Govt ridicules itself
Re: "‘Lame’ government rap responds to ‘Prathet Ku Mee’", (BP, Nov 2).
Thanks to this report, I start my day with the very greatest ode to joy ... a great, big laugh! A pro-government rap? Why that’s far more than an oxymoron. In fact, I think we just succeeded in redefining the word "lame".
Yet, even so, I must say that comic relief like this does not come often; well, outside of Leslie Nielson movies that is. The moral of the story — laughter is always the best medicine and there’s no better joke than a "lame" joke.
Jason A Jellison
Heads in their phones
According to local media, the Health Ministry claims 2 million kids suffer from a “gaming disorder”. It is a pity the rest of the adult population was not surveyed.
There was a time one took a bus or train in Bangkok, and people talked to each other. Now adults are silent, their faces buried in mobiles and tablets. When I took the train from my town of Prachin Buri to Bangkok a while ago, high school kids going to Chachoengsao would ask me to talk to them to practise English, and occasionally ask for help with their English homework.
Being a (retired) English language consultant I was always so happy to oblige. Now ... nothing. I take the train, and silence prevails. Heads are buried in mobiles, tablets and laptops.
What a pity. These generations are missing out on social interaction, a skill being quickly lost, and, perhaps forever.
Jack Gilead
We need to know
Most, if not all, embassies have discontinued the income verification form required by the Immigration Department. While this is not a problem, their website and other sources indicate that the only form of income verification accepted will be a notarised letter from one's local embassy. Many of us are dependent on pensions, social security and disbursements from retirement accounts for our income and would consolidate these sources into one lump sum for the income verification form and submit it to the Immigration Department annually.
Having been here for over 12 years I would like to know what forms, or documents, for income verification will now be accepted by Thai Immigration as no other forms are indicated. I do agree the old form was open to falsification but think that new requirements would have been disseminated with the announcement by the embassy of its discontinuation. The link given to the Thai Immigration website provides no new information. It might behoove the Post to follow up on this development and publish the new criteria for income verification for the benefit of the many ex-pats who daily depend on their newspaper for information.
Fred Prager
Big Joke's punchline
Re: “Foreign overstayers ‘flushed out',” (BP, Nov 3).
I would like to be among the first to heartily congratulate acting Immigration Bureau Commissioner “Big Joke” Surachate Hakparn, on bringing to zero the number of foreigners overstaying their visas. What a remarkable accomplishment!
Assuming this claim is not just an attempt to reinforce the acting commissioner’s nickname, “Big Joke” should be roundly applauded for achieving a feat that most would have said is beyond the realms of possibility.
Samanea Saman
Military rules, OK?
Did we read correctly in the Post of Nov 4, quote: “Army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong rules out ending military draft but says he will make sure soldiers treat conscripts as their youngest brothers”.
In most, if not all, other democratic countries it is not the military that decides if there is forced conscription or not, it is the elected government.
Ah! But, yes. Very sorry, I forgot this is not a democratic country.
Michel Barre
PC keeps getting worse
Re: “Blurred identities”, (PostBag, Nov 2).
To baffled reader, the world is over-sensitive to the colour of Santa Claus or any other fictional character. Do you remember Golliwog, a black doll loved by children all over the world, but the word (wog) is defamatory so where do we stop.
Barry Wallace
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