Failing state

Re: “Collection of B500 fee from foreigners starts next year”, (Business, Oct 4).

I have been stranded in Thailand since March last year. I read the Bangkok Post almost daily, though in some places the printed edition is not available.

I was reading many predictions by the boss of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn. As an experienced tour guide and travel agent for 30 years, I have been laughing all year about his forecasts for millions of foreign tourists.

Last year, my forecast was a slow recovery in April 2022. It looks like I am not too far off.

Who protects the head of the TAT? Is he a relative of Coup Minister Prayut (minister for everything) or just related to any other family of the Thai Tatmadaw?

In all Western countries he would have lost his job a long time ago. Even in today’s Bangkok Post article, it seems like he just rolled his dice to any sevendigit number.

Believe me, there are many cheaper countries in Asia than Thailand, which has a ridiculously high alcohol tax similar to Muslim nations like Malaysia and Indonesia.

I’ve come to Thailand probably 100 times since 1993, when I spent one night in Bangkok. I had to, because of the famous song. I stayed at the Dusit. It was still the Land of Smiles.

During my 19-month “Covid stay” here, the friendliest people have been immigrant workers from Myanmar.

In 2019 I visited Vietnam four times, because for my nationality 15 days are visa-free. I flew in to Ho Chi Minh, left via Danang, flew into Nha Trang, left from Haiphong, etc.

As a writer (Lung Stib) to PostBag said in a letter more than a year ago, Thailand is a failed state.

And I agree!

TRAVELAGENT