OPINION

Thai disconnect

Re: "Little backing for govt's plan to reopen", (BP, Aug 30).

While I can understand and appreciate the need for caution in reopening the country to large numbers of foreign tourists, it seems that many Thais have a serious disconnect when it comes to understanding how the economy works. Local residents stating that cautious reopening to foreign tourists would "only benefit hotels and tourists" reflects an astonishing failure to recognise actual linkages in the economy. Even cautious so-called "villa quarantine" would deliver substantial widespread benefits to the nation.

Each individual foreign tourist or family generates income and employment for dozens of Thais, including airline staff, drivers, van owners, hotel maids, laundry services, farmers, truckers, butchers, food processors, cooks, food-delivery services, massage therapists, waiters, pool maintenance workers, alcohol distributers, and immigration officials. The list goes on and on.

To claim that foreign tourists benefit only hotels reveals a poor understanding of how jobs are created and sustained.

Given the fiscal constraints imposed on us by this economic downturn and the large amount of money spent, apparently mostly fruitlessly on previous charters, one would think adopting one of the old constitutions such as the 1997 one which most people seem to think is the most democratic would be an easy decision. However, I suspect given this government's lack of interest in austerity (we may have postponed buying those subs, but we will buy them as soon as we can) or democracy, I wouldn't be surprised if yet another charter writing committee is formed and another very prolonged and expensive writing process begins unless pro-democracy protesters keep putting the pressure on.

As a farang with concerns over the impact of Covid-19, I feel that the Thai health authorities are not doing enough to inform the Thai people about how serious this disease is and also about its long-lasting effects on the body's major organs.

In Chiang Mai where I live I have come across supermarkets which do not adhere to health authority instructions to take the temperatures of customers entering their stores.

I actually called up the managements of those stores and brought this matter to their attention. Some of them gave no response.

It is the same at the gym I use. I have to remind the receptionists that they should be taking temperatures as they have now become complacent about Covid as Thailand has been relatively free from the terrible consequences of this pandemic.

Thailand does not have sufficient medical infrastructure to cope with a serious outbreak of Covid-19, and that is why the health authorities need to be more active in getting this information to the Thai people.