Couple diving during tsunami are appalled at treatment from US officials

[Oilwellian]

Faye Wachs said she was impressed by the efforts of the Thai government and the International Committee for the Red Cross, but "she was appalled at the treatment they got" from the U.S. government, her mother said.

At the airport in Bangkok, other governments had set up booths to greet nationals who had been affected and to help repatriate them, she said.

That was not the case with the U.S. government, Wachs told her mother. It took the couple three hours, she said, to find the officials from the American consulate, who were in the VIP lounge.

Because they had lost all their possessions, including their documentation, they had to have new passports issued.

But the U.S. officials demanded payment to take the passport pictures, Helen Wachs said.

The couple had managed to hold on to their ATM card, so they paid for the photos and helped other Americans who did not have any money get their pictures taken and buy food, Helen Wachs said.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/28/tsunami.diver/index.html

[NYC]

1. I read this.

I also read that there are many people in bathing suits, barefoot, no money, no possessions.

A very uncaring way to treat people.

[Valerie5555]

3. Maybe someone ought to set up a page called "American Foreign Disservice

.com"


Meaning no disrespect to any Foreign Service retirees of course, some of whom may be more "diplomatic" than the current bunch of foreign service officers.


On edit someone ought to make a bunch of "WWBLD" or "What Would Bruce Laingen Do" bracelets and send them to those "diplomatic service" members in Thailand or whereever for I do have the honor of indirectly knowing *the* Bruce Laingen that was the former charge 'd affaires at that Tehran embassy and the ex Tehran hostage.

[autorank]

2. Fire them immediatelyh!!!! I'm holding my breath in antitipation.

[Tsiyu]

4. Now why would this administration have policy

to treat folks any better out of country than in it?

* & Co. seem to thrive on human misery - especially the kind they create themselves....

[JohnnyRingo]

5. George Buxh is not a World Leader

...I think that's the bottom line.

[The empressof all]

6. Wait a minute now

Don't Republicans preach that we are a country built on Rugged Individualism. Apparently the "majority" of our fellow country people wanted smaller government, fewer taxes and Christian values. So what do these folks in their bathing suits surrounded by death and destruction want the government to do. Who the hell told them to go on vacation anyway. They made their beds now they should lay in them.

(sarcasm off)

[Valerie5555]

7. Or they chose their chair and it was their own fault if the chair fell

down because it was rickety. <Sarcasm off>

[intheflow]

8. Who told them to vacation at some fureign place?

Hell, there are pine trees in Florida and Texass. Why would anyone even want to leave the US, ever?

(/sarcasm)

[flordehinojos]

9. I have one word for bush and a well run State and Immigration Departments:

DORIS MEISNER AND JANET RENO!

[Peter Frank]

10. Don't worry...

...Bush is being dragged kicking and silently screaming into this situation.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

11. oh man that's awful! n/t