OPINION

Peacetime illusions

Re: "People's Party not ready for Big League", (Opinion, Dec 15).

As the war escalates between Thailand and Cambodia, I recall that in 2023, I argued in PostBag that Pita Limjaroenrat was not suitable to declare himself the elected prime minister of Thailand. I was right.

Imagine a government with a prime minister, whose major policy and audacity are dedicated to undermining the military, with the rationale that it is meaningless to maintain a military force and a big defence budget in peacetime.

Just imagine a Prime Minister Pita who worships the United States of America as a model.

Instead of uniting Thai people to fight against the intruders, he would probably sprint to President Donald Trump, asking for approval, blessings and advice, and shake hands with his Cambodian counterpart, before jointly nominating Mr Trump to contest the next Nobel Peace Prize.

His successor, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the current leader of the People's Party, cautioned Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul not to prolong the war and urged the government to sit down and negotiate with Cambodia. Similar to Mr Pita, Mr Natthaphong seems to champion seeking approval from the international community.

Notwithstanding their dovish hearts and passion for democracy, these so-called young-generation politicians seem to have forgotten that, along the 800km of the Thai-Cambodia border, thousands of Thai citizens live in fear and have to relocate, with over 900 schools temporarily shutting down. For them, the only way to straighten this out is to protect civilians and take back all the Thai territories by military force.

Didn't we learn a lesson when Mr Trump changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War?

Bank bait switch

Re: "Baffling bank rules", (PostBag, Dec 6).

I recently opened a new bank account in Jomtien, Pattaya, Chon Buri province.

I supplied all necessary documentation, and I was told I would be contacted in three weeks because the paperwork needed to be verified by the bank's head office.

After four weeks of waiting, I went into the branch and enquired as to why the process was taking so long.

I was told that they could open my account there and then if I deposited 20K baht in a savings account, and I would have two accounts with them.

It was all very confusing, but I went along with it because it's a bank and banks don't do bad things to their customers.

And then they took out all my original paperwork (they never sent it to their head office), made me sign numerous photocopies of everything again, and I left with my bank account.

When I got home, my Thai girlfriend examined all the paperwork and discovered that the 20K baht is in a life insurance savings plan. I must pay 20K baht every year for another four years.

I went back to the bank and asked about this because it is not what I wanted, and I was told it was necessary to show my willingness to live in Thailand long-term, and it was necessary to open the normal bank account.

I know I've been scammed, but I don't know what I can do. Any advice?