Kansas no more, Dot

Re: “Migrants seek better times closer to home,” (Opinion, Jan 7).

Thana Boonlert gets nostalgic during the New Year’s holiday, noting how many people were going back to their hometowns during this period, and how he himself would like to go there permanently (Klaeng district, Rayong).

Alas, he, like many others, cannot, since there are few job opportunities in the small rural towns. It should be noted that this is a worldwide phenomenon, not specific to the kingdom only.

Yet, who does Mr Thana blame for all of this? Why, it’s that most convenient of scapegoats — foreigners!

As he states: “In my opinion, rural migration is emblematic of structural problems, a mirror of how unequal development in Thailand has been. Lopsided development is a footprint of the post WWII legacy of the US, which used Thailand as an anti-communist base in Asia”.

Well, considering how many Thais still live “upcountry”, I’d say the Americans were not very successful in their efforts!

Rather than too many Thais living in big cities such as the capital, I’d say the problem is that too many Thais still live in the country.

The inhabitants in the vast amount of nations in the world have migrated to the cities since WWII; Thailand remains one of the few exceptions, although it must be admitted that the process has occurred here also, but in a smaller scale.

If Thailand is to become a developed nation, the rulers would be wise to note how formerly poor countries such as Taiwan and Singapore became rich almost overnight by industralising and developing policies that encouraged citizens to rapidly move to the cities. A FOREIGN OBSERVER