OPINION

No one's surprised

Re: "Condo market slows further", (Business, Oct 4).

The drop in foreigner condominium buyers continues and the figure for Chinese buyers is estimated to be down by 50% from previous years. As noted in the article, many Chinese customers buy for investment purposes only, and the strong baht makes some reluctant to take up a unit.

Apart from the strong baht, have you tried filling in the TM30 form on the Immigration Department's (non-functioning) website? I have not succeeded once. Considering you have to report every time your guest has a short stay in another province, your returns will be eaten up by fines.

The endless changes in rules governing requirements for staying are killing off the 100 billion baht in annual foreign investment in Thai real estate. So, what's going to entice foreigners to invest their savings in Thailand? They're only going to get fleeced once they get here.

Re: "Piyabutr under fire over call to pull Isoc lawyer before panel", (BP, Oct 6).

Officials representing the state should be called upon to explain themselves before parliament, especially when they have acted in ways that reasonable people will likely see as politically motivated. No organisation should be exempt from parliamentary oversight, so Future Forward Party's Mr Piyabutr, who chairs the House standing committee on law, justice and human rights, is doing his job as a responsible member of Thailand's parliament.

Re: "Incompetent airline", (PostBag, Oct 6).

'Disgusted in BKK' must have caused a tsunami of sympathy and indignation at his shoddy treatment by Thai Airways. Imagine sitting in first class and not having staff prostrate themselves at the sight of his Platinum card and his having to use the same telephone number as the pond-life with Gold cards. Oh, the indignity of it.

I travel business class long-haul with THAI half a dozen times a year and find them generally very good. The fleet may not be as new as Emirates, but I can arrive, be checked in, pass security, passport control and sitting in the lounge within 10 minutes. I have never experienced that anywhere else. But perhaps we have lower expectations in the pond.

Bravo to 'Disgusted in BKK'. You have spoken for hundreds of us Thai Airways passengers who have similar complaints and problems. It is customary these days for Thai businesses not to respond to complaints. THAI, BTS, MRTA, SRT, all are the same. People prefer using transport that provides competent, on-time, good services at competitive costs. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned can provide that.

Re: "Climate of fear prevails", (Editorial, Oct 5).

A decade ago, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra sparked agitation in the South by saying the dissidents there were "insignificant thieves". Unrest in the region peaked the following year as a result -- only to start cooling down gradually during the past decade. Therefore, instead of holding a discussion in the restive South, the opposition should start a debate on the matter in parliament, which is their workplace as stipulated in the constitution.