I very much dobut she has the authority to arrange rescue flights.

[Note that the British Embassy in Ha Noi Vietnam is at present trying to organize a flight home for British and Irish citizens for 14 April from Vietnam and Cambodia. It may be too late, but contact them immediately on facebook if you are interested.]

Briton who organised Cambodia rescue flight criticises UK officials
Jerry Lewis says Foreign Office has been slow to react to global coronavirus outbreak
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Last modified on Wed 8 Apr 2020 14.48 BST

A British traveller who organised a flight for his family and about 100 others stuck in Cambodia has criticised the government’s sluggish response and warned that travellers risk being stranded abroad with no funds after spending thousands on cancelled flights.

Jerry Lewis, a teacher who was travelling in Cambodia with his family, became so disillusioned with the British embassy’s failure to help tourists that he contacted the chief operating officer of Malaysia Airlines to inquire about arranging a flight home.

When the airline initially confirmed that it would send a plane, Lewis contacted the British embassy in Phnom Penh hoping that staff there would oversee the plan. He received only a standard email response and resorted to coordinating the flight with his wife, Karen Lewis.

After contacting other stranded travellers through a Facebook group, they managed to bring 103 people back to Heathrow on 28 March. Tickets, which cost about £1,000, were offered on a first-come-first-served basis.

About 250 tourists, including young backpackers and retirees, are understood to remain stuck in Cambodia, while tens of thousands more Britons are still scattered around the world.

Last week, the government pledged £75m to charter special flights to “priority countries”, and provide affordable seats on commercial airlines. Planes have been chartered to Peru, India, South Africa and Nepal, but many travellers stuck in countries where commercial airlines are still operating are yet to benefit.

In Cambodia, the British embassy has continued to advise people to book commercial flights over the past week, even though these cost thousands of pounds and have repeatedly been cancelled, with passengers unable to secure quick refunds. On Tuesday the British embassy began surveying interest for a commercial flight leaving on 13 April, though officials say it will only go ahead if it is commercially viable. There is a possibility of financial support, travellers were told, but the details are unclear.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... oronavirus

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 10:02 pm ^

Funnily enough, the Irish Embassy are claiming that one, but allowing Brits to board and register interest as it terminates in LHR

UPDATE
Latest from the Irish Embassy in Ha Noi, Vietnam: There has been a time extension; You can register your interest in taking this flight until tomorrow morning, 9 April, at 10am.

Such pitiful "duty of care" from first-world embassies.

Meanwhile, look how organized they are:

Cambodia Agrees to Facilitate Filipinas' Departure
Phnom Penh, Cambodia News: On Wednesday afternoon, April 8, 2020, HE Gen Kiet Chantharith, the Director General of the Immigration Department received the representative of the Philippine Embassy, ​​Mr. JOEL ROCES, who paid a courtesy call on the Director General of Immigration.
During the meeting, Mr. JOEL ROCES asked the Cambodian side to allow three Filipinas overstaying on their visas (two women and one baby) to leave Cambodia without a fine, together with 180 other Filipinos on a special plane that the Philippine government is planning to send on April 15, 2020.
His Excellency the General agreed to facilitate the Filipinos' departure from Cambodia, but required the Philippine authorities to provide all the relevant documents to the General Immigration Department. The Philippine representatives promised to deliver the documents by next Monday.
Source: Cambodia General Department of Immigration


From the Philippine Embassy Facebook page:
Subject: Voluntary Repatriation Flight to the Philippines
The extended deadline to submit your request for repatriation is on 9 April 2020, 4:00 pm.


For inquiries and clarifications on this program, please contact Consular mobile/Viber/WhatsApp/Telegram number +855 98 888 529 or email [email protected].

God'sGift wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 5:59 pm I very much dobut she has the authority to arrange rescue flights.

Absolute nonsense. Who would stop her? Why do most other embassies "have authority" to help their citizens but she doesn't? What's the point in an embassy if they can't help their own citizens in a time like this?

The British Embassy in Cambodia is infamous for their apathy, incompetence and complete disregard for the well-being of British citizens in times of need. This is only the latest example. They are parasitic leeches being paid large sums of tax payer money and providing nothing in return even when the lives of their citizens are at stake.

"We don't have jurisdiction/authority" is their standard line when anyone contacts them about anything, as if not having legal jurisdiction to order a problem be solved means they have no reason to even try and help their citizens. Other embassies behave very differently.

As an example; When my son was born, he was refused a birth certificate due to being "too white". This is a crime that denied him his basic right to exist as a legal human being, and prevented me from being able to get his other documentation. When this happens to children of US citizens here, they can call their embassy, the embassy asks for the phone number of the office that is refusing to provide the birth certificate, they make a quick call, and the issue is magically resolved. If you're British, the embassy just sends you a letter saying they have no jurisdiction, and you and your newborn are on your own to fight for yourselves, even though that newborn is a British citizen by law.

The embassy was already in a bad state when Tina Redshaw took over, but she has done absolutely nothing to improve it. She needs to resign in shame and go find a job where her apathy and inaction don't have such massive potential consequences for people's lives. The current situation is a disgrace to our country and the tax payers who fund it.