OPINION

Axe sure to fall

Re: "Chuan Leekpai wants everyone to let parliament do its job", (BP, Nov 17).

The politicians cannot, or will not, do their jobs. There is too much infighting, too much party interference, and way too much open corruption with a "so what" attitude. How long, for example, does it take to find the Red Bull brat? How can an MP who was jailed in Australia for his role in drug smuggling continue to be a government MP? How many politicians have members of their families in appointed jobs to increase income? How many politicians are enjoying heavy and extensive government perks? This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Khun Chuan, if one was to leave things to the politicians, Thailand would be in a worse shambles than it is now. It is only the student protests that are keeping the parliamentarians alert and semi-conscious, because they do not know when or where the wrecking ball will hit next. Change is coming. It is not a question of "if", but "when". And the longer the parliamentarians delay, the longer they will hang on to their worthless positions and continue to collect salaries for sleeping in the House, not attending meetings, etc. The axe will fall one day. The students will be the executioners, the politicians the victims, due to their own stupidity and myopia.

I have spent hours searching immigration websites, blogs, writing emails and the like for the answer to, what should be, a very simple question. What is the status of Retirement Visa (Non Imm O) holders currently abroad or considering travelling outside Thailand for business, personal or medical reasons?

Every day I read about returnees entering the country and the Covid-19 stats for those arrivals but never anything about the number of returnees or the kinds of visas they possess that have allowed them entry into the country. To the best of my knowledge tourism is still shut down except for those entering under the STV programme which, to date, seems to be 140 Chinese tourists. This, as Qatar airways announces, has added two additional flights to Phuket for tourists.

As one of the English-language newspapers in Thailand I would assume that a majority of your readers are expats who are immune to articles about the failure of Thailand to address its problems as they relate to infrastructure, governance and inequality.

This is a simple request that could be solved by someone in your organisation contacting immigration and publishing a list of those currently permitted to enter, or reenter, the country by visa type.

Or just answer the initial query about the retirement visa.

Two photographs on page 4 of the Bangkok Post, Nov 16 edition, illustrate what ignoramuses walk among us.

One photo shows a group of diplomats, supposedly of above-average intelligence, enjoying a cooking lesson with their wives in Phuket to help promote tourism. Not a single person was wearing a face mask -- they were all huddled together and they were actually preparing food without gloves.

The second photo showed a large gathering of Americans at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) celebrating Joe Biden's presidential victory. Again, not a single mask to be seen or any attempt at social distancing.

What is it with these people? The mind boggles!