A family has been left in limbo in Thailand after airport authorities refused to accept their 13-year-old son’s British passport.
Kenny Orr, 64, flew out to Thailand with wife Aew, 51, and son Max for a family holiday in his wife’s native country
Kenny said: “We went into check-in and were told Max’s Thai passport had expired. We thought he’d be able to use his British passport but the airport staff said it wasn’t possible. I was thinking about going back but the new documents needed both parents’ signatures.
Kenny has been fined for overstaying his month-long visa because of the ordeal and has had to pay for an extension – costing around £100. Kenny and Aew have both had to grovel to their bosses for an extended holiday from their jobs as a janitor at Clermiston Primary and a carer at NHS Lothian respectively, and still do not know when they will be allowed to return home.
The family, from Corstorphine, have gone back to their property in the meantime in Ubon Ratchathan which is a nine-hour drive from Bangkok. Kenny has spoken to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who he claims dismissed Max’s case due to him being of dual citizenship.
Kenny added: “It’s total bureaucracy. When we entered Thailand we should have been warned about the passport expiring. Max is ready to come home and see his friends. “After having a great holiday, the whole thing now just feels like an anticlimax.”
Times comment:- Whilst we sympathise with the family’s predicament , they should have checked their documents more thoroughly. It may well be “bureaucracy” but this is Thailand and the boy’s mother should be well aware of what can happen here.