Badge of dishonour
Written by Writer on Saturday, October 25th, 2008
POST BAG
Badge of dishonour
”The city administration has handed an ultimatum to the pro-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) to leave Sanam Luang today or face action by police” (BP, Oct 24).
And where is the ”ultimatum” to the PAD to leave Government House or face action by the police? The hypocrisy of Bangkok is worn like a ”badge of honour” on its sleeve. It is seen throughout the rest of the world for the dishonour that it is.
JOHN FRANCIS LEE
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Take the high ground
A UN study confirms previous research that with increased global warming Bangkok ”is at risk from rising sea levels” (BP, Oct 23), yet governments seem deaf to the problem.
With the city’s infrastructure creaking, mega-transport projects may be necessary but a two-pronged approach is needed. Everything possible should be done to stop the capital expanding and to reduce urban migration. Official agencies should be moved out of town and a major programme of regional development launched.
Rural Thailand is suffering a social and economic crisis yet policy always focuses solely on agriculture. Transport links should be improved and incentives be introduced to develop factories in small towns and to kickstart the provincial economy.
Instead of destroying families through urban drift, jobs should be brought to the countryside, thus slowing the headlong expansion of the capital. There can be no better populist policy than that, a policy that would allow a government to take the high ground.
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A split decision, clearly
I disagree with Gerald Moore (”A clear-cut ruling,” Postbag, Oct 23) when he says that the size of the majority in the Thaksin ruling is irrelevant.
In normal criminal cases the fact that a crime was committed is not disputed and the court’s job is to decide if there is enough evidence to say who did it.
In this case, Thaksin’s actions in becoming involved in the sale were not disputed, the court simply had to study the law and decide if his actions were illegal. The court of nine split 5-4, with four of the judges concluding that no crime had been committed.
By no stretch of the imagination could this be called a conclusive decision; it wouldn’t be if the nine had been laymen and it certainly can’t be when it is nine of the finest legal minds in the country that are split in this way.
DOM DUNN
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People support the PAD
Re: ”Our international image at stake” (BP, Oct 23). Achara Ashayagachat writes that ”diplomats, businessmen and academics in Europe wonder what went wrong _ why a democratically elected government is under pressure from a movement called People’s Alliance for Democracy; why Thai people tolerate the continuing provocation of this anti-government group leading to violent clashes between their supporters and pro-government groups”.
The answer, Khun Achara, is quite simple. The PAD would not exist if the Thai people did not support it, the same way the French supported their infamous French Revolution when heads rolled like volleyballs.
The French, who reacted as a nation led by bloodthirsty leaders behaved like a bloodthirsty rabble. The PAD is quite orderly and well organised. That’s your answer, simply put.
If the present Thai government reacts like those during the French Revolution, their heads will also roll, and Bangkok will stink like the streets of old Paris.
YANKELEH
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Heading for worse times
Re: ”SET faces slow road to revival” (BP, Oct 23). What hogwash. Anyone who thinks a bottom occurred earlier this month should be fired from their job because they are either lying or incompetent. We are not yet close to a bottom and there are no signs of a bottom. There has been no volume confirmation and the fundamentals still have not improved and there are no signs of any sector pulling out ahead. In a real rally, volume would be off the charts on at least a couple of days and without government intervention. We have not yet seen that. Plainly, there is absolutely no indication that we have hit bottom, none whatsoever.
When speaking of the SET, how can someone call a 100-150 points drop a ‘’short move”? That is 30% of the market! Comparing this to the 2001 recession and estimating a 2.2-3.5% growth is ridiculous. This is already worse than the 2001 recession and is likely to be more severe than anything any person has seen in their lifetime.
I’m tired of hearing the whitewashed economic news. Doesn’t anyone have the integrity to give us the real story? Are they going to sweet talk everyone all the way to the bottom and then blame it on the foreigner investors who pulled their money out?
CHRISTOPHER L FEIGE
Bangkok Post
Saturday October 25, 2008
