OPINION

A slap in the face

Re: "Govt to entice rich expats," (BP, Sept 15).

Thanks for the slap in the face to us who spend over a million baht per year to live here. We support Thai families and their relatives, buy cars, condos and property (through our wives), travel around the country staying at resorts and find other ways to spread our money around.

Yes, kick us in the butt with that needless 90 check-in requirement that requires a three-hour trip to the immigration office (the online service does not work for me as it doesn't for many others). And the bribe it takes to renew my annual visa is certainly an engaging experience.

Does the government really think people will "invest" that much money in this dysfunctional government just for the privilege of living here? Why not make it easier for us who live and spend here already so more will come?

Re: "Govt to entice rich expats," (BP, Sept 15).

A requirement of the Phuket Sandbox is for applicants to stay 21 days in an approved country prior to arrival. But the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) advertises that "foreign residents of Thailand" are exempt.

So, when is a farang not a foreign resident of Thailand? Well, to be precise: when they have resided here for two decades, have a Thai tabian baan (house registration), a Thai national ID card, a Thai driver's licence, and a Thai spouse.

How timely, then, that the government is rolling out yet another "plan" to entice rich expats.

Congratulations, Mr Anutin et al, for the superb job you're doing to keep supposedly disease-ridden farang out of Thailand. The 80% of the Thai population whom you've so far failed to fully vaccinate thank you.

Re: "10-20% suffer long Covid," (BP, Sept 15).

This article provides a classic example of a lack of professionalism from the Department of Medical Services. Piamlap Sansayan, the pulmonary medicine chief, said "Covid-19 vaccine recipients have less chance of getting long Covid symptoms as the vaccine provides protection against the condition."

This is yet another instance of a so-called expert providing blatantly false information to an unsuspecting public. There are no peer-reviewed studies which demonstrate any truth to this claim. However, there are now numerous studies which show the natural immunity acquired by those who have recovered from Covid infections is far more robust and long-lasting than the protection provided by vaccination.

Scientists do not know the cause of long-haul Covid symptoms, but the prevalent theory is that viral debris, specifically spike protein particles and peptides derived from the S-protein, remain in the body for months after the the patient has recovered. How is it possible for vaccines to address this problem prior to the appearance of long Covid symptoms in a vaccinated person who has recovered from infection?

In fact, vaccination may actually contribute to this condition since the mRNA formulations instruct the body to produce spike proteins, the very same cytotoxic agent which is theorised to be the principal cause of the protracted suffering in long haulers.