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. Unfortunately, I missed a funeral. Wayne's back. Horrible thing to lie about with the biggest lie the consulate's ever heard. Every time I get another lie, I wonder what else is there. From Bali, we just come to Bangkok like about 3 days ago. Couch surfers Liam and Britney get more than they bargain for. [Music] And Kate's happy face holiday disaster. I just look like a fat man. It's not a case of bureaucracy going mad. Barley holiday heaven for Aussies even when it's raining. Unless you happen to be Wayne, an unemployed truck driver from Perth. He has no money, no passport, and a mountain of debt. [Music] I ran out of money 3 days ago. He owes a whopping $3,000 to hotels and restaurants all across Bali. Have no money for food, no money for water. Once I get kicked out, I've also got no accommodation, which means I'll be on the streets and he won't live too long out the streets in this place. Yeah. Wayne's only option is to ask the consulate for help and he's here with sobering news. How you been? Oh, not good. Not good. My P passed away um on um Friday. Okay, hang on. So, this is new information. Your father's passed away. When when did that happen? Um happened on uh last Friday. Last Friday. So when we were speaking or or did you know about it before we met? No, no, no. The day after I got news that it had happened. Um so yeah. So basically it's been I've been trying to get back since and unfortunately now I'll miss the funeral. Um but at least um I'm sure it'll be looking up there, you know, and making sure I try and get home safe and everything's fine. I'm sorry that's happened. Remember those words? Missed the funeral. Tom needs to update Marissa about Wayne's latest crisis. Wayne has quite a history of travel misfortune. I lost my passport. I'm thinking maybe that it's come out of my pocket as I'm riding along on the scooter or something like that. Of debt and more debt. You put yourself in the situation. I did. I know I did. You have these debts. I know. You need to take responsibility for them. Lovely. The question is where to now? So, we're confident like we we believe him that his father actually passed away. I can't see why he would lie to me about that. That's a pretty horrible horrible thing to lie about. But at this stage, he's not at that stage where we would issue a loan. We need to try a few other things first. Starting with calling his mom in Perth. Bangkok, Thailand. And Liam and Britney have both just turned 18. It would be cool. Imagine having like all this stuff in your garden. We spent the last 2 weeks in Bali and then from Bali we just come to Bangkok like about 3 days ago. We were hoping to go up Asia and then get to China and then Russia and go over to Europe and stuff like that. The word pals from Melbourne quit their doorto-d dooror sales jobs to backpack around the world on the cheap. Really cheap. This is the bus we have to catch number 67. And we could go catch it for free. Free transport, free meals. We're going to the temple now to get free food. Yeah, because the temple is run by monks. So, we're having the free breakfast. Everyone has to wear these headscarf things. They even found free places to stay on the internet. It's on the couch surfing app. So, everyone you find on couch surfing should be free. But we try to just cuz it's free. Yeah. But what's that saying? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Their adventure of a lifetime has gone horribly wrong. We woke up this morning and basically all our important stuff was gone. Like our passports and all of our money, wallets. Yeah. just like everything. This is where the couch surfing app took Liam and Britney last night to a free hostel in Bangkok. It looked so dodgy and stuff like it smelt bad and like everything was a bit weird. And this was their host. While the teenagers slept, they were robbed. Their bank cards, money, and passports are all gone. Unfortunately, we see people like Liam and Britney all the time, only 18 years old. Think they're invincible, but they've lost everything. They've had everything stolen. Consular Officer Prince needs to help them help themselves. Replacement passports are one of a number of things the couch surfers can't get for free. I had like one bite, but I don't know where it is now. Okay, I'll see if I can find it. Clearly, we lost our only Oh, yes, I found it. So, okay. Nothing else but that. Just one bud. They don't want to call their families for help. And without travel insurance, they have to figure out their own way of coming up with some money. I guess we're just going to go back to the hostel and ask someone there if they can like lend us some money. Yeah. So, it's back to the dodgy hostel and the wannabe sex instructor with caps in hand. In Bangkok, couch surfers Liam and Britney have landed on their feet thanks to a friend at the hostel who's lent them enough money to book into a cheap hotel. So basically our bathroom and the hot shower. It has hot water, air conditioning as well. Yeah. And TV and a fridge. And yeah, the bed is pretty good. It's pretty comfy. It feels like a fivestar like hotel. It's like as good as we can imagine. 100 120. But there's still the huge problem of how to pay for their replacement passports. I guess it's almost one passport, but we need more money. This is just like to [Music] survive in Bali. Out of work, Wayne has reluctantly agreed to Tom calling his mama lane in Perth. Hello. Maybe she can help get him home for his dad's funeral. What we really need is the kind of money to get Wayne back to Australia. The thing is, I haven't got any. I've got $16 in my bank account. I've been helping him out all his life. I'll have to wait see if I can sell some of my jewelry and that's all I can do. Right. Okay then. I don't let him ring when my husband's here. It'll be a divorce in the family. He's talking of Wayne. Wayne has some explaining to do. Did she mean stepfather? Did she mean father figure? But no, no, no. She means Wayne's father who is, in her words, alive and kicking and drinking a cup of tea in the next room. Not dead as Wayne would lead us to believe. You told me that your father had passed away. Yes. To me. Okay. But that's not that's not dead to me. He telephoned me and told me that I'm nothing to him. I'm you're not my son anymore. you're dead to me. So I thought, right, you're I'm dead to you, you're dead to me then as well. I need to stress to you that this is just one more thing you've lied to me about. So, and every time I get another lie, I wonder what else is there. This is what a lot of Aussies come to Bali for, to chill by the beach without a care in the world. But Gail and her daughter Kate are spending day one of their 4-day holiday here at the Australian consulate. Kate's drama started the minute she arrived at her resort. I've lost my passport. I left it in the backseat of a taxi when I had flown in, left it, shut the door, walked out to check into my hotel, and then realized as he disappeared that I'd left it in the back seat. and you went, "Shit, [ __ ] shit." Mom Gail lives in Perth and Kate has flown in from Darwin. They are desperate to make the most of their short 4-day reunion. Hopefully, we can just get it done and then I can get a massage. Here's hoping. Hi, how can I help you? Tom's a jack of all trades today. Hi, I've lost my passport. Have you reported the matter to a police station or or anything such as yet? No. What I need from you is a police report. I also need you to go get some passport photos done. All right. If you lose your passport in Bali, it's definitely not a simple process. You have to get a police report to prove that you lost it, where you lost it, get new photos done, and get new visa stamps. You're in for a bit of a ride. Thanks. Such a long process, but I just kind of thought they'd be able to fix it here. [Music] Kate's passport race is in full swing. First stop, the photo shop. I'll get just in here, I think. Oh, with the clock ticking, Kate is determined to get her passport photos right. 45 mm * 35 mm. Oh yeah, that is the I just look like a fat man. I do. No one really likes a passport photo, but just as long as it does the job. 45 minutes later and Kate's got a police report, too. We have to go back to the MC before it closes in an hour. Within the hour. Go, go, go. I'm never ever ever ever losing my passport again. But no one counted on the barley traffic. Barley's not known for free flowing traffic. That's just a complication she doesn't need right now. Hopefully no more after this. after we go back. You got to pay for it. You will. Oh yeah, that's a bloody number. I just [ __ ] I don't have to do this [ __ ] anymore. I want to go down here. Sound like [Music] At the embassy, teenagers Liam and Britney are still well short of the $400 they need for two new passports. Do you have the money to apply for your passport? No, not yet. We're still waiting for someone hopefully to get like money out. We need to ask someone for like a bank card. Yeah. But no one's here yet. They have no credit cards or ID, but they have hatched a cunning plan to get a hold of their savings in Australia. Find a trustworthy Aussie who they can transfer the money to online who will then withdraw the cash for them. Um, do you happen to have a Commonwealth Bank card? a donor in George, unfortunately. Okay. So, basically, we're looking for someone here now cuz everyone's like Australian here. We're the Commonwealth Bank. Yeah. So, we can transfer money to someone. Kirsten just wants to check. It's all above board. Hey, Prince. Yes. Your clients, we just need to get money out. Basically, they have money in their account, but they just don't have the card to withdraw the money. Hey, excuse me. Do you happen to have a Commonwealth bank card? Jacob and his wife are here to get a passport for their brand new baby boy. Would you be able to help us out? So, how much do you how much do you need? I guess about 300. But even if you can't do that, like just whatever you can to help us out. How about I just lend you the money? No. No, that's like too much money to No, it's cool. That's what I'll do. So, I'll give you the money now. So, you're all sorted backwards later. Yeah. Thank you so much. Cool. That's so kind of you. Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. I've got to give them credit. We do say to our clients often, "You've got to be resourceful. You've got to think outside the box." So, that's 6,000. So, they get the cash first and the online transfer comes later with the money transferred back to Jacob and their passport fees paid. You as well. See you. Liam and Britney have decided to head home to their comfy couches in Australia tomorrow. Okay. Good luck. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Bye. Be careful with your things. I suppose that's the moral. And like just like I don't know, enjoy yourself all the time. Five taxis, a photo shop, and a cop shop. It's not how you want to spend your first day in Bali. But Kate and mom, Gail, have arrived back at the consulate just in time to get Kate's emergency passport issued. This very bad photo. Okay. Things that you you're not supposed to smile. Let's have a look. Kate's been determined to grin and bear it. And that's exactly the problem. Are you [ __ ] kidding me? She grinned too much. Oh my god. Why not? She's meant to be straightfaced and serious. The guy just said you're not supposed to smile. I'm pretty sure you can a little bit. I don't care. Consular officer Tino needs a second opinion. Can you have a look at the photo? Yeah. Do you think that's his smiling on the photo? Damn it. She is too. It's barely a smile. Please don't do this to me for ease. I'm afraid I'm going to have to. I'm sorry. I I can't I can't use that. But it's not a smile. It's like this. It's not a case of bureaucracy gone mad. We're talking about very sensitive facial recognition software. That is key to making this a secure document. And it's not like she didn't ask either. Can you use teeth or not? No, no. I don't know why that photo place lets that go then if that is a prerequisite for the passport photos and they do it all the time. But it's not their responsibility. No, no, I'm not bl it's just annoying. Anyway, there's a reason we have bulletproof glass in the office. She's about ready to to give me one. Come back as soon as you can. We'll wait for you, but if you can be as quick as you can, that'd be good. One more cab and one more photo, but will she make it to the finish line in time? That guy's so nice, but I just I was just like, who can help? Funded by his mom, who's hawkked her jewelry to help, Wayne's got his one-way non-refundable ticket back to Perth. The plane leaves tonight. I mean, Wayne's still here. If he doesn't make that flight, then we're in the same situation we were before. But getting his passport back so he can make that flight is a whole other matter. The hotel staff holding it are threatening police action if he doesn't pay his bill. So, you really need to be aware that what you've done, there is serious consequences for your actions. As a last resort, Marissa and Tom have contacted CRA and come up with a solution. So CRA have agreed to issue you with an emergency loan. Okay. Okay. So that will pay off your hotel debt. If we can't get Wayne home, he'll become a bigger issue. He'll be basically homeless and on the streets and then he'll become an even more complicated case than what he already is. But there's a catch. Wayne's full passport will be cancelled. He'll travel home on a restricted emergency passport. The emergency passport's only going to be valid for 5 days. Yeah. And you won't be able to be issued with a new travel document until you repay back all of your loan. That means Wayne won't be able to leave Australia again anytime soon. Wayne owes the Australian government $733. But the hotel staff are happy. They got their rupia. Once again, thank you very much. I'm going to cut the first and second pages of this passport to invalidate it. And that's it. I'm going to miss this place. I can tell you. I missed the the culture, the people, the girls. Wayne is out of here. Case closed. As for Kate, the photos say it all. She got her holiday reunion. 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, just printing out some uh posters um missing posters for Dylan. Yeah. A little Aussie boy lost. You don't think this is ever going to happen to any of your grandchildren? It's unbelievable. Where is Dylan Edward? If they stop my pension, how the hell do I get back to Australia? Arthur's pension pickle. He's got a young bride that he's got to look after and, you know, perhaps impress, too. Oh, no money means no honey. They've tried over and over to get him home, but it just never happens. And Daniel's remote control car business spins out of control. Daniel, don't be disrespectful to this man, okay? He gets angry at me and he storms off and I have no idea where he's gone. Barley, a home away from home for thousands of Australian families. 56-year-old property developer Michael has been living here for the past 5 years, but right now his world is falling apart. Uh, I want to report my son missing. His six-year-old son, Dylan, has vanished. I haven't heard from him now for 3 months. I don't know where he is. I don't know if if he's alive. I don't know how if he's well. He loves his cricket. He's just a regular Aussie kid. An Aussie kid with an Aussie dad and a Thai mom. Hi, Michael. Marissa and Agus, if you want to come through. Yeah, sure. Michael and his secretary, Maya, have come to the consulate as a last resort. I've searched high and low. I've been to the police here. I've been to the immigration here and I still don't know where he is. So, he was born in Indonesia. Yeah, he born here in Bali. Michael has been Dylan's primary carer since his Thai wife left him 2 years ago for another man. Being the trusting person I am, I started to let them take him out on weekends, which was going fine, and he was happy. And and then one weekend, she didn't bring him back. I believe he's with his mother. This is a recent photo of Michael's ex. At this point, do you know if he's still in Bali or if he's I don't know. I don't know. The Indonesian immigration say that he's still in Indonesia. Michael's hoping that's true because he's still got his son's current passport, an Australian one. Dylan has a valid Australian passport. without it, he shouldn't be able to travel. Um, but he also does have an expired Thai passport. So, you know, if that has been renewed somehow, um, there could be a possibility that he was able to travel on that document. Michael's desperate to know his son is safe and in Bali, but so far Indonesian police have refused to help. They said that it was a a domestic matter uh involving you know her mother and father so that uh they they they can't really get involved. Australian diplomats can't involve themselves in custody disputes either. But they can ask police to investigate a missing Aussie. Michael has lodged a police report to say that his son's missing. So, we can call the police and verify that they've received that police report and that they will actually start making inquiries to try and find Dylan. We can just give the police a call and just see what they've got to say about it. Okay. It's the welfare of the child that we're concerned about. We need to make sure that the child is okay. Bangkok, Thailand, and 80year-old Arthur from Perth. I want to see the consulate. and his young Thai wife Noc have come to the embassy with an urgent problem. You might just take a seat first. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Arthur has received a letter from Centerlink in Australia threatening to cut off his age pension. He says, "The purpose of this letter is to gather information to help him make the right decision about your age pension. There's only one decision. Bloody keep paying it. Like thousands of Aussie retirees, Arthur is spending his golden years soaking up the sun. After a lifetime working as an aircraft engineer, he set up house here in Patia with his new wife, Noc. Okay, mate. That was just over a year ago. Aoy, you can live like an absolute king here in Thailand on $800 a Fortnite. I mean, the food here is cheap. You can get cheap accommodation. It would stretch a lot further than it would in Australia. To keep receiving his pension, Arthur needs to return to Australia every 3 months. And he says he's been doing just that. But Centerink claims they have no record of him returning to Australia. Our records show that you have departed Australia on the 22nd of July, 2015, but did not advise us of your [Music] travel. I am not an 8-year-old. I am 80. Hello. How are you? I'm Kirsten. Well, I'll be a lot better when I find out about this. Arthur hopes Kirsten can help sort out the confusion. He thinks his passport is the problem. Okay. So, what's the story? What happened was my passport expired. Okay. So, I came here and got a new one. Okay. It didn't register in bloody CRA. Arthur's chain of pain goes something like this. He entered Thailand on his old passport, returned to Australia on a new one, and now Centerlink has lost track of him in the system. Arthur's worked all his life. He's entitled to this government pension. And you know, if it's going to get cut off, it means that he's left high and dry. If they stop my pension, how the hell do I get back to Australia? I'm not good at swimming. And I can't walk on bloody water either. In Barley, property developer Michael can't think of anything but his missing son. Just printing out some uh posters um missing posters for Dylan. Yeah, I'll try anything. Michael suspects his ex and her new husband are hiding him. This is him here. His greatest fear is that they've smuggled Dylan out of Bali. Dylan's empty room is a painful reminder of the son he once cared for. He's been vacant now for over 3 months. Yeah, it makes me sad to come in here. Will Michael ever see Dylan again? At the consulate, Marissa and a team have been working on Dylan's case, and there's been a breakthrough with the Indonesian police. Yes. So, I've got some good news. They've confirmed that they've registered him as a missing person. That's great. And they're going to follow up on your behalf in relation to his whereabouts. They're going to um see if they can locate him. It's no longer just a custody dispute. The police are now on the case. When a child goes missing, hearts are broken all around the world. How's your health, Michael? In Sydney, Michael's parents, Janet and Bruce, are worried sick about their son and their missing grandson. Have you heard anything? No. Police or what's happening? Yeah. Well, the embassies are doing their best over here. And they informed me that Dylan has now been officially listed onto the missing person's list, which is really good. Yeah. What a hell of a thing to have to do. You don't think this is ever going to happen to any of your children, grandchildren. It's unbelievable. You and our thoughts every day. Yeah. I'll find him. Don't worry, Mom. I'll find him. We live for that day, Mike. Absolutely. Yes. Dylan, he's he's a part of our family. Sorry. I'll find it. At the embassy in Bangkok, 80-year-old Arthur is terrified Centerlink is going to cut off his age care pension. We'll just have to grab a phone, make a a phone call, and um Oh, you're an angel. Thank you. Well, we'll see how we go. He needs his $400 a week pension to keep his patio household afloat. Arthur's panicking. Whilst it is cheaper to live in Thailand, he still has bills to pay and he's got a young bride that he's got to look after and, you know, perhaps impress, too. So, you know, he really wants to get this sorted out. You're not worry. You're not worried. Please. Okay. Okay. Good. Arthur's worked his entire life, so I'm really ready to help him. This is Kirsten calling from the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. How are you? I put a phone call through to Centerlink for him. Yes, he's sitting with me. Stuff that's really quite simple for me. Well, you'll know how much income I get because you're you I'm on the pension is an absolute nightmare for Arthur. The solution is simple. It had a record of him returning on a different passport number. Arthur just needs to send Centerlink a certified copy of his new passport. Okay, my darling, no problem. and the visa entry stamps to prove he did follow the rules and return to Australia 3 months ago. Okay, thank you. Bye. Sort that out and the cash will keep on rolling in. Drink on a stick. I don't lose my pension. [Music] Oh, thank you very much. It's always nice to be appreciated. Thank you. Thanks for coming in. All the best. See you later. There are probably some clients I'd rather didn't kiss me, but Arthur's not one of them. Winners are grin. Case closed. Aussies going awall in Thailand are one of the embassy's biggest challenges. 32-year-old Daniel from WA is the latest consular case. Daniel came to our attention a couple of months ago. He's been in Thailand for 3 years. He's overstayed his visa and Daniel is broke. Over the last 3 years, Daniel's parents have sent him thousands of dollars to try and lure him back home. They've emailed the embassy desperate for help. They've tried over and over to get him home, but it just never happens. Instead, Dan has been spending his mom and dad's money on other things, like a business selling remote control cars. My business is good. Yeah. I just need capital to run them. Radio control cars. There's about $100,000 plus US of radio control cars. One piece can be worth 500 US. The problem is no one wants to buy the cars. You can't sell it here. Nobody has the money for it or even understands it. So, it's all just locked up. And that's left him short of cash and on the wrong side of Thailand's strict visa laws. In a lastditch attempt, his parents have begged the embassy to put him on a plane before he winds up in jail. Daniel's parents do not want Daniel to have cash in his hands and that is why I have to go with him to the airport to pay his overstay fine. How are you, Daniel? My name is Val. I am Val. Nice to meet you. We've got your money. We're about to book your flight and you're on your way home. Cool. But as always, it's not quite that simple. Turns out Daniel's also missing his passport. I just need a little bit of background from you. You lost your passport. Daniel claims he got picked up for a random drug test months ago and the police still have his passport. If you are in Thailand and you get picked up and you don't have ID on you, you could be sent to jail. The question for Val is why won't they give it back? in Bangkok. Bows on her way to the local police station to try and get to the bottom of Daniel's lost passport. They are the police and they know that they're not allowed to retain his passport because they haven't charged him with anything. We've made numerous attempts to seek formal advice from them in relation to why uh they were hanging on to the passport and you know determine the actual whereabouts of the passport. And we've received nothing. No ID means no ticket home to [Music] Australia. For the first time since his son Dylan disappeared 4 months ago, there's a glimmer of hope for desperate dad Michael. He's had word that his ex's husband has been spotted in this dive shop. Michael has organized police protection. I might be a little bit confrontational, but I mean the guy has my son. Or so he believes. Say h, we're looking for David. You're looking for Dave. Dave is not here, sir. Over the past 3 months, has Dave been here in Barley all the time? No, sir. He hasn't been. No. Where has he been? I don't know. You don't know anything about where he is for the last 3 months? I find that very hard to believe. If Dylan has left Indonesia, it's likely that they've gone back to Thailand. Um cuz the the mom is Thai. He doesn't ever call in or anything like that. If he is in Thailand, it's going to be really hard for Michael to track him down. Well, just think about my son. Okay. please. All right. If you hear anything, I would really appreciate it if you let me know. Michael's back to square one. He's decided it's time to hire a professional investigator. I'm going to step up my own efforts to try and look for him. That's all I can really do at the moment. He also has to face the unthinkable. Suanaboom Airport, Bangkok. And the police have confirmed they've lost Dan's passport. Finally, the police decides to issue a letter to confirm that they do not have Daniel's passport. And that means that I can issue an emergency passport to Daniel. Val is here to make sure Daniel gets on his flight back to Perth before he becomes an even bigger consular case. So I have his emergency passport, his overstay fine, his ticket. He can't go anywhere without first coming to me to get his document. But the remote control car entrepreneur is nowhere to be seen. His phone switched off. I'm waiting for Daniel at the airport and there's no sign of Daniel at all. I'm starting to get nervous and I'm actually starting to get annoyed and angry. With just minutes to spare. My battery's flat. Daniel finally arrives. That is not a good enough reason. My battery's flat. I've called you 20 times at least. He has no cares in the world. How hard is it to get here at 9:00? How hard is it to get a passport in 2 months? After checking in, Val takes him to immigration to pay his visa overstay fine. Thailand massage. It's ending with a happy ending. But there's no happy ending tonight. the flight has left without him. It hits him and he starts to realize that's it. I've missed my flight. It's to Daniel. Daniel. Okay. Daniel. And then respect Thailand. But to Daniel, don't be disrespectful to this man, okay? It's not his fault. He gets angry at me. Sorry. And he walks off. He storms off. And I have no idea where he's gone. With only 4 hours sleep, Val is back at the embassy on the phone to Daniel. He's a little embarrassed with a little less Thai bar to his name. Daniel, how much cash do you have on you at the moment? 15,600. 15,600. So you you basically blew 4,400 B in one night. Hotels and taxis did the damage. The problem is he now no longer has enough money to pay his visa overstay fine. He's stuck again. I understand right there and then that that we have a big problem because Daniel will not be able to leave Thailand after all. possible. Sorry, Val has no choice but to ring Dan's mom in Perth to ask for more cash. So, what sort of money are we talking about? $50? No, we're talking more like uh maybe $2 and something dollars. Oh my gosh. After 4 months of searching, single dad Michael has just received news from an investigative journalist about his missing son, Dylan. His worst fears have been realized. This person confirms that my ex uh has moved back to Phuket. She's in Phuket and currently sick. Crazy. and she's taken their six-year-old son with her. And it all happened 4 months ago. All this time, Dylan's been living in Thailand with his mom. This news would be really devastating for Michael. Um, this is not the news that he wanted to hear. Uh, that's that's that's really heartbreaking. The hope of working out a mutual custody arrangement for Dylan now that Dylan's in Thailand is is really going to be quite difficult. How she got him out of Indonesia without a valid passport is anyone's guess. Dylan was here on a uh Australian passport with a visa which is attached to my work permit. So the only way Dylan can leave Indonesia is with me with his Australian passport. Uh, and they found a way to circumvent that. Well done, Dan. The roller coaster ride of parenthood. Dan's mom and dad sent him an additional $150 to pay his overstay fine. I just got a text and he said, "Thank you, Auntie Val. I'm about to board the plane. Next stop, birth." He's made it. He's on his way home. 6 months on and Michael still hasn't seen his son. He plans to use the Thai courts to secure joint custody of [Music] Dylan. 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, want to maybe give mom and dad a call? Don't want to call. You don't want to call them. Bag snatched terror in Barley. You do really need to be careful when you're out and about. Dodgy parking in the back streets of Patia. He's facing jail and he's facing deportation. Triggers shock arrest for Lori. He's looking to lose everything. What is it? I can't breathe. There's a snake. And a surprise homecoming for diplomat Marissa. Hey, where's the dog? Where is Dante the puppy? The embassy, Thailand. Okay. So, you've you've paid 100,000 B and you're now out on bail. Where trouble shared is trouble solved. I'm in a situation down here that's uh it's like a movie. On the phone is family man Lori, an offshore oil rigger who's lived in Thailand for 15 years. He's fresh out of jail, claiming he's been framed. I think I've been charged with aggravated assault for a guy I never touched. Okay, I don't know what you can do, but this this is a complete setup. The story goes like this. When Lori went to renew his Thai residency visa 2 days ago, he was arrested on the spot. Um, the charge, grievous bodily harm, dating back to an incident 12 months ago. So, there was a fight. Yeah. Well, not there was only it was only grabbing. There was no punches or anything. You know what I mean? It's just like a wrestle. This is the CCTV footage of the incident that led to the charge. A woman in pink drives her motorbike into the back of Lor's red sports car. Lori then confronts this man from a neighboring stall. And soon everyone's at it. The woman in pink lunges at Lori, wrestling him to the ground. She tries to hit Lori again and again until she is led away. Sometime over the ensuing months, unbeknownst to Lori, assault charges are laid against him by the man from the stall. It is very common in Thailand for a small thing to blow up into a big situation. Worst case scenario for Lori at this point in time is probably jail time and uh he could be deported. It's a serious matter. What I can do, I can create a case on you and we can contact the police and the court to find out about your case. Yes, but it is a legal matter, so you need to be discussing this with your lawyer. Yeah. Okay, understand. I'm on bail now. 100,000 B bail. I cannot go to work. You know, I've got a wife and a daughter to support. Well, head towards the house. Okay. Okay. This is Lor's first and only runin with the Thai police. But his strict bail conditions mean he can't leave the country. And because he works on an offshore oil rig, he can't work either. He has an 8-year-old daughter to care for and a Thai wife who's worried sick. Okay, good catch. If if these charges stick, I'll probably be kicked out of the country. How about old me? Maybe you can't live there. I can't live here. It's a very big problem. Washing your worries away is what holidays are all about. But in Bali, Melbourne law student Lynn has fallen victim to one of the oldest holiday scams in the book, the Barley bag snatch. So paranoid that's going to happen again. So there is crime. So you do really need to be careful when you're out and about. This was Lynn yesterday chilling out and celebrating with her cousins. And then she was robbed. All of a sudden, I'm holding the clutch with the wrist strap and then they snatch it and then I'm just standing there just like in shock and I'm just like I I don't know what just happened. Without her parents on hand to help, Lynn alleges she asked a Bali policeman for assistance. He asked for 200,000 rupia and I was just like, "What's this for?" And he's just like, "Um, for the administration fee." And then I was just like, "Um, can I get a receipt for it?" And he's just like, "No, we don't do receipts." Hello, Lynn. How you going? My name is Marissa. Sorry. That's okay, sweetie. So, I understand you've lost your passport or it was stolen. Yeah, it was stolen. When are you looking to travel home? On Wednesday. That's in 48 hours time. So, the good news is we can get you an emergency passport, but because your passport has been stolen, we actually need you to go to immigration and immigration will stamp your passport, which will give you your visa permit to exit Bali. Now, one thing that you're probably not going to want to hear is unfortunately it's Chinese New Year at the moment. It's the year of the monkey and already Lynn's had more than her fair share of monkey business. So, there's three public holidays. Now, at this stage, it looks as though they're going to be closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which means that you may not be able to fly out Wednesday as planned. Immigration is shut and won't reopen until after Lynn's scheduled flight home. Have you spoken to mom or dad? I don't want to. Okay. Do you want to maybe give mom and dad a call? I want to call. You don't want to call them? Her friends are flying home, so if she can't go with them, she's going to be here by herself. Is there any way to like speed up the process or anything? We'll go and make some calls with immigration now and try and find out exactly what's going on. So whether or not there's any way around them being closed. If Indonesian immigration is closed, she can't get that stamp in her passport, which means she can't get home. Back in Bangkok, Val's looking into the details of Lor's backstreet brawl. Morning, Kungab. Um, Kunjab, I just got a call from uh Mr. Hooper and she's very concerned because he said uh he didn't do anything wrong. They're only in it for the money. She needs to understand what's really going on. Lor's entire livelihood is at stake. Local authorities such as the police and the court are aware that we are looking at Lor's case. We are the presence of the Australian government and we are monitoring this case and I think that is of help to Lori. But the cops have dropped a bombshell. They claim they have proof Lor's committed the offense. They have the medical report. They have the evidence. And it was him who caused injury to the other party. And there is this medical report that actually doesn't help him at all. He's facing jail and he's facing deportation and he's looking to lose everything. It's the year of the monkey in Bali. 1,463,000 rup. and law student Lynn's cousins have lent her enough money for an emergency passport so she can get home safely as soon as possible. If I stayed longer, I'd just be really scared and like feel unsafe here. Lynn's stuck here until the Department of Immigration reopens in 2 days time. Hey y um we've just got a new case. Today is a public holiday which means there's no one to stamp her new passport before her flight home. She's quite upset at the moment. So, if we can see if we can make a few phone calls and get in contact with anyone. Yep, sure. We have a couple of good contacts at immigration. So, we actually send them a text message and see if by any chance there'll be anyone at Indonesian immigration that can assist Lynn. He said that he can arrange someone from his unit, compliance unit, to be at the immigration office tomorrow. Agus has tracked down an immigration official to help Lynn out and we're confident that they'll be there. Yes, he's the chief of compliance unit and normally if he says it's yes can be there. Yeah, you someone will be there. I might go uh let her know. I'm sure she'll be very relieved. Hey guys, we've been making some phone calls. Yeah. And you know how I said there was pretty much no chance. Please be a bearer of good news. Well, um they've confirmed that there will be someone there in immigration tomorrow between 9 and 12. They should be able to stamp your passport tomorrow and you should be able to travel home on Wednesday. Serious. I'm serious. I really want to give you a hug right now. Thank you so much. Thanks to the consulate, the Melbourne student won't be stuck alone in Bali after all. in Patia. I understand. Yes. Expat Lororry has assembled an army of Thai lawyers to fight what he says are bogus assault charges against him. I didn't even know what I was getting arrested for. Yeah. Yeah. You were charged because you injured the other with serious serious injuries and unsound. We're actually defending ourselves. It's it's a kangaroo court, you know. My wife went down to the restaurant and got got CCTV footage of the incident which showed that they actually initiated the u the scuffle. Lor's lawyers will present the CCTV footage as evidence to the state prosecutor to prove he's innocent of serious assault. He probably feels the whole Thai system is against him. He's very angry. He's very frustrated. He's very scared. A fang in a foreign land. Lor's posted the fight footage online so the embassy can see it too. Oh my goodness. Everybody's getting clash. There's often a clash in cultures and people can just say the wrong thing and someone will take offense and then it's on for young and old. just a small situation can blow up to be, you know, a big thing and it's very scary to watch. This is the man accusing Lori of grievous bodily harm. And here is that same man being roughed up by a westerner in a white shirt. Then Lori has a goto. Oh, now there's like 10 people there. [Music] in Patia. Lor's lawyers have finally had news from the state prosecutor. He's going to re-evaluate the whole case cuz we he believes that we didn't get a a fair investigation. He's the area thing. You seen the CCTV? The wheels of justice are moving in the right direction. The prosecutors starting the investigation again from scratch. You'd like to go back down to the police station with the witnesses and and they're going to um reinter you. There's a lot of hope now. Get my visa back. Yes. Good news. And get back get get back to work. Yeah. You know, earn some money so you can spend money. That's my job. But a second investigation is no guarantee. Charges will be dropped. Life in Bali is full of unexpected surprises. We love living in Bali. It It's great and the kids love it. So, when we go back home, there will definitely be a bit of a a settling in period, I think, to readjust. But there are some aspects of consular life Marissa and husband Jeff won't miss. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, like this. What is it? I can't breathe. There's a snake. It's bring a massive holy crap. Don't go in there. A 2 m snake in the kitchenet. Snakes are definitely one of the worst things about living in Bali. We've probably had three or four snakes at our house since I've been living here. Where's the dog? Just put the kids inside. Where's puppy Dante? Oh, will you guys just come inside for a minute, please? First priority is obviously the kids, but we've also got a a gorgeous little puppy, so I need to make sure she's okay, too. She's only very tiny, so the snake could eyeing off a lizard. The geckos standing tough, but bite-sized Dante is nowhere to be [Music] seen. Chiang Mai, a photographers's paradise. Today, Team Embassy is holding an outreach day for Aussie expats in need of assistance. a pop-up consular shop. Where you from? Bugger that. Next in line is retired crane driver Kevin. He rarely sees other Aussies because he lives here 300 km north of Chiang Mai. You know Melbourne used to be the capital of Australia once. You know that, don't you? And you you blighters bloody took an office. Sorry. What's your name? Kevin. Kevin. You cannot miss Kevin. He is the loudest person in the room. He's a lar. He's a true blue Aussie. I have to get my passport renewed. And I went online and bugger me dead. I I put in the the bloody wrong wrong information. Yeah, probably wrong mother's maiden name. Yes, the Australian passport office takes identity confirmation extremely seriously. That's why the online application system locked him out. Can I apply for my passport right now? Unfortunately, not, Kevin. Oh, bloody hell. Because he has failed a very important security check. He's going to have to go to Bangkok to lodge that passport application. I got up at 3:30 this morning to get down there. It's a 3-hour drive. So now to go to Bangkok, bloody hell. In barley, it's situation critical for Marissa. Dante after this was discovered in her kitchenette. I never used to be that scared of snakes, but now they they scare the hell out of me. The kids are safe and think it's all a bit of fun, but Dante is still missing. Hi, it's Marissa calling from the Australian consulate. I've I've spoken to you a few times. I've just found a snake in our little kitchenette. It's eyeing off a lizard. So, I have a snake man in my phone that we can call on to um come and help us out whenever we see a snake. Yes. Snake catcher Ron is on speed dial for the entire consular team. He is very passionate about his snakes and he's all about catching them and releasing them back into the wild. So, it's just straight in there. Ah. All right. What we have here is a little reticulated python. Look, it's not a cobra. That's as close as I'll get. Oh my god. Pythons are not venomous, but they do bite and squeeze. Yeah. She cuts off the blood supply. Oh my god. What's it doing? Oh, she's peeing on me. One, two, three. All safe and sound. And right on quue, Dante's out of hiding. I done it a third time. Then he said, "I'm logged out forever. I have to come to you guys to explain everything to you." In Chiang Mai, retired crane driver Kevin has failed his online security check to renew his passport. But he does have a valid reason for not knowing his own mother's maiden name. I never knew my mother. Yes. Okay. And I just knew her name was Johnston. Yes. So, I spelled it with a T. And after three goes, I realized, no, it's I better check my birth certificate. And it's with an S. It's got no T in it. Johnson. Yes. Okay. Kevin's mom left him when he was just 5 years old. And he hasn't seen her since. But without documents to support his story, he'll face an 8-hour drive to Bangkok. You don't have any supporting documents with you for us to crosscheck your mother's maid and name. I went out the house this morning with my passport. I said, "That'll do." And I got in the car. I said, "Shit, I should get my birth certificate." You do have your birth certificate. Yes. Wonderful. Kevin's birth certificate is actually a game changer. With the birth certificate, I can check his mother's correct maiden name. Val makes a call to the embassy in Bangkok. Swatty Kajjun, how are you? Verbal confirmation of the spelling is required for security system protocol. What's your mother's maiden name, Kevin? Johnson. J O H N S O N. That's the right one. Yes. So, you can just go ahead. Thanks very much, June, for that. You're welcome. Okay. Bye. You don't have to fly to Bangkok. No. Oh, bloody great news, mate. It's really made my day. I'm glad. Kevin's passport will be posted to him in a couple of weeks. Oh man, I'm so I'm over the moon, mate. Might even go and have a beer. It's beer a clock for Lorry, too. First day of my freedom for 4 months. Um, all the charges against me have been dropped. The uh the policeman who made the charges has been investigated by the Royal Thai police. So, all in all, it's been a very good end to this saga. The year of the monkey came good after all. Lynn managed to get her passport stamped at Indonesian immigration. I'm just happy to go home. [Music] [Music]