Remember when Los Angeles was the 72nd province of Thailand?
Re: “US Embassy has terrible reputation among Thai visa applicants”, Letters, February 13.
“A Disgruntled American” vilifies the American embassy for being stingy about issuing visas to Thai citizens.
The US used to hand out visas to Thai applicants faster than cards dealt by Las Vegas blackjack dealers, but it got burned badly by the many who abused its generosity. These people obtained student or tourist visas, entered the country and never left. The practice was so prevalent between the 1960s and ’80s that the US finally lost patience. In the ’70s, there were thousands of Thais living illegally in Los Angeles. We used to joke that LA was the 72nd province of Thailand (back then there were 71 provinces, compared with 77 today).
So, instead of blaming the US, blame our compatriots who shamelessly abused the system at the expense of fellow Thais.
Recent reports reveal that Japan and South Korea are now facing the same problem the US once had.
Somsak Pola
