Re: “Why children matter in the budget”, (Opinion, July 2).
Kohnwilai Teppunkoonngam’s opinion reminds us that children should not be pushed to the margins of national budget planning. This point is especially important at a time when Thailand’s falling birth rate is widely seen as a national crisis. A shrinking younger generation will eventually weaken the labour force, deepen population ageing and increase the dependency burden. But the response should not be limited to encouraging more births. Thailand must also invest more wisely in the children who are already here.
Recent research by Mahidol University and Unicef has estimated that more than 120,000 children in Thailand are living in residential care settings, including state and private orphanages, shelters, boarding schools, temples and other institutions. This is not a marginal welfare issue. It is a substantial human-capital challenge hiding in plain sight.
Thai studies have found that while many children in care remain in school through secondary level, fewer receive structured vocational preparation, life-skills training or a realistic pathway to higher education and independent adulthood. Other research on adolescents in Thai residential care has documented concerns about emotional intelligence, stress management and depressive symptoms.
Yet these children should not be viewed as a lost cause. They are better understood as a high-risk, high-return population. Research from Chulalongkorn University suggests that targeted support in lifelong learning, vocational skills, financial literacy, digital competence and mental resilience can substantially improve their readiness to return to society as functioning adults. A Thai study at Phyathai Infant Home also found that individualised early developmental stimulation improved developmental outcomes in orphaned children. International evidence, including the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, further shows that earlier, family-like and responsive care can markedly improve child development.
Thailand should therefore invest more, not less, in this group. With the right support, many can become productive, resilient adults who contribute to society.
In a low-fertility society, investing in vulnerable children is not only a moral duty. It is prudent national development.
Borvornchai Chirachon
Milking tourists
Re: “Thai tourism worries as Chinese resume trips to Japan”, (Business, June 30).
I read that China’s recently issued five-year plan is targeting 190 million tourists by 2030. Last year they achieved a 17% increase. Also, Japan, Malaysia and other competitors are exceeding pre-Covid visitors.
It made me ponder what Thailand is doing wrong to be suffering a decline in tourism.
The move towards higher-value tourism was a worthy goal but should be added to existing tourism, not a replacement.
Visa-free entry has been scrapped, and a 300-baht tourist tax has been introduced. Compare this to Malaysia, which is booming with its visa-free entry policy and increase in flights.
Cost has also become a deterrent for Thai tourists. Many restaurants in Bangkok and tourist centres equate to London prices.
Decades of easy tourism also seem to have developed a culture of milking tourists rather than giving great customer service. Friends trying to leave Koh Samui this week on their way to the US were delayed for two and a half hours as planes were cancelled and consolidated to give full flights. They had a similar experience in trying to get to Samui from Bangkok.
Publicity over the recent aggressive clampdown by authorities on villa ownership after years of complicity also doesn’t help the Thai image.
The authorities need a mind reset with regard to tourists. Instead of viewing foreigners as a necessary evil, they need policies that attract, welcome and over-deliver on customer expectations.
Phil Cox