U.S. Officials to Tsunami Victims: Pay Up

[Kire]

As the tsunami death toll multiplies, and it becomes apparent that
hundreds of Americans are missing, I guess its more important to
clear brush. Here's an account from one US citizen who is less than
pleased with the State Department:

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.

"She was really very surprised" that the government did so little to
ease their ordeal, she said.

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

[dethl]

1. Nice to see...

that we treat our own citizens who were caught in one of the worst diasters in a LONG time like trash. This is horrid.

[jojo54]

2. Gee, no why doesnt't this surprise me?

[Webster Green]

3. Halliburton had their little passport photo booth set up no doubt..

Never miss an opportunity to profit off of others misfortunes.

[flordehinojos]

4. Under Bill Clinton, Janet Reno and Doris Meisner, I am sure the US

response would have been totally different and totally compassionate ... but under clear-the-brush-bush, career service employees and many career service jobs at the State and Immigration Departments have been done away with and GOONS and SUPREMACY have been put in their stead, particularly in countries where nationals are brown-skinned.

[utahgirl]

5. A side note

It really sounds like Thailand has an effective government. I believe I read that an official there actually saw the earthquake report and had an alert in motion before the tsunami hit. My brother is married to a Thai. Beautiful country. Beautiful people. Lots of problems but the general feeling is that at least the government has some intelligence in what it does.

utahgirl

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Welcome to DU utahgirl.

Thailand sounds like the government we wished we had.

[xultar]

7. I'm going to add Thailand to my list of political refugee countries.

I've dated a Thai gentleman before.

[rman]

8. Effective as in "no tsunami warning cause it might hurt tourist industry"

I wonder how much the lack of warning will hurt the tourist industry now that there in fact was a tsunami. I know i wouldn't go there knowing the government won't warn of a possible tsunami.