OPINION

Reform the military

While some people think what led us here is the dissolution of Future Forward Party (FFP), it really goes back much further, in that the Thai military thinks they have the right to overthrow elected governments on a whim. The Thai military must be reformed (along with so much else in this country) and brought under civilian government control. As long as the current Thai military mindset remains, the merry-go-round will continue unabated. They must also be prosecuted and imprisoned for breaches of moral and ethical conduct.

WhizBang

When Thailand is suffering economically, the Thai immigration financial requirements applicable to retired expats seem hell bent on adding to the problem. We are reading of long-term stayers preparing to uproot and seek pastures new. Places where they are not treated as annoying lodgers and money machines. Those leaving will be taking their foreign incomes that support their Thai families and the local economy with them. A shooting yourself in the foot situation for Thailand methinks.

Re: "True colours", (PostBag, Nov 21).

True, like other ISPs, has been under orders since the military regime of 2014, and the orders appear to have continued after the "democratic" elections of 2019. This type of censorship not only lacks commonsense, it upholds archaic ideas of right-wing ideologues, and has no place in the modern world. Even 12-year-olds can see this. Young people are tired of weary old men upholding military-style regulations. Young people want their country to rise in the 21st century as a progressive nation. But True is not a victim in this. It is capitulating to military orders under a so-called democratic nation and should be held accountable for stifling the nation's rise to respectability.

Re: "Walls close in on defiant Trump", (BP, Nov 22).

Donald Trump is making a first-class fool of himself with his outlandish claims of voter fraud and his attempts to overturn the recent US presidential election via the courts and manipulation of the Electoral College. Judges have thrown out virtually all of Mr Trump's appeals and admonished his legal team for bringing cases before the courts without evidence. By trying to overturn the overwhelming will of American voters, Mr Trump is destroying any prospect of a positive presidential legacy.

Sadly, Mr Trump is also playing his own cult-like followers for suckers. He is raising millions of dollars from his supporters by misleading them into thinking they are contributing to cover the costs of recounts of votes and other measures to help him stay in office. In reality, the vast majority of these duped contributions are going into a so-called "leadership political action committee" that will serve as a slush fund for future Trump political shenanigans. Of course, it is classic Trump behaviour to deceive and swindle others.

It is unclear from Bill Cymbalsky's Nov 24 letter, "Victim of policy", who told him that he is now required to have health insurance from a Thai company. Was it a private hospital, or was it some unidentified government official? It is unsubstantiated remarks like this that give rise to rumours of further changes to the conditions under which expatriates live in Thailand, causing concern and anxiety. And, if my understanding is correct, retirement visas are issued for 12-month periods, so I would like to know how Mr Cymbalsky's current retirement visa doesn't expire until December next year.