UK envoy can't get an exit visa
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British Ambassador Asif Ahmad has extended his tour of service until August rather than leaving in April as planned.
It’s not because things are “just getting interesting” here, as the Israelis and Iranians might have us believe, but because his replacement needs more time to learn Thai.
Ahmad did all right in that department in his less than a year at the Bangkok embassy, and he learned much else about Thailand besides. For one thing, he always makes sure there’s ground chilli on the dinner table now, even when he’s serving European food.
And he discovered that Thailand teems with football fans devoted to Manchester United and his own beloved Liverpool.
Ahmad admits he hasn’t been as high-profile sociable as many diplomats because he sticks to the events that have British content. He’s made the cocktail rounds in Bangkok enough, though, to understand how high the “hi-so” go in the hierarchy, but wonders why he hasn’t quite achieved that status.
“I’ve never been on the cover of Thailand Tattler,” he grins, although he did make an appearance in Hi So magazine. “Does that count?” he asked while discussing the change of command at the embassy.
Ahmad announced that Mark Kent will succeed him as ambassador and that Kent has already spent a year learning to speak Thai. Ahmed’s departure has been postponed to give him more time to work on the tones.
“He was selected for the job well before I came to Bangkok,” Ahmed said. “Mark is a friend of mine and he’s a very talented diplomat. His only flaw is that he supports the wrong football club.”
That would be Arsenal, a team that doesn’t have a huge following in Thailand, so Kent will be fairly lonely being a Gooner, as devotees of the Gunners call themselves.
On the other hand, Thais are already buzzing about the familiar ring to the incoming ambassador’s name. Isn’t he the mild-mannered reporter who dashes into phone booths and turns into Superman?
If so, that super-strength might come in handy.
