OPINION

Property win-win

Re: "Down with bad laws", (PostBag, April 27) & "Illicit foreign stakes in firms 'widespread'", (BP, April 25).

I have a suggestion to make to the Thai parliament, which is reasonable, proportionate and will improve the economy. The preamble is that I fully agree with Thai foreign ownership laws, which are designed to protect property prices for the local population.

Under Thai law, Thais and children under 20 can own property if both parents consent.

My son is half Thai, born here and is 16. I am a single parent, and my son lives with me. Last year, I wanted to buy my son a property in his name for his future. This turned out to be too complicated, and the sale failed.

My suggestion is to lower the age of property ownership from 20 to 18 so that Thai kids can (with the help of their parents) own property as a future asset. It also removes the complexities for mixed-race kids as foreigners, such as myself, and will improve the housing market by buying property under the ownership of their children. It's a win-win. The adult age of 20 is archaic, as kids mature a lot quicker now.

Wrong on Trump

Re: "Trump's tariff war is no accident", (BP, May 1).

I always look forward to reading Chartchai Parasuk's intriguing economic articles, but I did spot a few problems with my ageing American eyes.

The first problem I spotted was when he said that "[President Trump's] popularity is now at rock bottom". Well, officially President Trump's approval rating is about 42% as of publication from USA Today, CNN, and The Economist on April 30, but that view from "the 30,000 foot level" fails to realise that President Trump is wildly popular in all of the electoral districts which led to his massive political upset victory again last year.

The second problem I spotted is with Mr Chartchai's twin deficit chart ... does the author not know that most Americans know the USA is about to go bankrupt?

We know that, and that is why Mr Trump was re-elected, as our only other choice was a very unpopular vice president.

I quite enjoy Mr Chartchai's articles, but they suffer from tunnel vision. He is looking out at America from 9,000 miles away, but the American voter is now looking at their own interests, and I sincerely doubt that is going to change anytime now that they have been awoken to their own impending poverty.

Kasit the realist

Re: "On the path to peace in Myanmar", (Opinion, May 1).

Former foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, came out with practical solutions for Asean to humanely and pragmatically help Myanmar rectify its ills and cement Asean as a group to be reckoned with.

His biting comments are realistic. His ace is to have military delegations from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines have soldier-to-soldier talks with Myanmar strongman, Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

That is a breakthrough that should coax the strongman to be more responsive instead of the traditional diplomatic overtures that Gen Min Aung Hlaing does not understand.

Indeed, as he wrote, it is the moment for Asean members to have more innovative and pragmatic ways to solve Myanmar's problems and lead her to permanent peace that should have been there ages ago.

If the former foreign minister were in his former position now, one wonders whether he would have agreed to send those Uyghurs back to China at China's urging.