Students not spared
Re: "Hatred spreads", (PostBag, May 26) & "Top uni blocked from enrolling foreigners", (World, May 24).
Khun Jason A Jellison's screed is also a lame excuse for his callous indifference towards the plight of foreign students whose hopes Trump is dashing to spite Harvard University, which will harm US education, science and technology as much as his tariff flip-flops and other economic policies have failed to bring about those cheaper groceries promised, which failure so angers Mr Jellison's mate now enjoying the economic miracle growing in Trump's America.
Felix Qui
Tax rethink pays
Re: "Smart tax move", (PostBag, May 24).
Like letter writer MP Foscolos, investors should be overjoyed with the proposal from the Revenue Department, under the Ministry of Finance, to have foreign income earned before the two years remitted into Thailand be exempt from Thai tax. This represents a 180-degree reversal of the trend of taxing any foreign income that comes into the country. The ministry can naturally envision the benefits of this fund flow, rather than being protectionist or nationalistic, like the man in the world's news right now.
However, MP Foscolos's forewarning of being selective on OECD's fiscal rules, like global minimum tax, and not surrendering Thailand's fiscal sovereignty is well-intended. However, what needs to be considered is the OECD's goal, which is to develop fair and transparent taxation worldwide. Our economy heavily depends on international trade, especially with OECD countries, which limits our ability to protect our fiscal sovereignty fully. Thailand has been in touch with the OECD since 2018, and last year, it became the second country in the region aiming to become an OECD "partner" -- not a full member, but actively collaborating to offer its perspectives and contribute to policy debates.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Courtroom counting
Re: "Former Thai PM Yingluck says she can't pay B10bn compensation", (BP, May 23).
After reading many articles from a wide variety of sources, it has become clear that Thailand has a serious problem with the numeral zero. For example, the latest Forbes report says former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has a net worth of US$2.1 billion (68.5 billion baht) as of May 27. Yet somehow his sister (and former PM) Yingluck cannot "possibly" pay a fine of 10 billion baht for causing financial losses from the rice-pledging scheme to the Thai nation of reportedly 280 billion baht (2017 Civil Commission audit provided to the Supreme Court), or 170 billion baht (2017 Ministry of Finance assessment), or 20 billion baht (as confirmed by the Supreme Administrative Court in 2025). Apparently, this all makes perfect sense in the highest courts of the land.
If you participate in the commission of massive fraud upon the Thai public and cannot compensate for the losses, what should be done? Former PM Yingluck clearly expects us to feel sorry for her (despite her 10 million baht per year income), and let her off the hook? Since she can't "possibly" pay, perhaps an alternative form of justice would be appropriate? How about confinement to the warehouse in Surin, where a mountain of decade-old pledged rice is stored, the sentence requiring her to count each grain by hand until a proper audit can be recorded? That would certainly help prevent the recidivism to which the Shinawatra clan seems perennially predisposed.
Ban Bandit
