10/32 WORLD CUP TEAMS COMPLETED
PRIVILEGE
The are many upsides to being a foreigner living in Bangkok. You often have access to areas of society in Thailand that you would not necessarily have in a Western country. As a journalist you can often get access to ambassadors, world famous musicians and sports stars. The English speaking ex-pat community is a minority in Bangkok by a factor of ten to one at least. There are very few foreign people working in every sector of the Thai economy. Thus in many walks of life someone who is an English-speaking resident of Bangkok has a greater value here because of their rarity. (I would imagine that this is even more exaggerated in smaller language groups living in Bangkok such as Russian or Dutch speakers.)
At the same time Western countries are sending more and more people to Asian cities like Bangkok to make connections that they hope will serve them well in the future. Ireland opened up a full embassy here in 2016. They are not alone. There are now at least 128 diplomatic missions in Bangkok. The world is looking East.
What do they want? Of course they want raw materials and cheap goods. They want access to the huge and expanding middle class market in which they call sell their high value goods and services. But they also want students to study in their home countries. And they want to keep an increasing number of their visiting and resident citizens safe.
The size of diplomatic missions in Thailand varies a lot. There are countries with small consulates and other countries with hundreds of staff and multiple locations. Such is the popularity of the small coastal city of Pattaya that it has its own Russian consulate in addition to a consulate to the south in Phuket and an embassy in Bangkok.
FAIR PLAY
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set up diplomatic relations with what was then Siam over 400 years ago. At the time the Portuguese and the Siamese were dominant regional powers within their respective home regions. They met as equals. The old Siamese capital of Ayutthaya was a cosmopolitan place and there was designated neighbourhoods for the Portuguese, Japanese,Vietnamese, Laos and Dutch communities in the splendid old city. The Americans are celebrating 200 years of diplomatic ties with Thailand this year.
AN OFFER I COULDN'T REFUSE
Since starting this challenge I've contacted all the embassies I could find in Bangkok. Many of them replied and offered some guidance on where I could find their compatriots. Others offered me an interview with their ambassador. I was also invited to a joint Swiss-Brazilian event at the Swiss ambassador's home on Wireless Road.
I arrived to the Swiss ambassador's house after midnight. Behind the imposing walls of the compound was a short circular driveway brimming with cars, each worth more than my annual salary. We passed the fountain and headed to the check-in desk. We were offered tattoos with miniature Swiss flags on them. I was glad of the invite but I stop short of putting a plus sign on my cheek just to fit in with the crowd. Inside there was at least one hundred people and more arrived as the night went on. The inner courtyard had room for us all as well as an unlimited supply of German-looking sausages, Thai beer, a bacon-laced potato salad and wine. Don't mind if I do.
A CLASS ACT
The game was pretty exciting and both sets of fans get their moment of exhilaration as the game finished 1-1. The Swiss will be happier of the two by coming from behind and getting a point from the tournament favourites.
The Swiss outnumbered the Brazilians in the ambassador's residence but only slightly. The charges d'affaire of Brazil was here and many embassy staff. He hadn't succumb to the tattoo temptation at the door. When he was questioned as to why he wasn't wearing his Brazilian jersey he gently pointed out the colour of his handkerchief, his shirt, his pants and his socks. Every colour in the Brazilian flag was present. You don't get to the top without having an answer for everything.
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