Demolishing the historic British Embassy to make way for a shopping center

[Brigand]

Sad really considering the history of the place and who/why it was gifted to the UK. But don't worry, they can run their visa services from a hotel room in India. 

[DJ54]

5 hours ago, sanemax said:

The UK leased Hong Kong from China for 150 years and that lease expired in 1998

looking at the news today HK is a less desirable place to visit 

with protest and such....

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office. Wouldn't be so bad if they were using some of the money to improve services, rather then cut them.

 

Of course, all about the money. 

 

And sadly the new "embassy" will reflect the likely diminishing importance of the Disunited Kingdom as our once great nation sinks into obscurity. Outsourced consular services to some dodgy Indian supplier and an "embassy" located in a few offices in some obscure tower block likely be the future.

 

As a British subject I felt protected when travelling on business 30 years ago, with my black UK passport and knowing Her Majesty's Government required my safety. Now I doubt they could give a rat's arse about expats. 

[Derek B]

Perhaps it was not so note worthy - anyway the Developer has lost the opportunity to take the building apart & re-build it else where or incorporate it into the new development.

Might of made a good gentlemens club though or up market jail for overstays in another location that is.

 

[TTL2]

7 hours ago, CGW said:

Pure greed, in years to come this decision will be regretted! ???? 

Who's greed? The seller is a the British government because the land belongs to the government that serve the queen.
Buyer is paying 420 million pounds for it as it is not for free.
(The British foreign office said last year that they had sold the embassy's 25 rai plot for 420 million pounds. )

[Cranky]

2 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

They sold the land of the original embassy on the river, which was the centre of Bangkok then, to the Siamese government as the King wished to build his new General Post Office there. The proceeds would have been more than enough to buy the land on Ploenchit from Nai Lert which was only rice fields out in the sticks at the time.  Probably a bridging loan was arranged by Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. Presumably the original money to buy the land on the river from the King I think was British taxpayers money.  Not sure how things worked then. With colonies in India, Burma, Singapore and Malaya possibly funds were transferred from one of the colonies. 

 

Brilliant.  A 'probably' a 'presumably' an 'I think' and a 'possibly' . Gotta be on the money.

[DaRoadrunner]

Perhaps the Ambassador got tired of filing his TM30 and 90 day report and sold out? He seems to have done a runner without leaving a forwarding address for all us citizens our embassy is supposed to care and provide services for.

 

Another Central shopping center.... such an original imaginative idea.... just what we needed!

 

 

[maimeephom]

6 hours ago, TalingChanMan said:

I believe the Queen Victoria monument has been moved to the British Club in Silom.

 

In the 1970s, many newly married Thais, would visit the British Embassy to make an offering to Queen Victoria.

She was a symbol of great fertility, having given birth to 9 children.

After a security scare, access to the gardens was denied to all.

Thai couples were very upset about this, so then Ambassador Sir Arthur de la Mare intervened, and moved the  Queen Victoria monument to a location accessible to the public.

 

[TTL2]

4 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

Perhaps the Ambassador got tired of filing his TM30 and 90 day report and sold out? He seems to have done a runner without leaving a forwarding address for all us citizens our embassy is supposed to care and provide services for.

 

Another Central shopping center.... such an original imaginative idea.... just what we needed!

 

 

Ya....you must be a stand up comedian.
The land of the foreign entity of another government in another country mean a mini country in the heart of another country.
They need not to file anything much because it became a privilege land. 

[Too young to be old]

I've been to a couple of cocktail parties in there. Shame to see it gone.

[Too young to be old]

1 minute ago, TTL2 said:

Ya....you must be a stand up comedian.
The land of the foreign entity of another government in another country mean a mini country in the heart of another country.
They need not to file anything much because it became a privilege land. 

It was a joke. You are obviously not British.

[TTL2]

Just now, Too young to be old said:

It was a joke. You are obviously not British.

My quote was a joke too.

[Gandtee]

Philistines! But perhaps this is a sign of the UK's future. But I won't be around to see it thank goodness.????  

[DaRoadrunner]

3 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

Philistines! But perhaps this is a sign of the UK's future. But I won't be around to see it thank goodness.????  

Sadly the Empire died long ago. Guess we could blame the Brits (or equally, the Frogs) for not colonising Thailand. Wonder what it would be like today if they had?

[Caldera]

I cannot help but think that the demolition is highly symbolic of the decline of the UK.

 

Such a great heritage, such a bunch of unworthy fools p-ssing it all away, piece by piece.

[bkkcanuck8]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office. Wouldn't be so bad if they were using some of the money to improve services, rather then cut them.

It is stupid to get rid of the embassies such as this in favour of a floor in an office building or whatever replaces it.  It often looks good to people at home in that they are being more efficient, but it does not have the same cache getting invited by the Ambassador to talk trade at a local restaurant.  Events held at and being invited to the Embassy for an event (or Ambassador's home) serve an important purpose when negotiating trade etc or acting as an intermediary to get your home countries corporations in the door locally.... especially in countries like Asia where people are very conscious of social hierarchy.  Unfortunately it is often hard to quantify the cost of losing that... but I suspect  it will in the end be more than what they gained in the short term.  Canada (my home country) is extremely bad at being aware of how things like that are perceived.  

[George Aylesham]

The British Treasury - know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

[newnative]

   It's a shame the historic buildings weren't incorporated into whatever will be developed. Had they been, the project would have had something special to offer.  Something no other project has.  Now, it won't.  Pity nobody had any vision, any sense of history, any recognition of what should be preserved and valued.  

[Jimdandy]

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got til it's gone...

 

It could have made an outstanding museum but who am I to blow against the wind?

[Thaifriends]

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

The Chinese and Indian tourists?
 

They have more money to spend. If you go low level places, of course 1 coke and 3-4 people. However, I never saw that at all.

[wisperone]

That was a pretty building. Shame.

[FarFlungFalang]

2 minutes ago, Jimdandy said:

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got til it's gone...

 

It could have made an outstanding museum but who am I to blow against the wind?

I thought the same thing when I stayed in the old English consulate in Kashgar in western China thirty years ago which the Chinese knocked down after building the new concrete box of a hotel for the foreigners which they thought the westerners would prefer but none of the westerners I spoke to said they would prefer it.

[Thaifriends]

35 minutes ago, TTL2 said:

Ya....you must be a stand up comedian.
The land of the foreign entity of another government in another country mean a mini country in the heart of another country.
They need not to file anything much because it became a privilege land. 

Previlage on the looted money in the colony. What resources uk have? Cant even pay the EU obligation money as part of entrance to the union. Brexit bs non stop on all the media. Its not free this time

[Just Weird]

4 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

We should have negotiated in Baht at the time and done a money transfer back to sterling  when the building finally came down. 

Maybe it was sold in baht, this is Thailand, after all.

[JAG]

8 minutes ago, Thaifriends said:

Previlage on the looted money in the colony. What resources uk have? Cant even pay the EU obligation money as part of entrance to the union. Brexit bs non stop on all the media. Its not free this time

What in the name of all that is holy does the demolition of the old British Ambassadors residence (now the property of a Thai company, having been sold to them) have to do with Brexit, and any moneys which you seem to feel that the UK should pay to the EU?

 

You seem obsessed with the matter.

[elliss]

9 hours ago, Aforek said:

Always sad to see historic buildings demolished

they are often beautiful and have a history ( our history ! ) 

 

   They are making a statement .  british/our history,  aint worth a thai baht , in LOS .

    

 

[shy coconut]

5 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Was that comment I made addressed to you?  No. It wasn't.  Don't get your knickers in a twist.

Right now I'm commando, so no danger of that!

 

You did quote me so I assumed the comment was addressed to me.

Anyway, to avoid jacking the thread I won't argue the point, if you want to 

claim victory in this exchange, then knock yer pipe out ????

[Kinnock]

4 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

No more string quartets in the gardens, no more free gin, but times change

Wonder where the "state banquets" will be held now?

Trendy Building entrance - Familymart store, next to the dairy chiller.

[Just Weird]

11 minutes ago, shy coconut said:

Right now I'm commando, so no danger of that!

 

You did quote me so I assumed the comment was addressed to me.

Anyway, to avoid jacking the thread I won't argue the point, if you want to 

claim victory in this exchange, then knock yer pipe out ????

That specific quote that I referred to was not the quote that you made.  This is not about "victory" it's about accuracy, big difference.

[bartender100]

To many sentimentalists, its just an old building that was used by a privileged few from a long ago imperial age.

 

Would cost millions to turn into a hotel, but now could end up employing thousands of Thai's in the modern city that Bangkok now is