the american embassy in bangkok sucks

[James]

Posted by James on June 28, 2000 at 17:56:23:

They seem not to care about travellers misfortunes and slow to help when they can sometimes be the only lifeline that an american can have

[Staffed by right wing,Christian conservative]

Posted by Staffed by right wing, Christian conservative, young Rumsfeld-esque republicans on September 24, 2003 at 00:51:33:

In Reply to: the american embassy in bangkok sucks posted by James on June 28, 2000 at 17:56:23:

As an American citizen who loves his country I was pretty disappointed when I experienced first hand the insensitivities of some of the Vice Consuls in the US Embassy there in Bangkok. I will say that the American Citizen Service section was more than helpful to my family and me. I even saw them helping a Khao San Road type backpacker who had lost her wallet, credit cards, money, and passport. But my problem was with the visa section of the US Embassy. One officer was extremely insensitive, unhelpful, and gave bad advice that should have never come out of his/her mouth. They do need to treat their fellow American, & especially the Thai and foreign nationals who go there seeking their assistance with more respect. Many people applying for non-immigrant tourist type visas leave the Bangkok embassy with dashed hopes and feeling rejected by this behemoth country....in fact they were probably rejected the visa and not given an ample explanation as to why. Their $100 fee was swiped away from them in a blink of an eye and a big rejection stamp is stamped into their Thai passport. If the embassy in Bangkok is the doormat to America then we are a pretty unwelcoming nation (unless you have loads of money or you are a young Saudi/Egyptian/Lebanese man intent on destroying the WTC.....even those guy's got visas!!). It is sad to say but as far as I am concerned....the American Embassy in Bangkok sucks! I hope that will change in the near future.

[queequeg@attbi.com]

Posted by queequeg@attbi.com on January 12, 2003 at 20:03:39:

In Reply to: the american embassy in bangkok sucks posted by James on June 28, 2000 at 17:56:23:

I grew up as an "embassy brat" all over the world (including 5 years in Bangkok). Tourists have the mistaken impression that the United States embassy in the country they are visiting exists for the convenience of travelling American tourists. This is a false impression. Contrary to popular opinion American Embassies are not tourist agencies or "get out of jail free" cards for travellers that don't prepare for their voyages properly, or don't educate themselves on the local laws, customs or medical facilities. Embassies exist for the establishment and maintenance of diplomatic, commercial, logistical, intellingence and military relationships between the host country and the United States.

When you travel abroad you should make sure you know what you are doing and understand what the country is like where you are going. When in a foreign country you are subject to it's laws, customs and language. If you get yourself in trouble you cant just expect to scream "I'm an American!!" and expect the busy people at the American Embassy to have the time, resources, infastructure or even the interest for helping you.

Tourists sometimes get in trouble with the law and then expect the American Embassy to bail them out for their idiocy. This is not uncommon in southeast asian countries with harsh drug laws (just an example). The American Embassy can't bail these people out because it isn't in the best interest of diplomatic relations. This is just an example of one way that people misunderstand the purpose of embassies.

As someone who has travelled a great deal in my life my advice to you is know what you are getting into when you travel to someplace like Bangkok. If you don't educate yourself about your destination before you get there the destination will educate you, and not all of your education will be pleasant. This is especially true of someplace like Bangkok where life is cheap and a great deal can happen very, very quickly.

If you want to remain under the protection of the United States Government, my advice to you is to stay in the United States.

[Tom]

Posted by Tom on October 03, 2001 at 08:04:13:

In Reply to: the american embassy in bangkok sucks posted by James on June 28, 2000 at 17:56:23:

I had the same experience

[angelica]

Posted by angelica on August 27, 2003 at 12:25:42:

In Reply to: Re: the american embassy in bangkok sucks posted by Tom on October 03, 2001 at 08:04:13:

it sucks for real! the americans are so rude! they need to learn to be more polite to the thai and other international people. keep your reputation up you americans!