How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
There were plenty of people on FB during the start of the pandemic who were in shock at just how incompetent, uncommunicative and downright ignorant the embassy were being towards their plight. There were lots of "Just you wait till I get home..", "I'll make sure the papers get to know about this..." and "We just can't believe that an embassy can behave like this..." comments flying around, with parts of the British media picking up some people's stories, but nothing ever seemed to come of it.
What angered me more than anything at that time was the lack of communication. They were that incompetent, they couldn't even be bothered to think of an excuse as to why they were being so incompetent, at a time when people were crying out in desperation. I get that they might have been low on resources, perhaps they feared being over-run if they remained open, which was why they closed, but there was nothing to stop them from putting out some sort of statement to give people some reassurance and hope.
When they did finally start posting on Facebook again, they would post about a possible flight that might get people back in a week or two, at three or four times the normal cost, on a scheduled flight while trying to pass it off as some sort of great achievement of theirs, whilst those every other nationality were being picked up by pre-arranged planes that their embassies had chartered, sometimes for free. The British embassy would then follow up their own posts up with 'As we have constantly told you, there is a flight leaving blah blah blah' - As we have constantly told you... as if we were all being told off by a finger wagging, stern faced mother because if we had been listening to her, we'd have no cause to complain!
I could honestly sit here all night highlighting the incompetence of the most useless embassy in the entire world, but unfortunately I have other things to do. The only positive for me is that as a resident of Cambodia, I no longer contribute to the British coffers which pay for their uselessness.
It takes a lot for British people to admit to being ashamed to being British, but the British embassy in Cambodia accomplishes that with ease.
What angered me more than anything at that time was the lack of communication. They were that incompetent, they couldn't even be bothered to think of an excuse as to why they were being so incompetent, at a time when people were crying out in desperation. I get that they might have been low on resources, perhaps they feared being over-run if they remained open, which was why they closed, but there was nothing to stop them from putting out some sort of statement to give people some reassurance and hope.
When they did finally start posting on Facebook again, they would post about a possible flight that might get people back in a week or two, at three or four times the normal cost, on a scheduled flight while trying to pass it off as some sort of great achievement of theirs, whilst those every other nationality were being picked up by pre-arranged planes that their embassies had chartered, sometimes for free. The British embassy would then follow up their own posts up with 'As we have constantly told you, there is a flight leaving blah blah blah' - As we have constantly told you... as if we were all being told off by a finger wagging, stern faced mother because if we had been listening to her, we'd have no cause to complain!
I could honestly sit here all night highlighting the incompetence of the most useless embassy in the entire world, but unfortunately I have other things to do. The only positive for me is that as a resident of Cambodia, I no longer contribute to the British coffers which pay for their uselessness.
It takes a lot for British people to admit to being ashamed to being British, but the British embassy in Cambodia accomplishes that with ease.
The difference between animals and humans is that animals would never allow the dumb ones to lead the pack.
- John Bingham
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Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
I believe they used to be a lot better. Back about 15 years ago they had staff who would actively seek out citizens they heard were in trouble. One woman in particular stands out. However there were a fraction of the British residents then compared to now.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
Agreed. As per my post in the other thread, when Stephen Bridges was in charge things were very, very different.John Bingham wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:59 pm I believe they used to be a lot better. Back about 15 years ago they had staff who would actively seek out citizens they heard were in trouble. One woman in particular stands out. However there were a fraction of the British residents then compared to now.
Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
Most off the staff at the Embassy are cambodian, and just fob you off with the official line.I was at the Embassy once and a young girl had all her possessions stolen on the bus from SR to PP. She was allowed a phone call home which she used and a frantic phone call went on for a age, obviously with the time difference nothing could be sorted immediately and the staff would not loan her any money.There was another Brit waiting and together we gave the girl Fifty bucks to get a room and some food whilst her parents could sort out some finance. When I got to see a British person later I explained the situation, to which he replied it was policy. When I left the Embassy the girl was hanging about and asked me if I would take her to a decent hotel as she was new to pp, this I did and later that day I called back to see if she was sorted.Happily her family had sent money via western union and she was booking a flight home, tragic that the embassy could not do anything, God knows what would have happened. There are so many stories about the negligence of the embassy.
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https://www.facebook.com/Pieman-Phnom-P ... 711967235/
https://www.facebook.com/Pieman-Phnom-P ... 711967235/
Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
Didn’t the British embassy in Vietnam sort a chartered flight, with a pickup in PP, and the PP Brit embassy took the credit?
People of the world, spice up your life.
Re: How the British Embassy has failed its citizens
Remember this one?
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/706336/pri ... ists-home/
UK Man organises charter flight from Cambodia to get stranded UK tourists home
A UK citizen in Cambodia has intervened to organise a private charter flight to take 103 stranded UK tourists home, after claims that the UK Embassy and UK government “could not have done less to help”.
On the 25th of March a group of tourists went the UK embassy in person, but say they were turned away by Embassy guards.
As one member of the group said “Some of us went to the UK Embassy today to see if we could get some help or advice. We were met by guards who refused to let us in, no one would come out to speak to us, we were given a piece of paper with details of flights to get home- most of which no longer exist or are available for thousands of pounds. We have organised our own charter flight back to the UK. Tina Redshaw Ambassador could not have done less to help us.”
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/706336/pri ... ists-home/
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