OPINION

Kids will pay the bill

Re: "Undue politicisation at finance and BoT", (Opinion, July 3).

Not the kind of issue that generates mass protests, but Professor Thitinan is right that this is dangerous ground. Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha may have authority to borrow 1 trillion baht safely in his pocket, but it's the lenders of 60% of GDP who will decide how much Thailand's children will pay for it.

This should not be a political playground; next year, those borrowings will look like well over 60% of 2020 GDP and Thailand's financial leadership will need all the credibility they can muster.

Re: "CPTPP delay the right call", (Editorial, July 3).

The CPTPP is a sell-off of the nation's sovereignty. There is a reason everyone isn't jumping on board. Can you imagine your country being sued because you aren't allowing yourselves to be exploited to your full potential and that court is run by the CPTPP with their judges and lawyers?

Re: "Govt to lure US tech firms", (BP, July 3).

Uncle Sam is being inveigled into setting up "a Silicon Valley-like centre for innovative tech firms in the Eastern Economic Corridor". Deputy PM Somkid is pictured sweet-talking US Ambassador Michael George DeSombre into approving this fantasy. (And why is MGDS the only person at the table not wearing a mask?)

Who is going to pay for all this? Why, Uncle Sugar, of course. All of a sudden the US is the good guy again. What happened to the love affair with China?

The rosy glow continues with the happy news that local flights are increasing in the North. Surely the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

It is not until we turn to the Opinion pages that we get a reality check. There the luminous and ever-perceptive Thitinan Pongsudhirak warns us against the politicisation of the Bank of Thailand, and Karen E Young notes that "China is no Mideast high-roller". Maybe Chinese tight-fistedness is one reason why the love affair with China is on the back burner.

Get real, people. The US is in deep trouble, coronavirus-wise. Throwing money at Thailand is going to be the last thing on its mind. Were I a cynic, I might suspect that Mr Somkid is floating the fantasy of a US-financed Silicon Valley in Thailand just to save his own political skin. But that would be unkind.

The most remarkable thing about the July 3 front page picture of the US Ambassador, George DeSombre, paying a "courtesy" call on Deputy PM Somkid, is the extreme discourtesy shown by the ambassador in not wearing a face mask. Remarkably, Mr DeSombre is the only person in the photo not wearing a face mask. The ambassador's failure to show any diplomatic courtesy is also emblematic of the United States' appalling failure to respond effectively to the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps it also reflects the fact that Mr DeSombre is a political appointment of President Trump and not a career diplomat. His cavalier attitude to basic Covid-19 prevention measures seems to reflect that of his boss.

The Public Health Ministry worries that online sales allow under-age customers to order alcohol, anywhere and at any time. I assume that the ministry which is normally extremely thorough in its health promotion programming, has based this decision on the results of a scientific study of the issue.

If so, details should be made public. In the event that a rigorous study has not been conducted, then steps should be taken to undertake one, and the decision to enforce a ban reserved until results are available.

Even if strong evidence does show that there is an issue with online purchases of alcohol by underage customers, there are effective alternative measures that can be taken to address the problem, which involve less inconvenience to customers and retailers. I'm not sure how the National Committee on Alcohol Beverage Policy, which made the decision, defines "online sales", but in my experience of online alcohol purchases during the Covid-19 lockdown, the websites concerned require customer registration, including details of age and address. If online sales websites do not already require such details, surely it would be a simple matter to include them The delivery of goods provides a further opportunity to check the age of customers. This should also be a requirement for any orders taken by phone or social media platforms, should these sales channels also fall into the National Committee's definition of "online".

The task faced by the Health Ministry is a difficult one. It has a mandate to reduce alcohol abuse and death and injury from traffic accidents. However, in so doing, it faces enormous pressure from, on the one hand, the powerful vested interests of the alcohol companies that are promoting consumption, and, on the other, the religious organisations that, for reasons unrelated to health, want to see alcohol sales and consumption prohibited.

All the more reason that any actions taken to reduce alcohol-related harm should be based on solid evidence and, in the design of preventive actions, draw on the wealth of experience from other countries that have successfully addressed the problem.

The massive upswing of Covid-19 cases in the US, and smaller increases in other countries, must make us wonder how Thailand has managed to avoid a larger outbreak than has been reported. Based on the most recent figures the percentage of cases amongst the entire population is 0.0046086%. A number so ridiculously low it boggles the imagination. The 76% increase in cases in the US can be attributed to several factors going back to the initial denial of the government that the virus would cause a major medical problem. Chaotic responses regarding lockdowns, availability of PPE, store closures, lack of testing, complacency on the part of the population and opening back up too early all contributed to the present situation. What makes the new outbreak more worrisome is that many more individuals are asymptomatic and there is a large increase among the younger population.

Which brings me to why I believe the figures that we are being given are, to say the least, inaccurate. Mr Trump was quite specific in stating that the problem was testing. "We are testing too much! If we tested less there would be less cases." Since the beginning, the CDC, WHO and other associations have stated that testing was the only way to determine the inroads made by the virus. South Korea, China, Italy, Spain, the UK and others have made a determined effort to test as much of the population as possible which has enabled them to pinpoint their responses and put a lid on the situation.

In all the figures bandied about there has never been a daily briefing on the number of people tested and the percentage of positive tests returned. With the reopening of bars, karaoke establishments and various other entertainment venues we can expect large numbers of unmasked individuals not practising social distancing to create the perfect environment for a massive increase in the spread of the disease.

So, until I see test figures posted alongside the other information I will believe the truth of the situation is being withheld to give a false sense of security both to those who live here and those who wish to visit here.

Re: "Nightlife makes return", (BP, June 30).

We all know what the authorities are talking about when they refer to "soapy" massage. It is a laughable euphemism, as is the often advertised "full body" massage. I had been living in Thailand quite a while before I realised that "body" did not refer to the client.

This is an industry that is presented to tourists in places like Patpong in Bangkok, Walking Street in Pattaya, and the Bangla Road area of Phuket. But it exists in Thai society in seedy karaoke bars up and down the country.

This is an industry which remains unacknowledged by the authorities whose workers have to work on the black market and have no rights. And yet it is an industry that contributes significantly to the Thai economy. But there is no chance of it being legalised by governments that have historically preferred to bury their heads in the sand and pretend it does not exist.

Re: "Lawmakers scuffle in parliament", (BP, June 30).

Given the propensity of Taiwanese lawmakers to brawl and throw chairs, the building managers of Taiwan's parliament may wish to consider bolting the chairs to the floor.

Such precautions would be a prudent measure to reduce injuries and damage to property -- and perhaps slightly improve the image of Taiwan's raucous democracy.

I see Somkid Jatusripitak still has the fantasy that millionaires are going to come and save us. It seems to me that this idea dates back to Thaksin's days and they still haven't saved us, not even the homegrown ones.

Even the elite card designed with millionaires in mind as I recall was and is something of a bust, or was the last I heard.

Given the worldwide economic disaster we are all now a part of, it seems to me that the government should be more realistic and set its sights a little lower, back down to short-stay and long-stay tourism for people of more modest means, for example.

We won't get rich quick, but if the government was a little more friendly -- longer visas for example, less harassment of long-stay people -- they might attract a loyal following who come and stay here for longer periods of time for the lower cost of living, the climate, their health, friendly, service-minded people and the food.

Surviving the coming depression will not be easy, but if the government emphasises the above qualities, and spent less time fantasising about millionaire saviours, we just might be able to do it.