Andrew sent me this information on Thursday, I've had to delay it's release online -
Behind the scenes we feel as if we
are battling on many fronts and getting no help or response in Thailand from
official bodies.
These fall into a number of
groupings and I will set them out as best I can.
British consul
Your efforts with the foreign
office are starting to come through. We had another meeting with the British
consul here in Pattaya. She is a young girl doing the best she can but admits
that she is a bit out of her depth. However she told us that she has been
contacted by the FO to find out what is going on. At the first meeting all she
could offer were translation services. We are asking the consul to deal with
three issues:
A visa extension for Adele - she
has another two weeks before she has to leave the country (me too but I might
have to come back for a few days at the end of June). Apparently this is a big
problem.
The renewal of Adam's passport - it
has gone missing and can take 6 to 8 weeks to be renewed. We need it available for as soon as Adam can
fly home .
British passport for Ben - similar
problem to Adam
We saw the T&A report about the
help the FO is giving - this is not true
- we are having to make all the
running and getting a luke-warm response(at best)
So if you are talking to the FO or
MPs this is one way they can help to get things moving.
We are hoping to have a meeting
with the FO in Bangkok on Friday.
Insurance Company
We have had and are still having a
running battle with the insurance company. There have been so many phone calls
with the School, insurance company and hospital blaming each other. Today the
insurance co said to the hospital that when Adam is discharged they would
decide if they were prepared to pay anything. When this was challenged they
then said they needed to get a statement from Adam!!!! The next response was
they need the final police report on the incident (at this stage I don’t intend
to even go into this). They are trying to avoid liability using a clause that
says they are not liable if there has been a brawl. I think the time has now
come to have a go at this company, make people aware that they are not really
covered and maybe ask questions of the school as to why they continue to use
this company and provide such poor cover.
The company is:
Bangkok Life Assurance Ltd
www.bla.co.th
Their strap line is "Security
and Sincerity for your confidence"!!!
Police and Investigation
This is getting nowhere. I have
sent Rick some notes that a police inspector sent us from England and we are
tackling this as best we can, with the help of Tracy. As and when I can I will
keep you informed.
But the good news is that Adam
continues to improve. We wish we had only one battle to fight, but we do have
lots of support here and of course we really value everything you are doing for
us.
All our love,
Andrew, Adele Adam and Ben
Re the FO.
Adele had a real go at the consul
on the phone and asked them what they were there for. They replied "To
help and Assist", to which she replied "Can you tell me one way that
you have given us any help or assistance" - silence. She continued to put
pressure on them and we have had some response. If this comes to anything I
will let you know later today. Adam
would of been proud of her, I know I was.
Just a little bit more information.
We asked if they could help with
the insurance company, and they said no, which did not really surprise me.
We then made what we thought was a reasonable
request. Bearing in mind that one of the prime functions is to help with
translations, we asked if they would come with us to the police station so
could find out how the investigation is going, as we have had virtually no
news. We asked them to translate and be an independent witness. They said no.
The reply was "we have to remain impartial and we cannot get
involved". I pointed to the office door, which said "British
Consul" and said - I am British, Adam is British, I thought you were meant
to be on our side.
It is really unbelievable - we
think our government looks after us in times of emergency - not so.
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