PostBag
It is reported that Thailand's central bank is formulating plans to control inflation by increasing interest rates. This monetarist tool applies when inflation is driven by consumer demand in a surging economy and may not apply when inflation is imposed by external shocks in a stagnant economy. In that case, the monetarist medicine may be worse than the disease, as we have seen during the stagflation years in America some years ago.
CHA-AM JAMAL
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Laziness was our ruin
Thanks to the Post for having published the full judgement of the World Court concerning the status of Preah Vihear temple. And from it we can see from the start that Thailand stood no chance against Cambodia whatsoever when the World Court used the French spelling of Khao Phra Viharn as if to reiterate the authority of this colonial power in this part of the world during that particular period.
From what was cited by the court, it is also clear that much of the blame belonged to the Thai officials who seemed complacent or just plain lazy in doing their duty because they conveniently accepted the French map without regard to the consequences.
This trait, I am sorry to say, is still with us up to this day.
VIC PHANUMPHAI
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Uniquely Thai
Re: "A sham democracy," Postbag, June 24. I, for one, don't think Thailand is anywhere near being a well-performing democracy despite our country having been in the business of developing it for 76 years. There is still a long road ahead before we can reach that goal. But I don't think correspondent Shannon Crane, who lives in Australia, understands our situation better than us, either.
Thailand's democracy and development are unique in themselves. You simply cannot generalise them in any way, much less compare them to your own country and system.
At this juncture, military coups and street demonstration groups like the PAD are not the cause but the fruit of Thailand's bad system. The trouble started when people with deep pockets thought they could buy up a country and reap trillions of baht of profit by investing in rigged elections.
The result is we now have more bad and greedy groups of politicians than good ones. You simply can't vote these people out of the system because they always have more hands in the House. That is why we have the PAD and, occasionally, a military coup purportedly to rescue us when things get bogged down in our parliamentary system. That's how our so-called democracy works at the moment.
CHAVALIT VAN
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Buffoons in parliament
It was amazing how many members of the House of Representatives in the government wing kept interrupting the debate by the Opposition for reasons so absurd to the point of nausea. Take, for example, the sickening and shallow mentality expressed by PPP member Chavarin Latthasaksiri, who repeatedly protested that Thaksin's name was being mentioned without his being referred to in full as Police Lieutenant-Colonel Thaksin Shinawatra!
And there was Pracha Prasopdee, a Samut Prakan MP who constantly stood up and shouted his protests. Little wonder why the Lower House looks like a zoo when we have such a bunch of buffoons like Pracha and Police Lieutenant Chavarin as PPP members.
CHAMNONG WATANAGASE
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Plenty of evidence
US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman claims there is no evidence of speculators driving up oil prices. This is not the view of a diverse range of other opinion-makers.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission suggests almost three quarters of the activity in the oil market is accounted for by speculators. George Soros says that the present oil price looks like a bubble. John Dingell, chairman of the US Congressional Committee, thinks the oil market has become a casino, and Senator Joe Lieberman is campaigning to prohibit large investors from dealing in any commodities. Barack Obama says something similar. In fact, most US commentators say there is a large amount of froth in the oil price due to speculation.
Rather than pressure the Saudis into pumping more oil, Bodman would do well to rein in the unscrupulous moneymen who have created havoc with the global rice and wheat prices as well. But this would mean censoring those who bankroll the Republican Party. Better to take a swipe at the Arabs instead.
NICK FERRIMAN
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