OPINION

Visas for viruses

Here's an idea whose time has come -- an idea that will enable Thailand to control the coronavirus.

The Immigration Bureau (IB) should promulgate a law requiring every coronavirus entering Thailand to possess a valid visa. In that way, just as it controls the movements of all the virus' expat hosts, the IB will extend its iron rule to cover the virus itself.

Critics will cavil that the virus is not human, so it is not subject to visa requirements. But this claim challenges the sovereignty and omnipotence of the IB. It can require visas from anybody or anything it likes. If the IB decided to require visas for every flea that enters Thailand, the flea community would have to comply.

In confronting the stern bureaucrats of the IB, the virus will surely have met its match. It is a case of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. The resulting punch-up will surely provide much-needed entertainment in this dreary era of lockdowns, semi-lockdowns, quasi-lockdowns, and lockdowns assigned to inactive posts.

A visa requirement for viruses may also inspire exciting movies along the lines of "King Kong Meets Godzilla". I look forward to the premiere of the movie "Covid-19 Meets the Immigration Bureau".

Given the IB's efficiency, which is universally extolled, I'm confident that requiring every coronavirus to have a valid visa will swiftly bring the pandemic under control.

Questions go unanswered

Over the years, many questions and complaints have been raised regarding immigration rules and regulations, yet immigration has consistently failed to respond let alone do something constructive about them.

So, on behalf of all foreigners permanently living here (not holding foreign residency status ) I ask the head of immigration Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang to answer the following questions:

Why does immigration fail to recognise the pink ID card as proof of residence and still require submission of TM47?

Why can't immigration have an online reporting system that actually works and accepts the 90-day report?

Why can't immigration grant permanent residency status to foreigners who are married to a Thai national or are retired here and have been here at least 20 years?

Why can't said individuals be given a 10-year visa in lieu of permanent residency? Same would apply to re-entry permits (multiple re-entry for 10 years).

Why hasn't immigration responded to these questions over many years?

The government should take action to correct these problems and make foreigners living here a little bit happier.

After all, we tell people overseas about conditions here and if we are not happy then there is no recommendation to visit here or live here, but if we are happy then we would encourage others to come here. Get the message?

We await your response.

Jab ratio a disincentive

Re: "Travel agents worried slow jab distribution delays restart", (BP, April 6).

Travel agents have good reason to be worried about the lack of a clear strategy for full immunisation of Thailand's population.

What tourists in their right minds will be willing to travel to a country with only 40% or 50% of its residents vaccinated when other tourism destinations have 80% or more immunised? The current clumsy half-measures with respect to vaccinations will unfortunately lead to the likely demise of Thailand's once dynamic tourism sector.

All flagged out

I fly both the national Thai flag plus the royal standard from flagpoles on my gate post. A flag, because of the poor material it is made from, barely lasts a month in the sun, rain, wind, and turns into a tattered rag.

At about 50 baht a replacement flag it costs me 15,000 baht a year. It would behove the government and manufacturers to produce a more substantial product.

My Canadian flag, made of heavy cotton, has lasted 10 years on its flagpole. I miss the old white elephant flag on the red background, plus the exotic name of Siam as well. Long Live the King!