Tsunami survivor: US Officials Unhelpful in Thailand

[fryguy]

Faye Wachs survived the tsunami (she was out diving when the waves hit) and helped give aid to survivors before going to the airport to fly home. However, the description she gave (according to CNN) of the US officials at the Thai airport is rather troubling....

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

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.

<more>

imagine, US officials lounging in the VIP area and demanding payment for pictures from individuals who had just went through this ordeal.....wtf!

[Squatch]

1. Sickening...the US government machine has no sympathy

[bleedingheart]

2. somehow I am not suprised ....sad but not suprised

[tanyev]

3. Ownership society at work.

Sounds great until you're the one needing assistance.

[Blue Gardener]

4. Just taking their cue from the Shrub

Just can't be bothered with such things as tsumanis and people in crisis. Assholes.

[fryguy]

6. besides

who would have expected the officials to leave the nice A/C in the VIP lounge?

[ClintonTyree]

5. Ahh, the sweet smell of freedom............

Hey, we're in a market driven society. The only people who can get back to the "greatest country on earth" are those with the money. The rest of you, wait in line with all the other immagrants.
Money drives the machine, boys and girls. Without it, the gears come to a grinding halt.
I bet if you had a voter registration card with an (R) on it, you'd go to the head of the line as well.

[Renew Deal]

7. I saw that.

She was asked a question and she gave an answer. The reporter lady was filling in for Wolf Blitzer. I felt like she asked that to get a warm and fuzzy answer. She got blasted instead.

[fryguy]

8. didn't realize it was broadcasted

thought it was an online piece only....

[Renew Deal]

10. Yeah, it was pretty sweet.

I was surprised that the reporter asked a question worded that way. It seemed like she wanted a nice pro-america answer. Instead she got that. Maybe she was doing some honest reporting. It's hard to say.

[SodoffBush]

9. Americans at home and abroad should start screaming

If I were an American in any ravaged area of Asia, I would complain to the nearest media official loud and clear.