OPINION

Foreigners beware

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

Many foreigners will no doubt be interested in the fact that if they invest enough money they will be able to get a 10-year visa and also be able to own property in Thailand in the own name.

In addition, the Thai economy will benefit from the same rich foreigners investing here.

Let us hope that the relevant laws are also changed to accommodate full legal rights for those foreigners under this new system.

I for one, have been fighting a number of court cases, both civil and criminal cases, for seven years in order to recover my investment in property in Thailand which I originally made in 2010.

My assets were stolen by my local partners in 2014.

Since then those same local partners have had me arrested on false charges, falsely imprisoned and have had me detained by immigration for a total of three years out of the seven years.

They have done all this in order to have me deported so that I cannot fight them in the Thai courts, and they will get to keep my assets which they stole in 2014, by submitting false documents to the courts at that time.

Getting a long-term visa and being able to buy property is one thing. However being able to remain in the country and keep control of your assets is quite another.

There must be appropriate legal recourse for foreigners as well.

In the meantime the old adage applies: Buyer beware!

Re: "2006 coup a success, claims mastermind Sonthi", (BP, Sept 19).

General Sonth Boonyaratglin's comments on the anniversary of his coup against the Thai nation's very popular elected government of the Thai people are most illuminating.

To think that "The Sept 19, 2006 coup against the Thaksin Shinawatra government was a success" suggests some serious failures of critical reasoning. It merely retarded Thailand's political, social, moral and economic growth. And worsened social divides. And entrenched the traditionally corrupt status quo. Such strange fruits of success.

The getting or giving of flowers, however sincerely bestowed, is an absurd criteria for judging moral worth or success. North Korea's little despot also receives regular floral tributes from the faithful who believe him sacred. In China, Xi's official meetings are regularly decked out with flowers.

Every tin-pot despot has themselves wreathed in flowers and got up in spiffy uniforms gaudily medalled and beribboned. Does Sonthi really think that a few flowers given by the faithfully benighted are evidence of moral worth?

Re: "Online learning falls short in Covid era", (Opinion, Sept 13) and "Ignoring e-learning", (PostBag, Sept 15).

While the letter writer may have a point that young adults are fascinated with online learning, he should not just dismiss what Paritta Wangkiat stated in her column.

The fact of the matter is that online learning has proven to be "painful" for many young Thais, especially those from extremely poor backgrounds, where 88% do not even have proper electricity, let alone access to the internet. The Education Ministry has to do something about this, it is clear.

Equally clear, is that something needs to be done to make online learning less boring for kids. While it has proven to be successful with the university crowd, the bottom line is that online learning has proven to be a failure with elementary school kids, and a bit better with high-schoolers.