(Photo: Thailandblog)
It will not have escaped anyone's attention that in this Covid crisis it is "all hands on deck" at all embassies and consulates of the Netherlands, anywhere in the world. I was curious about the ins and outs at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok, I even wanted to spend a day with them to get an impression of how the ambassador and his staff are tackling this unprecedented challenge. Of course I couldn't follow along, if only because I can't and am not allowed to travel to Bangkok, but I was advised to ask a number of questions, which they would answer.
Well, they went much further than I could have hoped for and sent me the following statement:
The global COVID crisis is also affecting Thailand and the Netherlands, and authorities in those countries are taking unprecedented measures to limit or slow the spread.
This also means all hands on deck for the Dutch embassy in Bangkok. “Although the corridors at the embassy are empty and there are only a handful of people present, the embassy is working at full speed,” says ambassador Kees Rade. The embassy is currently working in crisis mode, which means that work is done “on and off” in shifts at the embassy and at home. Special computers from BZ make it possible to work safely and effectively from home and we are in contact with each other, with the Ministry in The Hague and with the authorities here in Bangkok. Working in shifts is to ensure continuity, even if a colleague unexpectedly becomes infected. The employees who are at the embassy adhere to the recommendations of the RIVM: keep your distance and wash your hands.
The work, both at the ministry in The Hague and at the embassy, continues during the weekend: the crisis does not end at 5 o'clock on Friday afternoon. Contacts with the Asia Directorate and the Consular Directorate, which deals with aid to the Dutch, are intensive.
The COVID crisis presented itself in full force in the first half of February, when the “Westerdam” reported with a request to be allowed to moor in a Thai port, but then had to divert to Cambodia. A ship under the Dutch flag with thousands of people on board, including a large number of Dutch people. Together with the Cambodian authorities, it is being examined how assistance can be provided quickly and in a safe manner, especially after a test shows that the virus would have been on board. Since then, the embassy has been dominated by the crisis. But what exactly does it mean?
Stranded travelers
First of all, the concerns for Dutch travelers in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, the countries within the resort. But because Bangkok is an important hub in the region, Thai measures can have a major effect on a much larger group of Dutch travelers, from Myanmar to New Zealand.
After it became clear that far-reaching travel-restricting measures would be taken worldwide, including by the Thai authorities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised travelers to reconsider non-essential travel. Naturally, a traveler does not have a fixed place of residence or residence at the destination, which means that all kinds of extra problems can arise in the event of a forced long-term stay.
When Thailand indeed introduced measures that would make entry and transit virtually impossible, Dutch travelers in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, for example, were also in danger of getting into trouble: Bangkok as a transit hub was in danger of disappearing. The Dutch embassy and other embassies in Bangkok therefore contacted the Thai authorities with a request to allow transit. This was agreed, so that hundreds of Dutch people could travel back to Europe via Bangkok until March 31.
The global travel restrictions are leading to a rapid decline in the number of travelers and a drop in the number of international flights. The embassy is in close contact with the travel industry, KLM, Dutch embassies in the region and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prevent Dutch travelers from getting into trouble. Special attention will be paid to Cambodia and Laos, because it is expected that the possibilities of escaping will dry up first there. The embassy and the Dutch honorary consuls are in close contact with travellers, and together they look for ways to get them on flights. Various foreign travel organizations are organizing extra flights, and Dutch nationals are also being successfully placed in the vacant seats. But also for travelers stranded in Thailand, efforts are being made to return as quickly as possible, with the regular KLM flights that are still operated (but with less frequency), but also, for example, with the deployment of two additional Air France/KLM flights via Paris to Amsterdam.
Some travelers require individual guidance or help from the consular department. Like a Dutch family that was on their way from Indonesia to Krabi by sailboat. They could not go back to Indonesia, but can they still enter the port of Krabi and are they still allowed to go ashore with all the strict entry rules? Or Dutch travelers who cannot be admitted to Thailand, but who cannot fly further for medical reasons. In good consultation with the Thai authorities, a good solution is often found quickly. If that works out, it will give you a lot of satisfaction. Many travelers send a quick message to the embassy just before the plane departs: it worked!
Dutch people living in the region
A large group of Dutch people live in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. They too have concerns about the situation and are faced with restrictive measures. As far as we know there are – fortunately! – no cases of COVID infection in that group.
The Dutch living in Thailand must be informed about both the Thai and Dutch measures. This is not always easy, because measures are announced at a rapid pace, but do not always actually take effect in practice. To be as correct and complete as possible, the Dutch community is informed about current links from local authorities via the message service and Facebook.
Because the Dutch are finding it increasingly difficult to leave Thailand on time, and are therefore in danger of getting into trouble due to expiring visas, the embassy is starting to issue visa support letters. Some activities will no longer be possible: due to the stricter entry rules in the Netherlands, the embassy can only grant a visa in exceptional circumstances.
Economic services
It is a strange time for the economic department of the embassy: various business missions and fairs that were supposed to take place in the spring have been canceled due to the crisis. To the disappointment of the economic workers too, who see their projects stranded after months of preparations. They have a serious hangover, which is somewhat mitigated by setting a new date in the autumn. Yet.
It is clear that the COVID crisis will leave deep economic marks worldwide. The impact, including for the Dutch and Thai economies, is currently incalculable, but many companies will have a hard time. It is the embassy's task to position Dutch companies in such a way that they are in a good starting position when the crisis is over and that bilateral trade can recover. The crisis also offers opportunities for the always creative Dutch companies.
Temporary reduction of consular services at the embassy
The worldwide development of the new corona virus (COVID-19) has led to a temporary reduction in consular services. For the time being, for the period from March 18 to April 6, 2020. Depending on developments, the period may change. The embassy will of course remain available for compatriots in acute need.
There will be business in the near future, but not as usual
The embassy will remain accessible to Dutch people for the foreseeable future!
The fact that everything will be different in the coming period is evident from the fact that annual events, such as those around King's Day, have been cancelled. And also in the otherwise intensively used old residence, where incoming missions and other guests are normally received, it will remain silent for the time being. “Yes, the NVT coffee mornings at the old residence have also been postponed for the time being,” says Ambassador Rade. “Very unfortunate, of course, but as soon as it is possible again, we will be very happy to receive the NVT here again.” Unfortunately, the consular consultation hours in the country cannot be organized at the moment either, but the hope is that they can still take place in the autumn. The COVID crisis makes such important personal contacts between the embassy and the Dutch community impossible. “But we stay in touch with the Dutch, also via Facebook and the website.
Finally
I welcome this detailed and impressive report. I have already expressed my thanks and wish everyone at the embassy all the strength and wisdom. I am sure that people will also appreciate your thanks with a thumbs up. They could really use that support!
Summarized in a video:
https://www.facebook.com/netherlandsembassybangkok/videos/648037219312258/?v=648037219312258
Nice that so much information is given.
Today, however, I went to the immigration office on Koh Samui and was told that in order to extend my tourist non-immigr O single entry visa, I had to contact the embassy by phone or email and then request a letter by email and that the immigr. office itself with a copy of passport and photo, etc. can arrange the extension for 30 days. Our 21st Apr flight per EVA has been canceled and rebooked on 12th May.
Apparently there is also a simple kind of support letter that could be sent by embassy via email???? Does anyone have the same experience?
Correct phone number villa is:
06-5673-9708
I received the documents I requested quickly and correctly. Communication via email and especially whatsapp was very good and fast. My compliments!
Is it true that for an extra 30 days you now have to pay €30 (1300 thb) for the special letter and then another 1900 thb at the immigration office? So a total of 3200 thb?
It is a pity that a medium such as Facebook is used by our government for communication.
There are countless people who (rightly) do not (want to) use Facebook. It is a commercial, non-independent medium and should never be used by our government.
Theo, which medium? The press is politically colored and so are many TV channels or they are commercial. I think one should do AND AND to reach as many people as possible.
My personal compliments to Kees Rade, our ambassador, and his team. Cheers!
Also my compliments to the employees of the Dutch Embassy. I had my visa support letter within two days which allowed me to go to immigration to apply for an extension. In this time of madness, they've done a great job!
Well done I mean of course!
MVV award
I read here that the embassy is still running at full speed.
But what if I apply for an mvv for my wife and it is granted by the IND.
Can my wife still get an MVV entry visa?
Read this: https://www.nederlandenu.nl/reizen-en-wonen/visa-voor-nederland/qas-voor-visum-lang-verblijf-mvv
Now I also have a question for the hardworking people at the embassy. I myself live in Thailand and have my house and household as well as family, 2 young children, in Thailand. Since the beginning of February I have been temporarily back in the Netherlands to carry out work. But now the problem is that there are no more entry options for those who live 'permanently' in Thailand and have a residence permit for Thailand but do not have Thai nationality. Well, my return is only planned in 2 months, but I think that more Dutch people and other nationalities are in a similar situation and will run into a problem because of the corona / virus and the entry restrictions of non-Thai people in Thailand.. So it is not possible for a holiday trip back to my country of residence Thailand. Hope the embassy knows how to go the right way and can help us as a forgotten group, because I assume I'm not the only Dutchman stranded outside Thailand. And for the readers for your information: I do not have a house in the Netherlands and no income or benefits in the Netherlands, and I am not retired.
Quite a good question, Ger, but I don't think you can expect help from the Dutch embassy or Foreign Affairs in the first instance.
You want to return to Thailand, so it seems to me that you contact the Thai authorities through their embassy in The Hague. It is possible that the problem you describe has not yet been thought through. If you cannot find a solution, the Dutch embassy or Foreign Affairs may be able to do something for you.
Success with it!
Dear Gringo, thank you for thinking along. I myself thought that policy in Thailand is determined at government level, so in Bangkok. A corona test is required and insurance for non-Thais is required and I can imagine that, but they exclude the Thais from that and I am tested 'safely', will I be infected on the way or in the plane by, for example, a Thai (like the Thai who recently returned from the UK and turned out to be infected and died in Thailand I read in the news). As many already know, the tests in the Netherlands are scarce and are only used for patients in hospital admissions and other urgent cases.
A solution could, for example, be the policy in South Korea whereby everyone who arrives is tested for the virus on site. Look then you already have an opportunity to offer people the chance to return to their home country, Thailand in this case. Thailand has the guarantee through self-testing and quarantining that they will continue to keep control and not have it carried out in a distant country and there is a chance that the traveler will still contract a virus before departure or while traveling. And as far as I'm concerned, I just pay for the test upon arrival in Thailand. Then the foreign nationals with residence permit holders cq. non-Thai happy to return to their family and home in Thailand.
Perhaps the embassy can help us raise this with the Thai government.
If you have a Thai residence permit (permanent residency) you probably also have a work permit. For PR you must either be an investor, a business owner or an employee (and the latter requires a work permit), unless you have PR on a humanitarian basis. The handful of Europeans with PR will usually also have the required work permit and therefore have access to Thailand.
For the category 'In practice I live permanently in Thailand but officially I am a short stay who extends his temporary visa again and again' , those fall between two stools. For the time being, no more access for people with a temporary visa. Of course you can knock on the door of the Thai embassy, but I'm afraid they can't do anything for you. That is of course very unfortunate, but that is what you get when Bangkok ruthlessly draws a simple line.
I share Peter's opinion. I too was allowed to receive the visa support letter within 2 days.
My compliments and thanks for the fast service of the NL embassy in these strange times.
Because my 3 month visa would have expired on April 8 and my flight with FinnAir was confirmed by my travel agent on April 1, it turned out to be possible for me to fly to Helsinki on March 30 and the subsequent flight to Amsterdam. can get. An incredible gesture from FinnAir!
There appears to be no question of a “health clearance” to enter Suvarana. I did not have to report to the Dutch Embassy because Finnair, being an excellent company, arranged everything for me. So my tribute to FinnAir!
I don't understand this at all. You have a visa until April 8, a fixed (confirmed?) flight on April 1, but you already flew to Helsinki/Amsterdam on March 30. What then is this 'unimaginable gesture'?
Apart from the widely acclaimed employees in healthcare, a great compliment indeed to the Ambassador and Staff of the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok. People sometimes talk condescendingly about "those" civil servants, but you now see them in action 24/7 to help many sometimes stubborn Dutch people who. adventures in Thailand and elsewhere in the region practically without money, can be safely repatriated.
Thank you Kees and his team, on behalf of many Dutch people in Bangkok.
Rob