Why come back?

Re: “PM pleads for return of talented Thais”, ( BP, Nov 19). Prime Minister Srettha admitted to Thai students at Stanford University that Thailand does not have attractive job offers to entice high-calibre Thais working overseas to return home. He ignores the real reason Thais are not returning, namely a supply of capable people needed for the success of important projects will not happen without the overhaul of the education system. Much of the new foreign investment coming to Thailand only enriches the already wealthy and uses the country’s cheap labour. The high-tech sector will go to countries like Singapore, Taiwan, Korea or even Vietnam. Other reasons include the lop-sided judicial and justice system and the double standards, nepotism, cronyism and corruption in Thai politics and culture that discourage a young, capable generation without networks or connections. Pheu Thai still evades the change and reform of Thailand’s structural problems promised during the election and opts for secondary economic issues. The digital money plan is another example of a Pheu Thai populist policy aiming for instant popularity without a care for the long-term consequences, like with the rice-pledging scheme. With the wealth and connections Srettha has, his priority is first to try to have his two sons return to set an example. THE INSIDER