OPINION

Unspoken 'Thainess'

Re: "Anti-migrant stance asking for trouble", (Opinion, Jan 6).

Thailand has a long modern history of xenophobia and the use of slave workers from neighbouring countries. The incompetence and corruption of too many government officials and politicians is well known to all in Thailand. These are two of the "unspoken" dimensions of Thainess. Combining these two facts with Covid-19 and you have a disaster in the making. Time for a major attitude adjustment, Thailand, if you want the country to survive. Move forward, or stay stuck in the past.

No action, as usual

Re: "Promotion list a disgrace", (Editorial, Jan 5).

Vicha Mahakhun's panel investigating the Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhaya escape found money trails from the Red Bull heir to many officials, and the panel urged PM Prayut to revive the hit-and-run case and carry out judicial reforms to revive public trust.

However, PM Prayut's taken no action -- making him, at best, derelict in carrying out his duties.

Gen Prayut's see-no-evil attitude doesn't surprise me -- but what does that say about his millions of supporters, who meekly accept such outrageous behaviour by their leader? Corruption is stealing from your pocket and mine, and according to Edmund Burke: Evil will triumph when good men do nothing. Why are you doing nothing?

Do expats get jab?

Re: "Govt buys 35m more AstraZeneca doses", (BP, Jan 6).

It is good news that the government is speeding up acquisition of Covid vaccines, but what is the status of resident expatriates in the grand scheme of things, assuming the government actually has a grand scheme?

Your report says this purchase is "part of its plan to provide half the country's population with free jabs". Are expatriates considered part of the population, or is that term reserved for Thai citizens?

Thailand is home to more than 200,000 foreigners, including retirees, diplomats, long-term holiday makers and employees.

If not inoculated they are at risk of not only contracting the disease, but of spreading it.

It is impractical to ask retirees to return to their home countries for the vaccine (assuming they have it), because of the difficulties of international travel at the moment, and the extraordinary difficulties of getting back into Thailand if we do go out.

The vaccine does not have to be free for expatriates. As a long-term resident retiree I would willingly pay the going price for the vaccine. It would help if the government clarified this issue.

Society 'free, open'?

Kavi Chongkittavorn in his Jan 5 column points out Thai society is "free and open", a state confirmed by the "absence of condemnations and demarches from Western countries".

He continues "Thailand does not have a repressive monarchy or government because the Thai people would not allow it. That's for sure."

This is good to know and to note that Kavi, as a "veteran journalist", has not been subjected to the same barrage of relentless negativity from Western media that I have found difficult to avoid.

I couldn't help thinking it a pity Kavi didn't have the space to extol the virtues of the Transport Ministry's road safety policy over the New Year holiday period.