US Ambassador Kristie Kenney
On 10th January 2010, the Thai people will be able to welcome the first female United States Ambassador to Thailand. She is Ambassador Kristie Kenney. She was nominated by President Barack Obama back in July 2010 which was then confirmed by the US Senate in September 2010. Ambassador Kenney was previously the ambassador to The Philippines for about four years. She was reported to have been very saddened when it was time for her to leave.
Ambassador Kenney is very big on the use of social media, and before she left The Philippines she updated her Facebook status with: “Heart broken to think of leaving the Philippines but know it is time for me to plan to return to be with my family. Calling on my FB friends to help me not be sad but to enjoy and savor my remaining months in this lovely country.” She is also a blogger and a prolific tweeter (@KristieKenney). In keeping with this, she has recorded this special youtube video with a message for the Thai people.
Nongnaphat Ratanachatabuth a teacher of Thai classical dance and other subjects.Masters graduate from Chulalongkorn University.
Hi,
I like to share my experience with you for getting a tourist visa for the USA for my Thai spouse. I thought it was more or less the same as for a Schengen visa, which we applied already for 3 times sucessfully and without any problems. For the US you have first to pay US$ 20 for a pin. With this pin you have to make an appointment for an interview at the embassy. That you have to do through their website, but the website doesnot show any available dates, we only managed to do that after 50 times!! Than you have to pay US$ 140 at a postoffice for the appointment. Today my wife had that interview. The guy (american) asked her why she married an older guy. Before she could gave a reply, he said, because of the money. Than he asked her why she wanted to vist his country. She told for a holiday, together with her husband to visit her sister, who is married with an American guy and lives in Hawai. He told her, I deny you visa, because you married an older guy, wait for his money when he dies and than you will go to live with you sister in Hawai!!!
What a difference with our experiences with the embassy of the Netherlands, in Bangkok. There they are polite, not discriminating, helpfull, understandable, pleasant and I could wait inside when my wife had the interviews istead of waiting on Wireless road outsite. I warn everybody who is living together with a Thai spouse, or married not to spend money on trying a simple tourist visa for the USA.
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