Bangkok expat with Kenyan wife slams Air Asia for "racial profiling" and "humiliation" at Don Mueang airport

[webfact]

Bangkok expat with Kenyan wife slams Air Asia for "racial profiling" and "humiliation" at Don Mueang airport

 

 

A man has gone online to complain about Air Asia after he says that he and his Kenyan wife and cousin were humiliated at Don Mueang airport.

 

He said this happened to people "traveling while black".

 

Philip Culbertson said that he had to wait for 60 minutes before tickets were issued as what he claimed as unnecessary "racial profiling" took place for his wife and cousin.

 

He said that eventually he had to rummage through his pockets to show $800 to enable them to go to Laos for a two night break.

 

Mr Culbertson said that he and his wife have all the legal documents for their stay while he is working in Bangkok. The cousin had shown sufficient funds in Nairobi before her visa was issued to Thailand.

 

In an open letter to Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes he said that he is a frequent flyer but this is the worst airline or airport experience he has ever suffered.

 

He said he had booked tickets for the flight last Friday. But in relation to his experience at Don Mueang he said:

 

"I can safely say that ‘traveling while black’ with Air Asia was the most humiliating airlines experience of our lives for all three of us. 

 

Our holiday was ruined as we were unable to shake the blatant discrimination and hassle that we endured with Air Asia".

 

He said that on the return journey it took just 3 minutes to pass through.

 

He said that he had contacted Air Asia but had received no reply so he went on the Bangkok Expats Facebook group to relate his story.

 

He slammed claims by the CEO that the airline cares for all its customers and is now demanding a reply from the airline.

 

The full text of his complaint can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bkexpats.kc/permalink/1902212576472655/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-08-16

[JHolmesJr]

I hope the general condemns this or it might lead some of us to believe he supports this behaviour.

[Thaiwrath]

Living in Thailand, and surprised by a bit of racism by Thais here ? 

[Moonmoon]

Racial profiling is everywhere. When me and my thai wife travel from SG to BKK, the immigration officer wants my wife's ticket to be stamped checked by the airline but not mine.. 

 

When ask why mine is not needed? Reply. Becos she is Thai. 

Edited August 16, 2017 by Moonmoon

[NCC1701A]

Because I am a handsome single white male I have to endure daily marriage proposals from Thai women.

And a Thai woman at security ran her metal detector wand over my rear end more than once as her female friends laughed and went on in Thai. Right out in plan view of everyone at the airport.

[Kerryd]

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

The full text of his complaint can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bkexpats.kc/permalink/1902212576472655/

<deleted> ?

You expect us to join a (closed) Facebook group so we can see the full text of his complaint ? What kind of BS is that ?

 

Pretty lame way to try and increase numbers on someone's page.

[zzaa09]

Some are so zealously sensitive and look for any excuse to call foul, extending the usual race card.

 

Make believe.

[impulse]

I'm a little bit puzzled by the details (or rather, lack of them) in the OP.

 

Certainly, the expat realizes that there are different visa requirements and different levels of scrutiny for people from different countries and the requirements for someone traveling on a Kenyan passport may be different than those required of a guy from a country where parents would name their kid Philip Culbertson.

 

There's a huge difference between racism based on skin color, and being treated differently because of the nationality shown in your passport, which may be based on any number of treaties between the countries and the related requirements incumbent on the airlines.

 

[seahorse]

 

12 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Some are so zealously sensitive and look for any excuse to call foul, extending the usual race card.

 

Make believe.

This is a grey area. Not everything is black and white.

[ramrod711]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

Our holiday was ruined as we were unable to shake the blatant discrimination and hassle that we endured with Air Asia".

He will probably be sued by Thai Air Asia for slander under the you can't say that statute.

[scotchbroth100]

Get over it pal!!!

[YetAnother]

dont see what 'bangkok expat' has to do with anything; if it were a 'chiang mai expat' what would be different ?

[tolsti]

sounds like Don Mueang needs a 'safe space'.

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, Moonmoon said:

Racial profiling is everywhere. When me and my thai wife travel from SG to BKK, the immigration officer wants my wife's ticket to be stamped checked by the airline but not mine.. 

 

When ask why mine is not needed? Reply. Becos she is Thai. 

That is not racial profiling but profiling on nationality.

[r136dg]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

Because I am a handsome single white male I have to endure daily marriage proposals from Thai women.

And a Thai woman at security ran her metal detector wand over my rear end more than once as her female friends laughed and went on in Thai. Right out in plan view of everyone at the airport.

I hear ya. It makes one feel so violated. 

[Raymonddiaz]

Many well educated Thai people don't even know what the word racism means. For them it's ok to discriminate between them ( bangkokians vs issan etc). Even between foreigners. For them black people are all beggars. If you ask them why u think all blacks are poor. They will say I saw them on the TV. Most of them even think Africa a country. Racism is part of Thai culture we can't do nothing about it. I have a thai friend who really suffer about it. They used to ask him why do u have dark skin and ur mom and dad are white? Just try to be positive.

[Moonmoon]

16 minutes ago, hansnl said:

That is not racial profiling but profiling on nationality.

ok sir, 

 

Nationality profiling is everywhere blah blah blah lazy to repeat lol. . . 

[Orton Rd]

Africans being profiled, can'r imagine why that would be 

Edited August 16, 2017 by Orton Rd

[Tchooptip]

2 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

I hope the general condemns this or it might lead some of us to believe he supports this behaviour.

You mean like Trump for Charlottesville?

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

Because I am a handsome single white male I have to endure daily marriage proposals from Thai women.

And a Thai woman at security ran her metal detector wand over my rear end more than once as her female friends laughed and went on in Thai. Right out in plan view of everyone at the airport.

And you were so shocked and upset about it, weren't you - it's just the cross us good looking farang guys have to carry all day ?

Edited August 16, 2017 by Artisi

[bitcoinforever]

Hard and cold facts 

ASIANS are big time racist make southern whites from the 1950's look like  liberals.

Thai's are fantastically racist. does not cross their little minds to be anything else.

 My advice boycott all of asia spend your money and time were you will be appreciated.

[JHolmesJr]

5 minutes ago, bitcoinforever said:

Hard and cold facts 

ASIANS are big time racist make southern whites from the 1950's look like  liberals.

Thai's are fantastically racist. does not cross their little minds to be anything else.

 My advice boycott all of asia spend your money and time were you will be appreciated.

my motto is SCREW RACISTS

[Tchooptip]

1 hour ago, seahorse said:

 

This is a grey area. Not everything is black and white.

And not everyone is black or white, but not sure some are grey 

[Crash999]

Was he waiting for tickets or waiting for a boarding pass? Usually airlines have to check on behalf of the destination country when checking in to make sure people have the right visa to enter the country. I don't know if Kenyans get visa on arrival or a visa waiver in Laos but that could have been the issue. 

[Crash999]

7 minutes ago, bitcoinforever said:

Hard and cold facts 

ASIANS are big time racist make southern whites from the 1950's look like  liberals.

Thai's are fantastically racist. does not cross their little minds to be anything else.

 My advice boycott all of asia spend your money and time were you will be appreciated.

Africans can be very racist too. And superstitious- a white foreigner is sometimes considered to be bad luck in West African nations. 

 

Then there's the problems in America now. And the European anti immigration issue. Austalia has had its problems. 

 

I guess vacations are best spent on the moon 

[Belzybob]

Its time that logic rather than political correctness was applied to aviation security. Use of effective risk identification and hazard management should be lead to passenger profiling, pre-flight screening and targeted searches. Why should low risk passengers be inconvenienced when the real risk is in a much smaller group? Bleeding hearts will cry and moan, but its reality folks.

[Seismic]

6 minutes ago, Crash999 said:

Africans can be very racist too. And superstitious- a white foreigner is sometimes considered to be bad luck in West African nations. 

 

Yes, that is why I always had large numbers of young ladies asking to see my hotel room  in Cameroon, Ivory coast, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Mauretania, to check on my bad luck

 

[CNXBKKMAN]

From the article its hard to work out what the problem was exactly. One hour to issue the tickets? The airline wont issue the tickets until they are paid may suggest it was a payment problem. If you pay in cash for immediate travel the airline will hand over your confirmation immediately. If you are paying with your kenyan credit card who knows? 

[Ricardo]

Knock knock on West-African hotel-bedroom door !

 

"Who is there  ...  qui est la ?"

 

"C'est l'amour !  It is Love !"  

Edited August 16, 2017 by Ricardo

[cardinalblue]

Can I be a white Kenyan and pass thru immigration the same as say keep neo nazis?