OPINION

Cops and robbers

Re: " 'Big Joke' awaits another miracle", (Opinion, April 29).

Truly cogent quotes from this article are:

"But alas, it seems no one cares much, even the government."

"This should be a real wake-up call for something to be done with the Royal Thai Police to restore public trust and confidence in the organisation. But whether it is or not, only time will tell."

"How the drama will unfold is still not known. Will there be another miracle for Big Joke?"

My only comment is, will there be a "miracle" correction of and for the Royal Thai Police?

Re: "Taxing times", (PostBag, April 18) & "Amendment to see overseas income taxed", (Business, Sept 26, 2023).

I don't blame Chang Louie for leaving Thailand. I am at my wits' end due to the lack of clarity from the Revenue Department.

I went to my nearest revenue office for information and found they had no idea about overseas pensions being double taxed. As such, they wouldn't even give me a tax form and directed me to another revenue office some 12km away.

I have tried for over two weeks to tell the Phahon Yothin office that all numbers on the website are out of use or no one answered the phone.

We desperately need to know the answers to many questions but are not able to speak to anyone.

Should we move from Thailand? Should we stop bringing in money? I have a daughter at university, who I pay 300,000 baht a year for, and the tax allowance is a measly 15,000 baht.

Thai people need to realise that any money bought into Thailand is mainly for Thai wives and offspring and education for Thais, so double taxing is hurting the Thai people and also the economy.

Re: "Govt wallet plan needs monitors", (BP, April 29).

I have seen some questionable numbers and interpretations regarding the digital wallet.

Eligible people have to "cash in" in the district where they are registered.

1) How many people cannot "cash in" because they live hundreds of kilometres distant? Maybe 1-5 million? It is difficult to guess because there is no data.

2) It seems like the 4km radius condition has disappeared. Not clear!

3) How can the government ensure a monthly income of 70,000 baht and bank account balance of over 500,000 baht? This is private data.

4) It is not a "cash handout" but rather a "food and consumer goods handout".

5) How many people will not be able to receive the handout because they can't use the application -- especially older people -- or maybe don't have a mobile phone?

6) It's being presented as a gift from the government -- really?

It is equivalent to a loan that has to be repaid with interest, not to mention all the added digital wallet management costs to be covered by taxpayers.

Re: "Protect rights of refugees", (Editorial, April 30).

Refugees from Myanmar can be a win-win opportunity for Thailand if we have the vision to see it.

We endanger winning the highly-prized UN Human Rights Council seat we want by falling short of our trumpeted vows to treat Myanmar refugees in line with humanitarian principles.

For example, we're only able to accommodate 3,000 people in five temporary shelters -- but hundreds of thousands are headed our way.

Also, we're one of the world's fastest-ageing societies and face an acute skills crisis. We should offer refugees acculturation workshops, rural jobs at market rates, and a merit-based path to citizenship, inducing them to help us grow in the long term.

Act now for a win-win outcome.