English Teacher Gary Beattie from the UK with HORRIFIC Leg Infection and Expired Visa Says British Embassy Won't Help
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 4:49 am
Gary James Beattie, a British national working in the border town of Poipet as an English teacher has been requesting financial help from people via Facebook, claiming he doesn't have enough money to pay the police the fees they're requesting of him so that he can leave and go back to England for medical treatment, as he is now illegally overstaying in Cambodia, after losing his old passport with his valid visa in it.
To make matters even worse, he is suffering from a gruesome disease called "vericose leg ulcers" (venous leg ulcer?) which has left him unable to work.
He says he's spoken to the British Embassy, but they are very unhelpful and have no way to help him escape Cambodia and go back to England to receive proper medical treatment.
If you haven't seen pictures of vericose leg ulcers or if you plan on eating within the next 48 hours I strongly suggest you DO NOT let curiosity get the best of you and open the images. Brutal stuff.
He claims to need about $2,000 to pay of the coppers so he can exit the country.
In November 2015 he says he had yet to raise a single cent in donations from anyone.
He claims the British Embassy are saying that all they can do is make an official report to Cambodian authorities for him, but that it will likely involve him being arrested for living in Cambodia illegally.
If his story is true, he is in a very bad position. I do wonder how the staff at the embassy will feel if this turns fatal for him.
I probably should have gone to bed, but instead I stumbled across this horrific story, and of course, had to share it with you all.
Here is his Facebook page that he's set up to ask for donations called "Please Help Sick British Teacher in Cambodia":
https://facebook.com/helpgarycambodia/
And if you are curious to see his ailments, you have been warned of their graphic nature:
Here are some quotes from Gary Beattie on Facebook regarding his current predicament:
"Just a recap for anybody new to my page and my story.
I am an English teacher living and working in Poipet, Cambodia. I have spent much of the last 15 years teaching here and in Thailand. I love teaching, I love the Cambodian people, and hope that I have made my own small contribution towards the development of this wonderful country, by sharing my knowledge.
I have been sick with varicose leg ulcers for a few years now. It's in my family. My parents (who passed away) had them too. The tropical climate here is bad for my blood circulation, and my job involves a lot of standing up, which is also bad for the ulcers. When the ulcers are very bad it really is impossible for me to work.
I should have sought medical advice from a western doctor years ago. Maybe they could have fitted me with elasticated stockings which would have prevented ulcers developing from varicose veins. However, I foolishly ignored the decline of my circulatory health.
There have been long periods when I've not been able to work - or only work very part-time. That has made it hard to save money. The schools I have worked at were not rich, and were obviously unable to provide health benefits.
What is more, I have no property, money, or family back in England. So, there is nobody who can finance my return to the UK.
In late 2014 my bag containing my passport was snatched (stolen). I immediately sent to England for a new passport, which I received in December 2014. Of course it was empty, with no Cambodian visa inside. Since I received my new passport I have been trying to get the Cambodian authorities to transfer my old visa into it. However, every time I have hit a brick wall. They are still trying to find my computer immigration record in order to calculate a fine. I will have to pay a fine because I have had a new passport with no visa in it since December 2014. Without a visa I am not free to leave Cambodia or return to the UK for medical treatment.
I am in a highly vulnerable and dangerous situation. It may soon be impossible for me to work because of the state of my leg.
It scares me so much that I might not have money for medical treatment, for a room, for food and drink, and to put towards the eventual cost of an exit visa fine, which would allow me to return to England. I am hoping that my police contact at the immigration office will soon be allowed to tell me the sum I must pay for an exit visa. He has hinted this could be in excess of $1,500. However, since they cannot find my computer record they are delaying confirming this.
Perhaps if other people, such as the Cambodian Hope Organization, who are trying to help me, were able to speak to the police, they could persuade them regarding the urgency of my situation, resulting from my declining health.
Once we know the price of the fine the police wish to be paid we can set about trying to raise that sum. Time is of the essence, since if I am unable to work, paying for my living expenses will become an impossible financial burden. It is hard to see how that burden could be carried at the same time as raising money for the fine/exit visa. And getting that exit visa is the only way I can return to the UK for the medical treatment required.
They are. Wish I could get out of Cambodia and get some proper treatment. But none of the ways I've tried to raise the necessary funds have worked. If everybody who had liked this thread had sent me just $10 I would have been able to pay the visa fine and leave. But nobody has sent a cent.
Up to them. I have no sense of entitlement to help. It's a cruel life if you mess up.
I'm sorry to hear about your condition Katie. I've tried the British Embassy. Because of my leg I haven't been able to keep my visa up to date. The embassy says that if they report my case to the authorities officially, which they say is all they can do for me, I would be arrested for visa overstay, and have to spend time in a Cambodian prison until somebody paid a substantial fine - much more than the $2000 the border police want. Since I can't even raise that, the prison stay would probably be long, and likely fatal. Cambodian jails are dangerous places even for healthy people. I don't think I'd survive it. A friend of mine in the UK is trying to help, including involving journalists, but no interest. Seems pretty hopeless.
I think your condition is a lot worse than mine Katie. The problem for me is that stuck in Cambodia I must continue working in order to survive, and I worry about the future. Without the freedom to leave the country to get proper treatment it's only going to get worse, and that future looks bleak. My email address is [email protected]. I think Michael is the best person to contact as he is also in the UK and searching for a solution. You could copy me in. As I said, he's [email protected]. Thanks."
To make matters even worse, he is suffering from a gruesome disease called "vericose leg ulcers" (venous leg ulcer?) which has left him unable to work.
He says he's spoken to the British Embassy, but they are very unhelpful and have no way to help him escape Cambodia and go back to England to receive proper medical treatment.
If you haven't seen pictures of vericose leg ulcers or if you plan on eating within the next 48 hours I strongly suggest you DO NOT let curiosity get the best of you and open the images. Brutal stuff.
He claims to need about $2,000 to pay of the coppers so he can exit the country.
In November 2015 he says he had yet to raise a single cent in donations from anyone.
He claims the British Embassy are saying that all they can do is make an official report to Cambodian authorities for him, but that it will likely involve him being arrested for living in Cambodia illegally.
If his story is true, he is in a very bad position. I do wonder how the staff at the embassy will feel if this turns fatal for him.
I probably should have gone to bed, but instead I stumbled across this horrific story, and of course, had to share it with you all.
Here is his Facebook page that he's set up to ask for donations called "Please Help Sick British Teacher in Cambodia":
https://facebook.com/helpgarycambodia/
And if you are curious to see his ailments, you have been warned of their graphic nature:
Spoiler:
"Just a recap for anybody new to my page and my story.
I am an English teacher living and working in Poipet, Cambodia. I have spent much of the last 15 years teaching here and in Thailand. I love teaching, I love the Cambodian people, and hope that I have made my own small contribution towards the development of this wonderful country, by sharing my knowledge.
I have been sick with varicose leg ulcers for a few years now. It's in my family. My parents (who passed away) had them too. The tropical climate here is bad for my blood circulation, and my job involves a lot of standing up, which is also bad for the ulcers. When the ulcers are very bad it really is impossible for me to work.
I should have sought medical advice from a western doctor years ago. Maybe they could have fitted me with elasticated stockings which would have prevented ulcers developing from varicose veins. However, I foolishly ignored the decline of my circulatory health.
There have been long periods when I've not been able to work - or only work very part-time. That has made it hard to save money. The schools I have worked at were not rich, and were obviously unable to provide health benefits.
What is more, I have no property, money, or family back in England. So, there is nobody who can finance my return to the UK.
In late 2014 my bag containing my passport was snatched (stolen). I immediately sent to England for a new passport, which I received in December 2014. Of course it was empty, with no Cambodian visa inside. Since I received my new passport I have been trying to get the Cambodian authorities to transfer my old visa into it. However, every time I have hit a brick wall. They are still trying to find my computer immigration record in order to calculate a fine. I will have to pay a fine because I have had a new passport with no visa in it since December 2014. Without a visa I am not free to leave Cambodia or return to the UK for medical treatment.
I am in a highly vulnerable and dangerous situation. It may soon be impossible for me to work because of the state of my leg.
It scares me so much that I might not have money for medical treatment, for a room, for food and drink, and to put towards the eventual cost of an exit visa fine, which would allow me to return to England. I am hoping that my police contact at the immigration office will soon be allowed to tell me the sum I must pay for an exit visa. He has hinted this could be in excess of $1,500. However, since they cannot find my computer record they are delaying confirming this.
Perhaps if other people, such as the Cambodian Hope Organization, who are trying to help me, were able to speak to the police, they could persuade them regarding the urgency of my situation, resulting from my declining health.
Once we know the price of the fine the police wish to be paid we can set about trying to raise that sum. Time is of the essence, since if I am unable to work, paying for my living expenses will become an impossible financial burden. It is hard to see how that burden could be carried at the same time as raising money for the fine/exit visa. And getting that exit visa is the only way I can return to the UK for the medical treatment required.
They are. Wish I could get out of Cambodia and get some proper treatment. But none of the ways I've tried to raise the necessary funds have worked. If everybody who had liked this thread had sent me just $10 I would have been able to pay the visa fine and leave. But nobody has sent a cent.
Up to them. I have no sense of entitlement to help. It's a cruel life if you mess up.I'm sorry to hear about your condition Katie. I've tried the British Embassy. Because of my leg I haven't been able to keep my visa up to date. The embassy says that if they report my case to the authorities officially, which they say is all they can do for me, I would be arrested for visa overstay, and have to spend time in a Cambodian prison until somebody paid a substantial fine - much more than the $2000 the border police want. Since I can't even raise that, the prison stay would probably be long, and likely fatal. Cambodian jails are dangerous places even for healthy people. I don't think I'd survive it. A friend of mine in the UK is trying to help, including involving journalists, but no interest. Seems pretty hopeless.
I think your condition is a lot worse than mine Katie. The problem for me is that stuck in Cambodia I must continue working in order to survive, and I worry about the future. Without the freedom to leave the country to get proper treatment it's only going to get worse, and that future looks bleak. My email address is [email protected]. I think Michael is the best person to contact as he is also in the UK and searching for a solution. You could copy me in. As I said, he's [email protected]. Thanks."
