Juggling act
Re: "Thailand's delicate stance with Israel", (Opinion, Dec 9).
Thailand must tread carefully here.
Most of the international world has been against Israel's war against Palestine. So if Thailand gets too close to Israel, it risks alienating many countries in the world.
But by the same token, Thailand now sends more labourers to Israel than before the hostage crisis began on Oct 7, 2023.
Before the crisis started, Thailand sent 36,000 individuals there, but it now sends about 60,000!
Thailand contributes significantly to the Israeli farming and construction sectors, among other things.
Nonetheless, Thailand does not want to have its economic relations further strained with many countries, especially the wealthier European ones.
I suppose the Thai government will continue to pursue a strategy of neutrality with other countries as they have been doing up until now.
After all, such a strategy seems to be paying off here.
Paul
Falling fortunes
Re: "New moves seek to calm baht", (Business, Dec 27) & "Tourism still a stalled engine", (Business, Dec 29).
When I first came to Thailand in 2002, my Australian dollar bought me 30 baht. I transfer dollars to my Thai bank account in AUD$10,000 amounts as I need them, which means that it is worth 300,000 baht.
Over the years, the AUD has steadily depreciated against the Thai baht.
As of today, $1 is worth 20.7907 baht, which means that my $10,000 buys me 207,907 baht, nearly 100,000 baht less than when I first came here.
It is little wonder the Thai tourist industry is stagnating, and many expatriates are looking to move to Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines or other more welcoming economies.
David Brown
A miner's work
Re: "TMAC finds mines, rockets, after pact", (BP, Dec 29).
It should be obvious that those who laid the landmines in a given area should be responsible for the demining as an integral part of a ceasefire.
After all, it's they who know precisely where their mines are. Also, such removal will be a sign that they are working in good faith to observe the cessation of hostilities. The miners will want to do a thorough job of demining, for any mines found in an area they've declared to be clear will be prima facie evidence of renewed aggression.
Burin Kantabutra
