb Thailand, you have to talk into that horrible intercom to a hatchet faced Thai staffer with seriously poor English communication skills.  Tell you what.  If I were a British diplomat living there with my family, I would trust the Gurkhas to defend us with their lives against an angry Thai mob but I would be fully confident that that Chubb Thailand's employees would open the gates and let them do another Thammasat massacre there, if they felt like it.  Similar arguments were actually raised by embassy staff in 2010 when the area was surrounded by the red shirts and the Gurkhas got a reprieved for a few years.  However, their contracts with the embassy were not renewed directly and they were taken on by Chubb.  So it will be Sayonara to the Gurkhas after a decades long association when the embassy is sold off.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Dogmatix

[Dogmatix]

I think the issue of the falsely reported theft is actually a very trivial incident in the grand scheme of things that has been blown up by Thai authorities to try to counter the bad publicity they get when British and other farang tourists are raped and/or murdered and the crimes are covered up to protect provincial 'VIPs' like policeman and gangsters.

 

The ambassador seems to have naively taken the bait and fallen into their trap.  He should have just ignored the incident as insignificant, not grovelled and apologised on behalf of the Britisih people or denigrated what he sees as loso British tourists.  

 

The Thais behave horribly when they travel to places like Japan and they put up with far worse behaviour from the hordes of Chinese tourists in order to cash in.   The way they treat the hill tribe people themselves is abysmal, denying citizenship to people born in Thailand for several generations and putting the long neck Karens on display like circus animals. 

 

No, Mr Ambassador, you did not speak on my behalf, nor on behalf of thousands of British expats in Thaialand, although I contribute generously to the British taxes that your salary.  If you can't do any better than that, go home.

[Remus1830]

Get in trouble and then see how useless they are.They will send you a thai person to apparently help last face you want to see when you have a problem is a local one being paid by the UK. Then they will take notes of what you may need and do absolutely nothing.

[Khun Paul]

2 hours ago, BlindMagician said:

Part of the remit of the embassy and consulate is to provide support to and protect the rights, safety, etc of British nationals.

No, it's not to wipe their asses when doing a number two, of course not. Don't be silly. Don't try to counter a clear serious logic correct point, with extreme stupidity. It makes you look...stupid?

But have a nice day. Just don't ever ask any official body for help if you ever rightly need it.

 

 

 

Yes that is true, however whenever you ask for help it is denied for spurious reasons. I am British by the way and apart from dealing with my passing when it occurs,  it has done and will do nothing for me, of that I am sure. 

[Altalake]

Well, try the Canadian Consulate for doing SFA. What and who was the only "consular desk" absent at Don Muang on the 28th Dec 2004. The Illustrious Consul had his phone switched off, as it was Boxing day. He did not even say sorry. Lots of Brits did great things in Phuket - Martin Carpenter got the MBE for his work in helping all the citizens he could. Sure there are yobbo Brit tourists, but there are even worse Russkis, and Yankees, and Germans, and French........

[The Dark Lord]

3 hours ago, jesimps said:

Hear hear!

Sorry wrong post

[Remus1830]

7 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

Yes that is true, however whenever you ask for help it is denied for spurious reasons. I am British by the way and apart from dealing with my passing when it occurs,  it has done and will do nothing for me, of that I am sure. 

Agree fully

[evadgib]

37 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

In passing, I hope Mr Davidson will do a better job in respecting Thai culture than he did in respecting Chinese culture.  In his previous post he greatly angered his Chinese hosts by having a same sex marriage,. which is illegal in China, to a Chinese partner within the confines of the British Embassy where UK law prevails.  I have nothing against same sex marriage whatsoever and applaud equal rights for LGBTs wholeheartedly but I think it would have been more diplomatic to travel to the UK and organize a wedding there without causing offence to the Chinese, who have yet to embrace LGBT rights.  I am sure he would have had no trouble in organizing a UK visa for his partner.

Did you not stop to think why?

[gios50hk]

3 hours ago, whatproblem said:

Wouldn't it be nice if he did something to help the British people that come here instead of kissing ass

Totally agree! Whilst there is a lot to like about Thailand - there are SO many issues here concerning injustice, widespread and endemic corruption, overt racism and prejudice as well as the complete lack of support shown by Mr Davidson and the Embassy towards British subjects who have been victims of crime (eg Fraud).

[The Dark Lord]

3 hours ago, whatproblem said:

Wouldn't it be nice if he did something to help the British people that come here instead of kissing ass

Spot on! Well said indeed.

 

dont suppose he reads this but maybe one of his minions might.

 

wouldnt it also be a cracking idea for him to recognise the fiscal pressures on his paymasters ( we few remaining taxpayers) and adjust (downwards) his unrealistically and obscenely high costs for admin at the BE in Bkk or is he making good on increased income for the UK............

[The Dark Lord]

1 hour ago, louse1953 said:

Do expats pay tax?

Yes if they have money or assets producing money in the U.K.

[SaintLouisBlues]

2 minutes ago, The Dark Lord said:

wouldnt it also be a cracking idea for him to recognise the fiscal pressures on his paymasters ( we few remaining taxpayers) and adjust (downwards) his unrealistically and obscenely high costs for admin at the BE in Bkk or is he making good on increased income for the UK............

Yes

[evadgib]

3 hours ago, whatproblem said:

Wouldn't it be nice if he did something to help the British people that come here instead of kissing ass

Do you really think you/media/this website would be CCed, and that it can't have happened cos you weren't?

[Raybangkok]

2 hours ago, Fithman said:

 

Please list what you would have them do to help people. 

 

Perhaps you know of other Western Ambassadors/Embassies which provide the "helping services" on your list ?

 

Understand ? 

Maybe they should go back 25 years when I first moved here then we got a new passport issued in 2 days we could register so our relatives could be contacted in times of need or vice a versa we were allowed in the embassy to attend the remembrance service now we are not allowed any basic services that was made very clear by the previous ambassador who said no further services will be given

[evadgib]

15 minutes ago, The Dark Lord said:

Spot on! Well said indeed.

 

dont suppose he reads this but maybe one of his minions might.

 

wouldnt it also be a cracking idea for him to recognise the fiscal pressures on his paymasters ( we few remaining taxpayers) and adjust (downwards) his unrealistically and obscenely high costs for admin at the BE in Bkk or is he making good on increased income for the UK............

Much of the latter is outlined earlier in the thread but they're damned either way in the eyes of the "the embassy ain't doing nuffink" s!

Edited October 8, 2016 by evadgib

[The Dark Lord]

1 minute ago, evadgib said:

Much of the latter is explained earlier in the thread.

Yup coz I type slowly

[Fithman]

1 minute ago, Raybangkok said:

Maybe they should go back 25 years when I first moved here then we got a new passport issued in 2 days we could register so our relatives could be contacted in times of need or vice a versa we were allowed in the embassy to attend the remembrance service now we are not allowed any basic services that was made very clear by the previous ambassador who said no further services will be given

 

You should address your demands(wants?) to the Home Office. It is them who determine what services Embassies provide. Whilst your doing that you might as well whine about passports to HMPO !

https://www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line

 

[The Dark Lord]

1 minute ago, Fithman said:

 

You should address your demands(wants?) to the Home Office. It is them who determine what services Embassies provide. Whilst your doing that you might as well whine about passports to HMPO !

https://www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line

 

Life is too short.......

[The Dark Lord]

So this new representative of the UK is in a same sex relationship?