Expats intrude too much on politics
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Foreigners living in Thailand should be thankful for the privileges, freedom and friendliness they enjoy here. Instead, many are acting as a thorn in the side of their host country. Why?
First, consider freedom of speech. Foreign expatriates keep complaining that Thailand lacks this freedom, but seem unable to differentiate between truth and falsehood. More than 90 per cent of recent cases of lese majeste have not been filed because the accused was being “critical”, as claimed. Instead, the suspects were accused of directly besmirching and slandering the monarchy. Expats who claim otherwise show themselves to be their own effective lie-detector!
Second, consider the notion popular among expats that Thailand’s failure to develop as a democracy will hinder its economic progress. These expats overlook the example of China, which has made tremendous economic progress in the past four decades. How much progress has it made in terms of democracy?
Third, consider many foreign residents’ contention that Thais are too uneducated to make progress. The fact is that few expats here know the Thai language or history well enough to understand either the country’s situation or the way its people think.
Many expat commentators need to learn more about Thailand. In the meantime, we Thais can make progress in our own way and by ourselves.
Vint Chavala
