Embassy services not what they were
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This is an alert for US citizens in Thailand who have mail routed through the US Embassy in Bangkok.
In late July I received a US federal tax refund cheque for 2010 in an envelope that was postmarked “23.7.12” (July 23, 2012), showing that it had been sent from the “Embassy of the United States, Consular Section/ACS, 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10330”.
A few days later I received a letter from the US Internal Revenue Service sent from Belgium that said: “Notice date July 23, 2012. Message about your 2010 refund. We previously sent you a refund cheque ... You didn’t cash this cheque, so it expired on April 15, 2012.”
In the old days I would have communicated with the appropriate contacts and then, if that did not work, I would have notified the appropriate inspector-general office – but none of that works anymore.
Things are falling apart in the US, and US citizens in Thailand need to keep their eyes and ears open: it is every man for himself these days.
Guy Baker
Bangkok
