The rights of others
Written by changthai11 on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Post Bag
The rights of others
PM Somchai will be faced with constant demonstrations calling for him to step down/stay the course. As with other causes, the protesters’ constitutional right to do so must be respected.
However, even though they believe that they are fighting for democracy, etc, they must scrupulously respect the rights of everybody else, whether it be the owners of the private property the PM is visiting (e.g. Siam Paragon) or other users of public property (e.g. sidewalks) _ for their right to swing their fists ends where somebody else’s nose begins.
Thus, if anybody protests in a department store or within an airport, the store owners or the Airports of Thailand Plc have the perfect legal right to ask them to protest on public soil, and to call the cops if they don’t.
Likewise, if they protest on the streets or sidewalks, they must allow others to pass through freely and unharassed. Just because you’re fighting for a righteous end doesn’t give you the right to use any means you wish.
BURIN KANTABUTRA
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The global banking system under the dictates of the capitalist system is in dire straits. In this respect, the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street will not have any major impact in the long term to stem the enormous problems that reside in the global financial markets.
Indeed, this can only be seen as a stop-gap in what will become the greatest economic problem that the world has ever seen. For with the US alone having unprecedented and unsustainable household, corporate and public debt of $51.1 trillion at the end of 2007 _ and projected to be at least $53 trillion (equivalent to nearly the whole economic turnover of the entire world) by the end of this year _ $700 billion is only small change in the whole of the global debt market at over $100 trillion (equivalent to nearly two years of global GDP).
Indeed, this insurmountable and unmanageable debt in the US alone is running at an interest payment of over $2 trillion a year when all is taken into account. Therefore, the entire fundamentals of the global financial system are totally flawed and need radical re-engineering urgently.
Consequently, all that the $700 billion will do in reality is simply bail out the bankers who caused this human disaster in the first place, and no more.
Unfortunately, therefore, the main effects of this dire problem still lie ahead and presently the taxpayer will be deceived again. In this respect, the financial world and governments are simply looking after their short-term interests and no more. On the one side, they wish to offload their debt scot-free and on the other, they’re only thinking of the impending political elections, not the people themselves.
DR DAVID HILL
World Innovation Foundation Charity (WIFC)
Bern, Switzerland
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Not taxable here
Re: ”Tax on Man City sale,” Postbag, Sept 26. Regrettably, no Thai tax can be collected on Thaksin’s 3-billion-baht profit from the sale of Manchester City Football Club in the UK, because he is not resident in Thailand in the year 2008 and the related asset is outside Thailand. The UK tax authorities will have that benefit.
SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT
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Noise from aircraft / May I speak out on a subject in plain, simple English that anyone with half a brain in their head should understand? I refer to the Outlook article of Sept 25: ”Thundering uproar shatters hopes and ears.”
Suvarnabhumi Airport was in the planning stages for nearly 30 years and Cobra Swamp was the area chosen for this airport, which has since come into being. At the onset, this area was chosen due to its low population density.
As it is, I have no sympathy for Somjai Panyanasonthi or anyone else who chose to build homes in this area. Anyone with half a brain would know that once completed, there would be noise from aircraft taking off and landing. Anyone with half a brain would know better than to build in this area.
So why is it that these people think they have a right to complain to the AoT or the Thai government about noise?
There is an old saying, ”If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Anyone with half a brain should have understood this.
CHARLIE BROWN
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Too gullible
While I feel sorry for Victor Tan being scammed in Bangkok, (Postbag, Sept 27), I cannot but wonder how anyone could be so gullible? Look around you, Victor. Did the city appear to you to be under a state of emergency? Ask a passerby, ask at your hotel. How you were ”pressured” into buying rings, or anything else for that matter, also somehow defies logic. If you do not want to buy anything, you simply say no and walk out of the store.
Victor, I hate to say this, but some people get what they deserve.
PEPSI RIDGEBACK
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Not world’s best
In the Bangkok Post of Sept 24, Thomas Chambers, managing director of Continental Auto Thailand, states that Phuket’s beaches are the best in the world. Tom, please go to Australia, where on any coastline you will see beaches in pristine condition that are not clogged with thousands of deck chairs and the waters are clear, with good surfing conditions _ unlike Phuket, where you swim in murky, oily waters.
BRIAN FORLONGE
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