The British Behaviour Abroad Report 2011 published by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has found that, proportionally, British Nationals resident in, or visiting, Thailand are more likely to be arrested and admitted to hospital than in any other country. British editor Jody Houton had a proverbial sit-down, cup of rosy and a good ol' chinwag with British Ambassador to Thailand, Asif Ahmad to find out why this might be.

Do crimes/requests for information and assistance vary according to the area? What are the main ones in Phuket?

? In Phuket, British residents and visitors get into difficulties over issues such as loss of passport, visa overstay, mental illness, assault and sexual assault or are victims of varying crimes and scams. We also have reports of disputes over property and there are often complicated hospitalisations due to road traffic accidents.

? Many people expect us to be able to help with passport and visa enquiries; these are now handled by other departments; for passports please call Careline in the UK +44 20 8082 4744 (there is a charge for this service) and for visa enquiries please call the Bangkok VFS office on 02 800 8050.

Why does Phuket not have a British consulate? Surely these figures would seem to suggest that Thailand is a country where scrimping on consulates cannot and should not occur.

? We currently have a large consular section in Bangkok and two consulates: one in Chiang Mai and the other in Pattaya. We keep this network under regular review but have to recognise that expansion of the network is unlikely in the current economic climate. We will continue to look at ways of improving our service to consular customers on Phuket.
? If a British National needs advice about a difficult situation, they will find information about what they can do to help themselves, as well as what we can do (and what we cannot do) on our website. If they can?t find the information they need there they should telephone the British Embassy in Bangkok (02 305 8333) and we will be happy to help.
? We have an Honorary Consul in Phuket, a volunteer member of the team, who works very hard on our behalf looking after British nationals in Phuket.

Describe a typical day.

On one day in June, we:
? Sadly dealt with 4 new deaths, and 9 other recent death cases. In one, where the person died in a road traffic accident, we received the court judgement about compensation. There were 4 hospitalisations (one of someone who had been lost at sea and clung onto floating material all night, another was unconscious following a motorbike accident), one mental illness case (hospitalised), three ongoing parental child abduction cases, 7 ongoing arrest / detention cases. The following evening there were three more Road Traffic Accident deaths.
? Three prison officers from a London prison arrived to prepare to transfer a British prisoner to the UK under the UK/Thai Prisoner Transfer Agreement. A consular officer visited the Immigration Detention Centre to visit 6 British Nationals detained there. Our Honorary Consuls also conducted prison visits.
? We issued 3 Emergency Travel Documents, 7 people visited the Embassy in need of advice on welfare (one had run out of insulin, another had been in a fight over the weekend and had wounds from being ?bottled?), 59 people visited the consular counter for documentary services (e.g. certifying copies of passports), we received 157 emails from customers, 251 phone calls from customers, 2 emergency out of hours calls (missing person).
? We received tragic early morning reports of a suicide (cut wrists) on a busy roadside in Bangkok - the deceased was not British so we passed his case to another Embassy.
? We held a teleconference with FCO's Child Abduction Unit (we are second worldwide for the number of child abduction cases).?

Why do you think the numbers of arrested Brits are so high in Thailand?

? Many people don?t realise that the penalties for crimes, particularly those involving drugs, are different from the UK and sometimes much higher, and that issues like visa overstay are criminal offences and treated seriously. Over half of those arrested are visitors rather than residents.
? The British Behaviour report highlighted a UK poll conducted by ICM which showed that 32% of people were not aware that they would be prosecuted under local law if they break the law overseas, 6% thought they would be prosecuted under UK law and 22% thought it depended on the country they were in.

The recent riots and looting, questionable journalistic practices and bar fights and towel-disputes, the British and especially English people have a pretty bad reputation abroad, how do you hope - do you hope? - to change this perception in Thailand?

? We work with a range of Thai contacts and we have consistently found that people in Thailand treat British nationals with courtesy and respect.

What should British people do if they need help or assistance in Phuket?

? If British Nationals need advice about a difficult situation, they will find information about what they can do to help themselves, as well as what we can do (and what we cannot do) on our website. If they can?t find the information they need there they should telephone us (02 305 8333) and we will be happy to help. If necessary we will ask our Honorary Consul in Phuket to provide personal assistance.

In your opinion, what are the main problems/ causes for concern affecting residents in Phuket. Which are the ones that are peculiar (in both senses of the word) to Phuket.

? Residents or visitors in Phuket have found themselves in difficulty with problems such as scams, mental illness, arrest, road accidents, drowning, visa overstay, working without a work permit and some are victims of crime; robbery, drugging and assault. These problems are similar to those encountered in other resorts in Thailand.


You have been the British Ambassador for 6 months, are you enjoying it? What are the challenges and rewards of holding such a prestigious position? Why did you choose Thailand?

Thailand is a great posting for a British Ambassador. I chose Thailand having dealt with country for seven years from London. The large number of Britons who live or visit gives the role a direct connection. The commercial links are strong and I can play a role in securing deals. The Thai government is very accessible and we are able to talk about all issues of interest. The Royal links give the relationship added weight. And like so many tourists I have been able to enjoy the country's resorts, food and meeting so many gracious people.