OPINION

Avoid like the plaque

I was a little heartened to read Thitinan Pongsudhirak: "It has become open season -- to take the military government to task" (Opinion, Jan 19).

Following the Prawit case continues to be highly informative but, as the press are quick to acknowledge, they do little more than comment on investigative work done elsewhere.

One wonders will this new zeitgeist bring about a more rigorous re-examination of events previously derailed in the wake of junta intimidation? A good place to start might be last April's mysterious disappearance of the memorial plaque of the 1932 Siamese Revolution.

This event dominated front pages for a few weeks before, like the plaque itself, suddenly disappeared from view. There must be a few people out there who know something. Isn't it the job of the media to locate them. Or is it all a load of Khai Maew?

A report focuses on ranking of human trafficking in the world. There is huge demand for low-income foreign migrant labourers in Thailand to cover the workforce shortage. The most efficient way to stop human trafficking is to enforce strict punishments for employers and restrict entry for low income immigrants. Once rules become strict, human trafficking will decrease drastically, but the country loses its competitiveness.

My wife and I love to come to Thailand to rest. Thailand deserves its name of "The Land of Smiles".

We decided this year to take a six-month multiple-entry visa. Before obtaining this type of visa, I sent three requests for information to the Thai embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Six months later, I'm still waiting for an answer. Thailand likes to receive tourists but gives little service from its Canadian embassy.

My main surprise was to have to go to Cambodia after 60 days to stamp my passport for another 60 days.

Why not stamp my passport in Jomtien for 30-day periods?

Our original visa cost us 10,000 baht, then to go to Cambodia 5,600 baht (3,800 baht for the visa) including transport. We will have to pay the same amount for our last 60 days. That's a total of 21,200 baht. It's a lot but I like coming to Thailand.

The other option would be to leave the country for a few days and spend my money in a country other than Thailand.

Why not simplify all this for those who want to spend a few months in Thailand, without the desire to leave the country, to offer them a visa that would be more expensive but we would avoid all these unnecessary trips.

Re:" Expat injustices", (PostBag, Jan 20).

Immigration remains one area where reforms are light years away. It seems that as long as the Thai travel industry is booming there will be no sensible changes in immigration policies.

All foreigners who have settled down in Thailand are investors. The ones who have a Thai spouse should be automatically given a US-style "Green Card" which includes a work permit as well as residency.

All other categories should have clear criteria for long-term stay. It makes no sense for a foreigner to invest in a property when the government is asking to show 1 million baht cash in their bank account to apply for the new 10-year visa.

I fail to understand why a person who can earn 100,000-200,000 baht a month and have 1 million baht in cash would like to come and stay in Thailand. What for?

On the contrary, if Thailand wants to attract foreign talent it needs to reform its immigration system and make it more attractive for foreigners.

At this time, it is fully stacked against foreigners, especially those who are married to a Thai citizen.

Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th

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