No matter where you are in the world, if you're Australian and things go wrong, there's always one place you can turn, the embassy. Tonight on the show, all the bridge players at the at the Patea Bridge Club were arrested. Aussie card sharks busted in an anti-gambling raid. The police are taking this extremely seriously. They have received a complaint from a Thai national that we were gambling. They could end up locked up in jail. The solution that was put on the table yesterday. It's not acceptable. Banged up in Bali all because of this. I need to be able to verify that I'm of good character and I was a witness, not a criminal. We watch this on the telly and we say, "How do these people get in such a situation?" We are it. And Byron's BDI create holiday chaos. Baron thinks you can fly out of any country with a photocopy of your passport. Doesn't believe in following the rules. Baron's going to be in the doghouse for a very long time. I think at the consulate in Bali, an Aussie expat is in dire straits. Mark, an IT businessman, needs a new passport. I had my passport taken off me at the uh Dempsar airport. I was informed that uh I had a fake stamp uh on my passport. Mark arrived in Bali 18 months ago to set up shop with his Indonesian wife. So who's the director? Is it Oh, is it? This is his office poolside. But without a passport, his business will be kaput within a matter of weeks. I could potentially be stuck in Indonesia for a couple of years. For me, it would be crippling um financially um as well as emotionally. Mark. Yes. The fate of Mark's business is now in the hands of newly arrived diplomat Aaron. So, I'm still relatively new to the the consulate. I've only been here a few months. We might just discuss it just in the room if that's okay. This is one of my first face to face cases, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking. Aaron, nice to meet you. Good to meet you, Aaron. First order of business, what's with that puffy eye? Yeah, a mosquito. Got me just on the the the top of the eye. Yeah. So, um but um yeah, back to the passport. Tried to fly out to Hong Kong for business. Um and I was stopped by immigration at the airport. The officer that pulled me up um just essentially said, "You have a fake stamp." a fake stamp issued by a fake immigration agent who Mark paid thinking he was getting a legitimate extension on his business visa. And I said to the officer, "Look, I don't really care what your carry on is. I've got to go." Um, how did that go for you? Not very well. Mark's passport was confiscated by Indonesian immigration when he tried to leave the country on business. They're now keeping it as evidence against the fake agent. Essentially, what immigration has said to me that that could take anywhere from, you know, 3 months to a couple of years. I think the prospects are pretty bad for Mark. Visa fraud is a pretty serious issue in Indonesia. Um, and that the penalties can be quite severe. A phone call to Indonesian immigration confirms Aaron's worst fears. They want Mark out of the country. He's going to be deported. Had you notified Mark yet? Oh, not yet. Deportation could mean that Mark will be banned from returning to Bali forever. It's pretty hard delivering bad news to people here in consular work. How you doing? Very good. Martin will be pretty upset about it, I think, because your visa is not valid. Uh immigration advice, you'll have to be deported to Australia. The Embassy Bangkok. All right. So, what's going on? Breaking news of a police raid in Patia has just hit Donna's desk. 32 foreigners arrested in a raid on a bridge club in Patio. Two Aussies involved playing cards. A Thai media outlet has released footage of the raid. It's making news headlines around the world. But the bridge players are oblivious. They're not even lifting their eyes off the game. No. The police, the military, they're all there. The raid is bigger than Ben her. But no one seems to care. Oh, well, they've got a bit of spunk to them, don't they? They do. Among the culprits, retired Australian army officer John and Avon, an Australian threetime bridge world champion. Can you play bridge? I can't. I know how to play fish and I know how to play Uno. Yeah, that's the extent of my card knowledge, too. Oh, I can play blackjack. Only for money. So, what were they actually arrested for? For possession of more than 120 playing cards. This law prevents underground casinos from popping up. There's the evidence because betting on cards is strictly illegal in Thailand. This really is a case of two cultures colliding. The police on one hand see an illegal gambling ring. Whereas for the people playing bridge, it's just hanging out with friends. And the Bridge players aren't backing down. They insist there's no betting going on. But the whole club is under arrest. Off to the cop shop. It's always a red alert for us when an Aussie gets arrested. The police are taking this extremely seriously. They could end up locked up in jail. The Embassy Bangkok champion bridge players John and Avon have been arrested by Thai police for illegal gambling. It's extremely important for us to contact people that have gone through something like this. We need to know that they're okay. Kirsten tracks them down. They've been released on bail after a night in the clink. Hi, it's Kirsten calling from the embassy in Bangkok. How are you? I'm very well, thank you. That's good. Look, I heard that you've been through a bit of, you know, spot of bother. All the bridge players at the at the Paya Bridge Club were arrested, charged with gambling, uh, and then released on 5,000 Bart bail. That's 200 Australian dollars. Despite the ordeal, they only have one thing on their minds. How quickly can we get back to playing bridge? It would be lovely if we could get equipment back to allow us to play, including the car. And the club's been going since 1994. So uh it's quite strange that that this has all become this year you now. Yeah. Yeah. And and how are you feeling? I'm fine. I mean okay. Yeah. Everything's fine. I'm I'm What can I say? So So this is this is um quite a the bun fight right now that uh every event ever played in Thailand has been illegal. The cards are firmly stacked against John and Avon. At the end of the day, they have broken tai law. They've broken a 1935 act which prohibits people playing with more than 120 cards at one time. But the bridge masters aren't going down without a fight. That's it depends on how you interpret the playing card act as amended in 1962 which talks about an individual not being able to possess and use more than 120 playing cards. And then it comes down to is the club an individual? The bridge players may not agree with the local laws, but they have to respect them. You're both okay, though. Just a bit annoyed and ticked off that, you know, you had to go through this. That's correct. Kirsten's welfare call is complete. John and Avon are unlikely to get their cards back. I hope this gets all sorted and if you've got any hassles, give us a bell. We'll do. Thank you. I think they sound like a bit of a feisty lot and I I don't think they're going to let this one drop in regards to the solution uh that was put on the table yesterday. It's not acceptable. Mark has returned to the consulate in Bali in a fighting mood. Accepting a deportation stamp is like, you know, accepting admission of guilt. Quite simply, what I would be asking the Australian embassy to do today based on the fact that I'm a victim and a witness in this scenario would be to be giving Herman and the people that are in charge of the Indonesian immigration a call uh and communicating quite strongly and quite firmly uh that I would demand an exit stamp at the very very least. Mark has come out swinging, but Aaron isn't afraid to deliver a few home truths of his own. The the reason for the deportation, whether it's your fault or not, is the fact that you're currently in Indonesia on a a visa that's not legitimate. So, no, the visa is legitimate. It's just a stamp. Well, I suppose the business visa came from the Singapore embassy because your name's actually your passport, your name's been associated with this fake visa. So, they have to take this. The visa is not fake. the stamp is. He's pretty angry and he's pretty upset um because he's really really worried about not being allowed back to Bali. But the law's pretty black and white. Hi, Aaron checks in with boss Marissa. How much should we be pushing immigration to in support of him on this? Yeah. Well, we can't get involved. I know that's frustrating for him and he's probably not going to be happy with it, but we certainly can't put pressure on them to change the decision. Absolutely not. M Aaron's still new at post. Your first few weeks, it's always a massive learning curve. We can only guide Mark on what he needs to do to sort of resolve his issue. The embassy's hands are tied. I'm not going to accept a deportation stamp and I need to be able to freely travel the world. I might end up spending the rest of my life in each one of these airports for four or five hours until they ring back to Indonesia to verify that I'm of good character and I was a witness, not a criminal. Agus calls Indonesian immigration. The news is much worse than expected. Mark is definitely going to get deported and there's a real chance that he might not be able to come back here. So, basically, since we last spoke, we've managed to make some calls to our contact at Indonesian Immigration. We raised the issue that you're really wanting to leave on an exit stamp rather than uh um be deported back to Australia. Yes. Our contact relayed that that's not an option. The Embassy Bangkok and married couple Byron and Sam are supposed to be in Phuket enjoying cocktails and sunshine. I cannot believe that this has happened to us. I cannot. We are such organized people and we are sat here waiting for a new passport. But they're not. They're here because Byron had an accident with his manbag. Byron decided to go for a swim with his passport or his bag decided to go for a swim with his passport. And I knew she'd kill me. I knew she would absolutely kill me. But but I never realized it would cause us so much trouble. Never in a million years. On day one of their Phuket summer holiday, Byron knocked his bag into this pool. His passport was inside. And now all that's left of his face is this. two little dots. We watch this on the telly and we say, "How do these people get in such a situation?" We're it. Here we are. [Music] Hello. How can I help? I had an accident with the um passport. Byron's accident could cost Sam her entire Phuket holiday. The emergency passport normally takes two working days, but we need to fly into Phuket tomorrow evening at 6:15. Okay, let me go and speak to my supervisor. We get quite a few people who come in and expect that they'll be able to get a new passport on the spot. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. There's a lot of checks we need to undertake. Byron has managed to stay calm under pressure, but cracks are beginning to show. Did you say you was Australian? They look a little bit small. Well, I don't know. I just told them they were, you know, I'm Australian. I need a passport photograph for the embassy. Okay. Okay. I'll be glad when M is finished with her. I am definitely all right. Hi guys. How are you? I'm Donna. How are you Donna? What's happening? Well, it's uh absolutely wrecked as you can see. Oh dear. Wrecked is an understatement. All that's left of Byron's passport photo are two tiny dots for eyes. Byron thinks you can fly out of any country with a photocopy of your passport. Doesn't believe in following the rules. I don't think they'd let you travel on this. There's no way around it. Byron needs a replacement passport. We should be sun lounging in the hotel in Phuket, having a couple of cocktails by the pool. Unfortunately, not yet. Yeah. Hopefully soon, but not yet. We do have to send the application back to Canra. I think Byron is more than a little embarrassed about the situation, and I think his wife is not very happy, but there's no guarantee that we can issue a passport before their flight tomorrow night. Is this as good as it gets for Byron in Bali? Mark has accepted defeat. He's on his way to the airport where he'll be deported for having a counterfeit visa stamp in his passport. It doesn't make a great deal of sense. I haven't committed any offenses or crimes here in Bali. The ramifications are huge for me. Blacklistings and uh you know then with a deportation. If Mark is blacklisted, he won't be able to return to Indonesia. potentially ruining his business and his marriage. I reckon Mark's feeling pretty frustrated about the whole case. Um given that he, as far as he knew, he was just um extending his visa, but now he's going to being deported back to Australia. From what I've been told, immigration's going to meet me at the front of the airport and organized me a a deportation stamp. But all is not lost. Indonesia has two different types of deportation stamps, a red stamp and a blue stamp. If he's deported on the red stamp, it means he'll never be allowed to return to Indonesia again. But if he's deported on the blue stamp, it it means that um he has to return to Australia, but he he can come back to Bali. What will it be? Blue or red? Friday afternoon at the embassy. I hope this passport's ready. It has to be or I'm going to Phuket without you. Oh, thank you. I'm sure. Thought of spending the weekend here on my own would be nice, wouldn't it? Byron and Sam's flight back to Phuket leaves in just over 3 hours. So, we need to be out of here by 3 latest to get on the train to the airport. I know. Otherwise, we might miss our flight. Stuck here all weekend. No, I'm leaving you. you can stay here all weekend. I think that travel does test a marriage or a relationship. Uh, and I think this is a case in point because it hasn't just ruined Byron's holiday, it's ruined his wife's holiday as well. Byron's going to be in the doghouse for a very long time. I think Byron's only hope of getting out of the doghouse is his new emergency passport. Just getting a bit worried now. It's just getting really, really late and nobody's actually come out to see us yet. I know. Well, there's not a lot we can do, is there? Hello. How's the Bangkok tourist? Oh, fantastic. I'm I'm a lot better for seeing you. Have you had a good time? Yes, we have. Stone is a lovely city. Yeah. But we're so glad to see you walk through that door. We were getting a little bit panicky there. Now, is that a better photo, do you think? Oh, thank God for that. That's better. Yeah, that's fantastic. He's got his face back. Don't look so washed out anymore. Donna and a team have managed to sort out Byron's beady eyes just in the nick of time. Just tell me one thing, Donna. Is this waterproof? No, that is not waterproof. We're on our way. High five. Okay. Hopefully, we will get to the airport in time and back to Fuket to start our holiday here. Can't wait. The happy campers are off for more Phuket fun. Mark received a blue stamp. I'll be waking up in Brisbane tomorrow happy to see Australia, which means he'll be able to return to his wife and business in Bali whenever he chooses. The Patia Bridge Club remains closed. Failure to resolve this in in months and months and months is very frustrating for all the bridge players. But John and Avon have been dealt a winning hand. The illegal gambling charges have been dropped. Look, the police here have been very cooperative. Uh we don't have an issue with the police at all because they have received a complaint from a Thai national that we were gambling. Oh, okay. It was very far from the truth. They're hoping to reopen the club in the next few months. And so ends another day in paradise, where playing a straight hand and saying sorry is often your best [Music] bet. No matter where you are in the world, if you're Australian and things go wrong, there's always one place you can turn. the embassy tonight on the show. I was partying in a nightclub and I had my passport in my back pocket. Um, and foolishly enough, I left it there. Robbery on the dance floor where the party never ends. If Matt cuts it too fine, he will not be able to get on that plane. Martin's love a knows no bounds. I love you. But is he too old to adopt? There's some really strict requirements in the adoption process and one of them is around age. I can tell a lady from a boy and a boy from a lady quite well. And Roger's unwanted hotel guest. This person just raced and came into my room not invited. Oh, really? Ugly old. Turns his world upside down. The things you have to do to try and get back what you've lost is actually horrific. Cuda Bali where the party never ends unless your name is Matt. I was in Cuda and um I was partying in a nightclub and I had my passport in my back pocket um and foolishly enough I left it there and someone must have pickpocketed it while I was on the dance floor. Matthew C. Giri, how can I help you today? I have my passport stolen, so I need to get a replacement emergency passport. This is the nightclub Matt was partying at when he got robbed. But instead of reporting it to the authorities and organizing a replacement passport, Matt decided to keep on rocking his way around the island. When did you get the fly home? Um, tomorrow night 11:15 p.m. I've got 2 days before I have to fly back. So fingers crossed the embassy can get my passport sorted so I can get back on the plane. Do you need the actual time? Fortunately for Matt, consular officer Giri is no stranger to Aussies leaving things to the last minute and put the air on here. Do you intend to travel with Giri is the absolute guru when it comes to passports? He's been at the consulate for almost 16 years. There's not much that Giri does not know about a passport. With Giri, the guru in Matt's corner, the only thing standing in his way is himself. Actually, it did take a while to figure out my mom's maiden name, which I'm not too proud to say. Sorry, Mom. Could definitely use a Bing Tang right now. Matt's nice and relaxed about the situation, which is great, but he hasn't got a police report. He hasn't got his emergency passport yet, and then he's also going to need to go to immigration. Matt's new emergency passport will only be valid for 6 months. When he gets back to Australia, he'll have to apply for a full passport if he wants to keep traveling overseas. What is the name of? Um, it's called Warang Pee. Oh, Wang Pee. Wrong pee pe. But that's the least of his worries right now. The only thing on Matt's mind is his gig in Cuda tonight. All right. Are you playing guitar or something? Uh, singing and playing guitar. Yeah. All right. Sort of like a spur of the moment karaoke. Spurof of the moment karaoke to go with his 11th hour emergency passport. When you knock off, I've got two beer tangs waiting for you. One for me, one for you. What time it start? Uh 7:00. I'll ask my wife if if she allow me to to go. You might have to get up to and have a sing yourself. Thank you. Thank you. Matt's all smiles for now. There's no guarantee his passport will be ready. Cuda has a way of kaibashing the best laid plans. I'm worried that Matt's going to go out tonight and not leave enough time to get everything done. If Matt cuts it too fine and he doesn't get to immigration to get that passport stamped, he will not be able to get on that plane. Next through the consulate door is 55-year-old Martin from Wllingong. He's hoping Marissa can help make his family complete and legal. Hi guys, how you going? I'm well, thank you. How are you? Good, thank you. My name's Marissa. Hi, I'm Martin. How are you? Hi. Martin, was it Martin? Yes, sir. Oh, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. And what was your name? Era. Oh, Era. Nice to meet you. And this is 9-month-old Sonia. Martin and Era have been caring for her as if she was their own since she was born. They're desperate to adopt her. A she's gorgeous. She's got lots of hair. She has lots of hair. She's born. We've been trying to fall pregnant ourselves naturally. It hasn't happened for us. So, we got contacted by the the orphanage that we support saying that there was a lady who was pregnant who had already had three children and the baby which was expecting in about 2 weeks, she was intending just passing up for adoption. Village life can be tough. And Sonia's parents have no [Music] money. This is the orphanage she was going to go to. Martin's been supporting it for the past 6 years. Not an easy task on a salesman's wage. And a kangaroo. Yeah. The orphanage is in good condition, but this is not the life Martin wants for Sonia. If we could not have initially taken SR, she would have ended up in in an orphanage similar to this. [Music] So, at this stage, have you actually started any of the process? We haven't. No. Basically, u we took custody of Sonia 2 days after she was born. It's certainly a risk to start an adoption process after you've actually taken on a child because there's always that chance that it may not get approved. Send this immigration area an email. Okay. This process can take some time. So, it's not something that unfortunately is going to happen overnight. While Marissa can help guide Martin through the process, there's one hurdle that may prevent this adoption from happening at all. There's some really strict requirements in the adoption process and one of them is around age. So, you do actually need to be under the age of 45. Indonesian law says Martin is too old to be a dad. He's 55. We just want to continue to to be her parents. I'm the only father she knows. Era's the only mother she knows. It's quite a daunting prospect not knowing if they're going to be able to adopt her or not. They clearly love her. So, you know, if it if it goes pear-shaped, then, you know, I don't know what's going to happen. The consulate barley and party boy Matt has survived his last night out in Cuda. Hey man, how you doing? Good. yourself. His first order of business, finding out why Giri was a no-show at his music gig last night. Come. What happened to the wife, mate? She didn't let you come. It's It's hard for the medit. That's okay. Probably for the best. Matt was out partying until the early hours of the morning. Had a great time and uh end up getting room service at 6:00 in the morning, which is great. So, Matt's got another reason to be happy. Matt, let's check your passport. Yeah, sure. Giri, the guru, has come through with the goods. Awesome. Good. Thank you very much. But Matt still has plenty to do before he can board his plane tonight. You also need to go to immigration and get your passport stamped with a new visa. So, this is the letter of the immigration. Awesome. And this is how to get there. Yep. There's quite a few steps involved and it does take time and time is something Matt is running out of. Good luck with everything. Thank you very much. Immigration closes in less than 2 hours. I'm with the cab driver and he's teaching me how to say how are you in in Balanese. And how do you say it? I think I need to work on my tongue twisters. If Matt doesn't get a giddy up, he'll need to work on how to say I missed my flight. The wheels on the bus go and round and round and round. The wheels on the bus go and Martin is enjoying family time before he flies back to Australia tonight. You might be able to come and meet some kangaroos soon. Come back to Australia with us. How's that sound? But their adoption plans are at a crossroads. It's just this age thing. It's like 45 years old and I'm already 55. So, this is really starting to stress me out a bit actually to be honest with you. And age is not Martin's only problem. Adopting Sonia will cost him more than $10,000 Australian dollars in legal fees. $10,000 is a lot of money. So, they've got some tough decisions to make. They're going to have to have a real look at how they're going to be able to make this work. It's a catch for me, too. Either I delayed the process trying to save $10,000 or spending less time coming visiting you and Sonia and just working and saving every every dollar back in Australia, which means we'll get that money together quicker. As it stands, Martin only sees his family once a month. It's just really killing me this three weeks, three weeks there and a week up here. It's a high price to pay for love. And then talking on the phone is just like, you know, it's not enough for me. I know. I obviously want to be here. I want to be with you and Sonia, but I know I can't we can't survive without me working. So, it's um you know, it's every every family family deserves to be together. And we've got this beautiful child who who loves us dearly. I just hate these these these big brick walls that keep hitting us. It's really tough for Martin. He works back in Wulingong, so he travels between Australia and Bali. being away from his family for extended periods of time. It's big sacrifice. How do you tell your little girl that you've got to go home without her? 1 2 3. Okay, I need to go and catch a plane now. Okay. Who knows if this family will ever be together. [Music] A I love you. Bangkok, Thailand. And the embassy is in full swing. Hello. Hello. Hi, I'm Kirsten. How you doing, Kirsten? Nice to meet you. I'm Ally. Hi, Ally. How are you? Yeah. All right. Right. So, I understand you've got an issue with a lost passport. More than 5,000 Aussie travelers lose or have their passports stolen every year. Daniel and his teacher, Mrs. Margin, were traveling around Thailand on a 2 week school excursion when Daniel lost his. We always collect the students passports after we arrive and they go into a safe. We got to Chiang Mai airport yesterday afternoon to catch the flights, handing all the passports out. And yours is gone. Yeah. And you don't know where it is at all? No. No. So, we have searched his bags over and over and over. Other kids, you know, it was really traumatic at the airport. It's one thing to lose a passport. It's an entirely different experience being stuck in a foreign country with your school teacher. I think Daniel is probably feeling a bit worried that he's going to get into trouble for causing such a halaloo at the end of the school trip. He's probably got loads of emotions racing around in his head at this point in time. We just need to get home. And because Daniel's under the age of 18, it's not that simple. He can't apply for a passport without mom and dad's consent. So, we're going to have to ring mom and dad ASAP and get them to go to the post office. They'll have to fill out the guarantor page just stating that they um authorize you as the guardian to um apply for a passport on your behalf. Having your teacher phone your parents is bad enough. Would you like to speak to them or would you rather I did? Having a government official phone your dad is the stuff teenage nightmares are made of. Hi Glenn, my name's Kirsten. I'm calling from the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. How are you? But look, I've got your son here. Daniel has put on a brave face since seeing his schoolmates fly home without him. Do you want to get home? Yeah, I'm good. Birthday on, but this is the first time he's heard his dad's voice in two weeks. No surprise that he's emotional. It's Friday afternoon in Bangkok. It always takes longer when you're waiting for something and Kirsten is trying to get 16-year-old school boy Daniel home to Sydney tonight. We're not sure where we're at, but we're just hoping for the best. There's nothing we can do. Like that's the thing. We're powerless. Yeah. Normally, it takes up to two business days to issue an emergency passport, but we're treating Daniel's case as an exceptional case. Daniel is a minor. No one wants to see a minor stranded in a foreign country. But this is the embassy, and there are protocols to follow before Kirsten can issue Daniel with an emergency passport. We need written consent from both parents. If we don't get that, Daniel and Ally are going nowhere. Now, I spoke with your dad again, but he said your parents are divorced and that your mom lives on the other side of Sydney. So, he said he's got to give her a call and get her to go to the post office, too. His passport will also need to be stamped by Thai immigration before he can board his flight. It's a race against the clock and Daniel and his teacher need to be back in Sydney by tomorrow morning. Daniel's got work tomorrow, so we need to get him home for work, don't we? You've got your daughter's birthday on Monday. We need to get you home. Definitely. Okay. The land of smiles, where some men dress like women. A lady boy or couri is a man who likes to dress as a woman and live like a woman, behave like a woman. But not all women are ladies. Just ask 73-year-old Aussie expat Roger. There are some beautiful lady boys in this country, but this one was an absolute horror. He's here with his friend Penny because he's just had a nasty runin with a lady boy. We see a lot of lady boy crimes. A lot of lady boys hang out in the red light district. You've got all these foreigners there having a drink, having a good time, and end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Roger insists he was in the right place at the wrong time and that the lady boy who stole his wallet snuck into his hotel room in broad daylight. I was sitting on my bed counting my money as all people do. And uh this person just raced in, came into my room, not invited. Oh, really? Ugly old. Okay. And before you know it, they've got something and gone. Oh, really? In two seconds. And they stole your wallet. The wallet. And that had your driver's license. Driver's license. My international money card plus 20,000 B in hand. $800 Australian dollars. It's a big price to pay for leaving your door unlocked. And it's put added stress on Roger's real drama. He's here because he needs Kirsten to certify that he has enough money to keep living in Thailand under the terms of his retirement visa or he'll be deported. I I do want to stay here, but of course if I haven't got enough funds that I'll have to do whatever I have to do. He's beyond frazzled and his documents are a total mess. Roger's really quite upset about this whole incident. He feels violated and probably just shocked that this happened to him. The things you have to do to try and get back what you've lost is actually horrific. It it builds up. Just put him here in Bangkok. So he Oh, there. Aussie expat Roger is trying to find a bank statement that can prove he has enough money to keep living in Thailand on his retirement visa. No, it's not what I'm looking for. You're looking for the I saw something with numbers. It was It's a It's the um It's a com. There you go. Monthly income. Gee, you're brilliant. You're not just a pretty face. Diplomacy with a light touch. Sometimes the smallest things that you do, you get so much gratitude and just to know that you've made a difference to somebody's life is fantastic. More than a 100,000 notarial services are performed at Australian embassies around the world every year. So here's your certified documents. Oh, thank you very much. You're a wonderful woman. No problem. Oh, and it's puffy pink. Yes, you reckon. and Roger's sworn off lady boys forever. I've not gone anywhere near any of them. No matter how beautiful they are, I can tell a lady from a boy and a boy from a lady quite well. Late afternoon, Friday, and there's no rest for team embassy. Oh, yes. Excellent. Kirsten receives the email everyone's been waiting for. We have got dad and mom's signature. Oh, and this is dad now. Hello, Kirsten speaking. Hi, Glenn. Can you hear that printing? That printing noise? That's the papers that you just sent me. Daniel's mom and dad have come together in the nick of time. I'm going to have one very happy chappie. He gets to go home this evening. Daniel's passport is ready to go. Hi Glenn, it's Kirsten calling from the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. How are you? Good. Kirst, you sound pretty happy. I am happy. I've got somebody who'd like to say something to you. I'll put him on. Go ahead. Okay. Hey, Dad. Hey buddy, how you doing? Oh, I'm not bad. Your worst news is coming along. I'm coming home. [Laughter] But the celebrations might be a tad premature. Daniel's run out of time to get his passport stamped at Thai immigration. Party boy Matt also overcame his passport pickle. Want to say thanks to the Australian Embassy over in Bali and returned home safely. So yeah, thanks again guys and looking forward to my next adventure. Sonia's future remains in limbo. Martin and wife are still going through the long process of adoption. His Balines lawyer is hoping Indonesian authorities will wave the 45 year age restriction. 45 to 55, it's like 10 years difference. On the grounds he's been caring for Sonia since she was born. If all goes to plan, they are hoping to officially adopt Sonia in the next 12 months. They took my passport. Daniel and his teacher had their passports confiscated at Bangkok airport. How are we feeling right now? Nervous. I do want to get on that plane and it's not really helping. Once Thai immigration verified Daniel's lost passport story, the pair were able to board their flight home to [Music] Australia. No matter where you are in the world, if you're Australian and things go wrong, there's always one place you can turn. The embassy. Tonight on the show, this fell that we bought the place off has turned this place into a hotel. He's going to rent my room out by the looks of it. The dodgiest property scam Kirsten's ever seen. He stands to lose $100,000. It's his dream, you know, being ruined. There could be a good possibility that we might not be able to get on the floor. Greg's farewell celebration goes down the gurgler. There's a real concern that they could end up in a situation where they get Skylar back to Australia, but then are not allowed to bring her home. Oh no. And Brian's performance anxiety. My practice starts at 9 and finishes at six. Hits the wrong note. On a scale of 0 to 10 for being frazzled and stressed, I'd say that Brian was a 15. Yeah. The Embassy Bangkok and retired construction worker Ivan and his girlfriend Nuni are here because they have a major financial problem. They're hoping the embassy can help. Hi, good morning. Uh, good morning. Um, basically just that I I purchased a condo about uh 2 years ago there. They're trapped in the middle of a dodgy property scam that could cost Ivan his entire life savings. I've been waiting for my ownership papers which haven't arrived and are not going to arrive. Preferably, I'd like my money back to be honest. Means you don't want to buy Cono anymore. No, because uh unbeknownst to me, he's turned it into a hotel. This is Ivan's $100,000 luxury one-bedroom condo. But without ownership papers, under Tai law, the developer who sold Ivan the condo is free to use it however he likes. And any people that have purchased this a property there if they go away for a month, you come back and he's changed the locks and is renting out their apartments. Ivan's hoping consular officer Kirsten can help him find a way out of the deal without getting completely fleeced. And he's removed all their items out of their condos and changed the locks and then rendered them out to Chinese tourists. Ivan's taking a risk coming here to Bangkok to see me. At this point in time, somebody might be changing the locks on his apartment, moving his furniture out, and moving some holiday makers in. It's a a fair bit of money to me. I invested a bit in that. It's a it's a lot of money for most people really. So that's why I sort of come here to see if there's anywhere I get a bit of guidance towards which way to sort of go. The scam is now on the embassy's radar. Property scams are common here in Thailand. We see it enough that we advise people traveling to Thailand to be wary of it. Ivan's handed over his life savings to buy a property, but he didn't get the ownership papers. Without those papers, he can't prove that the property is his. And because it's a legal dispute, the embassy can't intervene. Here's a list of lawyers in Thailand. Again, I can't recommend any, but it does tell you what they specialize in. Any other Australians involved? Two fellas from Sydney. Um Oh, yes. There's there's quite a few people and they've come home to Chinese people in their house. Uh did they Yeah, they did. Frightening, isn't it? You open up the door and there's a China man there and he's jock staring at you. Scary. I've seen one there. He was. Yeah. But I would be ropable if I was Ivan. Um to find out that my place is being rented out after all the money I've spent. I mean, it's his livelihood. It's his savings. It's his dream, you know, being ruined. That's where I live. So, if I go there and he's got tourists in my condo, where do I go? At the consulate in Bali, the sounds of another Aussie in trouble can be heard a mile away. [Music] Flyin, fly out Aussie miner Greg and his Balines girlfriend Vena are here because they need to be in Perth in 8 days time for a family wedding. It'll be my daughter's first trip to Australia, so it' be good for um I've got a few few sisters that haven't met her yet who are pretty excited to see her for the first time. The problem is Skylar can't fly anywhere without an affidavit. Is that how you say it? Affidavit. that confirms she's a dual citizen of Indonesia and Australia. Here's the problem. If Skyla flies into Australia on her Aussie passport, she may not be allowed back into Bali because she has no Indonesian visa. And if she flies out on her Indonesian passport, she may not get into Australia because she has no Aussie visa. It's been a bureaucratic roller coaster ride ever since she was born. For first of all was the birth certificate, but then the passport, Indonesian passport, then the uh Australian citizenship. Yep. And then and then Australian passport and now the affidavit card. Please come in. The affidavit Skylar needs has to be issued by Indonesian immigration. But before she can lodge an application, consular officer Giri needs to provide written confirmation that Greg is Skylar's biological father. Skyla needs to have that affidavit because they're worried that she won't be able to get back into Indonesia. I don't really know what to write here. So just Skylar Dennis is my daughter. Basically, what you need to write down that you have to confirm that you have a a legal birth certificate so we can issue a letter. The affidavit is required by Indonesian immigration. So, this is proof that she was born in Indonesia and she has an Australian passport. And there's another hurdle. It usually takes Indonesian immigration 2 weeks to issue an affidavit and they need to fly out in 8 days. Are you planning to go to Australia? Yes. When? Uh, this month on the 14th. So, it's not recommended to fly without it, though, is it? No. If she doesn't have the affidavit, she could return to Australia, but then not be allowed back into Bali, which is, you know, where their home is. If you can't fly, then you're stuck. You don't fly. Yeah. [Music] In Bali, Greg and Vina are throwing a pool party at their villa to say goodbye to their friends before hopefully traveling to Australia tomorrow. Skyla, that's what mommy help mommy packing. Daddy not helping. But they still haven't received Skyla's affidavit from Indonesian immigration. Okay, ready to go. We've run out of time and it's it's not from lack of trying. It's just from process of everything. It just takes so long to do. Yeah. You ready to go tomorrow? People have told me that they've actually been honest with customs and that there and said, "Look, we don't have the other day, but we've applied for it and it's coming." And they've sort of let them they've let them go through. So that was what we were hoping that we we can we can do when we get there. You know, traveling with a baby can be stressful at the best of times and the risk of not making it through the airport is very real. So when you go to the airport tomorrow, are are you bit worried when you you leave Bali or you going to when you get to Australia? Getting there. That's going to be the hardest ride. But Greg is determined to be at his best mate's wedding and introduce Skyla to a nan and pop for the very first time. Hello. [Music] Hey. Hey, Nan. Hey, pop. How are you? All right. [Music] [Laughter] All right. So, me and Vina haven't actually we haven't we haven't got the affidavit yet. So, there could be a good possibility that we might not be able to get on the floor. But, well, that's that's the rules. There's a real concern that if they don't follow the correct procedures that they could end up in a situation where they get Skyla back to Australia, but then are not allowed to bring her home back to Bali, which is where her mom's from. Look up our address. Done. Back in Thailand, Ivan's desperately worried the locks on his Phuket condo had been changed while they were visiting the embassy in Bangkok. Yeah. So, it's a hotel now. Crazy. So, all these rooms are up for rent. It's a scam of epic proportions with no obvious way out. This fell that we bought the place off has obviously gone along and and and turned this place into a hotel and he's put him on every website possible and he's going to rent my room out by the looks of it. There's a lot at stake here for Ivan. He stands to lose $100,000. He'll have to go back to work. He could lose everything and basically his retirement plans will be put on hold. But Ivan is not going down without a fight. It's gloves off. I don't care anymore. If I go down, I want him to go down with me. Simple. I am worried that Ivan is that angry he wants to take the law into his own hands. But that could just make things even worse for him. Have you got the key none? Yep. Oh, I thought that was him for a minute. Then this is where he uh hides in here, but I don't know if he's No, he's not there. See? Damn. The developer is nowhere to be seen. Look out to go. Will the key to their condo still work? Or has the legal owner changed the [Music] locks, Bangkok, Thailand, and 50-year-old infectious diseases specialist Brian is suffering from a version of performance anxiety. I was at Bangkok airport. I was rifling through my bag and turned my head away and then I found out that my passport wasn't with me. Brian arrived in Thailand 3 days ago. He's here to perform in the World Doctor's Orchestra, a charitable organization that raises money for international medical projects. It's a big deal and Brian's been rehearsing for months. I'm really kind of anxious to get this sorted today because tomorrow and the next day are full of practicing with this enormous 100 plus orchestra and then we're performing on Friday and Saturday nights. Brian has a long list of patients waiting for him back in Australia. So, he has to fly out of Thailand straight after his performance. He needs his passport sorted pronto. Hi, I'm Brian here. How are you? Not bad. What brings you here today? Um well um I've had my passport either lost or stolen. Probably stolen. I I don't have much time to actually be spending trying to get a new passport. Um tomorrow I'm going to be in rehearsals all day. He's frazzled and stressed to the max. On a scale of 0 to 10 for being frazzled and stressed, I'd say that Brian was a 15. What do you play? What are you in? I play a viola. Yeah. And this is my first time I've actually been overseas to perform in an international orchestra. So, it's really, really important. A lot of people come in and expect us to produce an emergency passport out of thin air. They don't realize that it does take time and they can be a little bit cranky about this sometimes. This is not music to Brian's ears. Actually, for emergency passport, we also need a police report. Uh there is one police station not too far from the embassy. So I don't think you'll have a problem with that. Bit of a long involved process. And it's about to get longer. Without a police report, the embassy can't issue him an emergency passport. Brian must be really sort of upset at the moment. He's, you know, had this big dream that he's been pursuing to play in an orchestra and now all his time is being taken up, you know, sorting out his passport where, you know, he should be practicing his music. The key to Ivan and Nun's Phuket condo works. The condo owner has not changed the locks yet. Beauty. Everything the same. Oh, that's good. What a relief that is. It's a relief of sorts. There's still the issue of the unsigned property ownership papers. If if nothing here, I will cry. Big cry. I'm sure you would. Neighbor Alex is proof the scam is very real. Hey Alex, how are you? Oh, I thank you. How you going mate? Thank you. He's not so good. No. What's happened? I have a big problem. I cannot open my rooms now. Change the locks. Has he? Yes. Change locks now. Under Ty law. He owns the rooms. Yeah, he owner these rooms. Yes. Crazy stuff. Every time Ivan and Nun walk out the door, they risk losing this, their piece of paradise. with all the dramas and the hassles and worrying if you're going to be there the next day and it's just yeah it's lost its appeal and it's a shame. Ivan's been burnt really badly on this one. Uh it's understandable he wants out. He just wants his money back and to get out of it, but it could prove to be quite hard getting his money back. How easy was that? Just quick quick quick as in Bangkok viola player Brian has his police report. I hope that I go back then. She goes there's another form. Oh, and there's one more thing you need to do. Um, but I'm pretty confident that that this is the last bit. This is the last. Yeah. A musician can only dream. Hi. So, is this what you need? Thank you for this. Did I tell you about you had to go to the Thai immigration with a new passport? Oh no. This is Thai immigration where the average wait is 4 hours. How far away is it from here? Should be about 40 minutes away by taxi approximately. 40 minutes about that. I'm not going to be able to make it. Um, my practice starts at 9:00 and finishes at 6:00. This is often the straw that breaks the camel's back. Finding out they've got to make the trek out to immigration and get that visa. You have to go because you get just the blank passport book. So, you must contact the Thai immigration to get the stamp before you exit or else you may get stuck at the airport. Okay. Okay. Right. So now there's yet another step I need to do. It's not as simple as just picking up your passport. You actually have to get that passport validated by immigration. There may be issues about me actually being able to get there on time. So Brian's in a bit of a pickle. He's got the choice of either going to his last rehearsal or getting his visa. Not a position I'd like to be in. [Music] Um yeah, Friday afternoon in Bangkok and Brian is deep in rehearsal for tonight's performance, but he still doesn't have his new passport and he's due to fly out of Thailand tomorrow night. Brian's head at the moment is probably all over the place. He's thinking about his concert, but he's also worrying about his passport. So, I think he's finding it very hard to focus at the moment. He only has a short rehearsal break to collect his passport from the Australian embassy and get it stamped at immigration. Getting a visa isn't that easy. You've got to trek for miles through Bangkok traffic to the immigration office. Then you get there and there's huge cues. You can be there for a good part of a day. If Brian doesn't make it back to his rehearsal on time, he might lose his spot in the concert, but it's a risk he has to take if he wants to catch his plane tomorrow night. If I tried to make the uh mercy dash to try and get my passport and to get it validated at immigration, I would be very stressed and I would perform very badly. And the whole reason for this trip is to actually reduce my stress levels and to make myself feel very calm would be completely [Music] nullified. Baby Skylar came out a winner. She was able to fly into Australia on her Indonesian passport and there were no 11th hour delays at the airport. No surprise, she stole the show at Greg's best mate's wedding. The news is not so rosy for construction worker Ivan. He hasn't been locked out of his condo yet, but he still hasn't received the ownership papers to his apartment. His lawyer is still working on it. Brian blew off the dash to Thai immigration. He extended his stay in Thailand by 3 days. So he could focus on making beautiful music. [Music] [Music] [Music]