OPINION

Follow Malaysian way

The government says the 5-10 year visa is for the over 50s. Most foreigners at 50 are busily pursuing their careers and raising a family. They are not thinking of coming to Thailand to live.

The most worrying aspect of this is whether it is going to replace the current retirement visa. If so, this will affect thousands of foreigners who have bought homes and cars, employ household staff, get involved in fund-raising activities to benefit local schools, hospitals and orphanages, and generally help the local economy by living here.

Most expats who have chosen to make Thailand their home after working hard for decades, do not have three million baht to let sit idle in a Thai bank. Their funds are invested in their home countries to provide them with funds for their retirement.

Trying to get insurance when you are in your 60s and 70s is impossible even if you are fit and healthy. Most people I know have an emergency fund in their home country to pay for any large and unexpected medical expenses in cash.

The government would be well advised to take a lesson from Malaysia's My Second Home programme known as MM2H, which has accepted over 30,000 expats from all over the world. This government-sponsored programme provides a 10-year renewable visa with multiple entry and exits (no 90-day reporting). You can buy freehold land and get a housing loan to buy or build. If you have your own home you need to keep 100,000 ringgit (or 800,000 baht) in the bank. You can import a car free of duty and taxes or purchase one locally tax free. You are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week. They encourage medical insurance but "medical insurance may be waived for older applicants who are denied coverage because of their age".

The Malaysians welcome expats settling in their country. The Thai government seem to want to make things as difficult as possible for those of us who want to live here.

Re: "Chickening out", (BP, Nov 26).

Back in the UK, an informal supper party included a very enlightened young medical doctor. A student arrived with bad gravel rashes on his hands and knees, having crashed his bike. There was a remark: "You'd better get some antibiotics." The doctor remarked rather jokingly but with an element of truth, "Well, all he needs is a tin of chicken soup." (Research Dr Vernon Coleman).

Eric Bahrt is absolutely right. Whilst there is an over-prescribing of antibiotics by doctors, the greater cause of bacterial immunity is their extravagant use in agriculture. Farm animals, particularly chickens and cows, are stuffed with antibiotics to protect them from their unnaturally filthy environments caused by over-density. Having worked with both, I do know.

It is a fact that scientists are struggling to find new antibiotics to fight bacterial infections as bacteria develops immunity to the existing overuse of antibiotics in humans and their food.

But, I should add that vegetarianism permits the consumption of eggs and dairy products. They above all are the most "infected". If the animals are given their natural space, they have no need for preventative antibiotics. It is some irony that the superior human being is less aware of what he/she is consuming than animals left to their own devices, in their natural habitats.

There is some justice in the fact that human beings are suffering disease and premature death by consuming products from animals they abuse.

That's good for a least a smile, Frank Harrison, if not a belly laugh.

I have no desire to defend Fidel Castro, but his revolution and regime would not have come about if it had not been for a need to overthrow an incredibly corrupt and repressive government led by Fulgencio Batista and supported by the United States.

It has always seemed very hypocritical to me that the US reacted so negatively to Castro when, at least in the beginning, he offered the average Cuban a much more democratic government than they had under the dictator Batista.