Re: ''Girl's death costs bus firms B10m'' (BP, March 9). It is sad to find out that an Abac student fell from a bus in 2004 while standing near the exit. In an attempt to beat a red light on Ramkhamhaeng Road, the bus driver had failed to shut the door.
This isn't a rare case of a tragic and preventable accident involving public transport. Driving in Bangkok along a three-lane road, I often see public buses swerving from the left lane to the right one in order to overtake other vehicles.
How much do these bus drivers earn, I wonder? Do they receive a monthly salary? Or is the pay based on the number of rounds/trips they make each day? If it's the latter, that creates an incentive for bus drivers to rush from and to stations to maximise their earnings. If the salary is a monthly stipend, then a thorough screening must be conducted to ensure we have qualified drivers. After all, passengers' lives are at risk if the bus driver isn't properly vetted and qualified to drive.
Moreover, many of the public buses in Bangkok need to be replaced _ just look at the massive clouds of black fumes they emit.
All these problems are the responsibility of the Transport Ministry. Unless changes and improvements are made, we will continue hearing about tragic accidents involving public buses.
EDWARD KITLERTSIRIVATANA
Court verdict great news
Re: ''Girl's death costs bus firms B10m'' (BP, March 9). This is great news. I praise the court's verdict even if it took eight years, and the courage and patience of the victim's family. Wish this will be a model case to emphasise the safety and responsibilities of bus operators. I wonder if similar previous cases once closed can be technically revived as court cases.
R. H. SUGA, LAMPHUN
We need a flood czar
Re: ''Tell us how this won't recur'' (BP, Opinion, March 9). While I think Ms Yingluck Shinawatra excels in public relations _ like those pretty ladies who work at first-class hotels and greet guests, making them feel welcome and at ease _ she does not inspire very much confidence in me when it comes to talking about water management and handling floods.
I would much prefer there to be a kind of flood czar in charge, to talk about this subject, to give us the feeling that here is someone who really knows what is going on and knows how to take care of it.
I would not recommend Plodprasop Suraswadi for this job, however. He too frequently comes up with statements that scare the hell out of me. Hopefully some calm, rational, knowledgeable and authoritative person can be found by the government to assuage our fears before the flood season is upon us and we all start to panic again.
FORMER FLOOD VICTIM
Critics aflutter in their own wind over logo
Re: ''Concern at store's 'Thai flag' logo'' (BP, March 5). Some people will try to whip up any nonsense into a big issue just to get attention. In this case, they have found their mark in the WoWo retail chain in Chengu, whose logo is striped and coloured like the Thai flag.
But blue, red and white are popular colours commonly used worldwide. If the patriots at the Commerce Ministry are really concerned about people being misled by the logo, then why haven't they gone after British Airways? The UK flag carrier has what looks like a ''Thai flag'' painted its aircraft tails. Do people mistake BA for a Thai airline?
People need to be more open-minded and keep their eyes focused on real issues that deserve attention.
VORAVUTH T
Headless chicken run
Re: ''Travails of a bicyclist'' (Postbag, March 1). Having read Joanne Stevens' letter, I feel obliged to add my tuppence-worth to her weighty question _ ''Why, oh why, are there zebra crossings in Thailand?''_ after nearly been mown down, along with my son, on a recent visit to Pattaya.
There, along Beach Road, a number of very impressive and futuristic zebra-crossings have been installed. Splendiferous as they are, there is just one problem: they don't actually work (I did try using three of them).
Someone, no doubt of high local standing and incredibly unusual wealth, has instructed these crossing be set to permanently flashing amber. Now this, in true Thai infinite wisdom, means they will never flash red or green like those inconvenient ones throughout the rest of the world but, more importantly, has inadvertently created the perfect death-trap. Drivers react to flashing amber like the average bull (or, should I say, buffalo?)
Meanwhile the pedestrian, now in a trance having stood so long gazing at the hypnotic flashing light, foolishly convinces himself that these zebra-crossings are so darn futuristic-looking that they must work by sensors. So he embarks on what can only be described as a (headless) chicken run.
If lucky like my son and I, he will live to tell the tale of a near-miss (shouldn't that be near-hit?) in Pattaya. But if not... well, we all know that would be just another statistic for the Tourism Authority of Thailand to turn a blind eye to.
EARL GRAY
Airport English woeful
I arrived back at Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday morning to the usual chaos. The immigration hall was packed with queues down the slope. The crush of people was such that a procession of wheelchair passengers had trouble getting through.
As usual, several Immigration desks were unmanned. A Russian in front of me asked a girl _ who was wearing a shirt with ''Welcome'' written on it in several languages and who was obviously there to assist tourists _ whether it was always like this. And she didn't speak English!
It beggars belief, doesn't it? I got talking with the Russian and warned him of more of the same on the way out. He told me that he flies through more than 30 airports a year and had never seen anything as bad as Bangkok.
But a few officials were trying to make an effort, directing those with children to the idle ''Thai-only'' desks, and after I had been waiting nearly an hour and there was just one person in front of me, I was also invited to go to one of those desks.
As usual, the toughest part of the journey was from the plane to the taxi.
BARRY WOOD
On a jet ski boycott
I, for one, will be boycotting Pattaya and Phuket until jet skis are made permanently unavailable for rent at those places. This whole rip-off business needs to be completely snuffed out. As a frequent visitor to Thailand since 1984, I advise other visitors to join in the boycott. There are better places to visit, which don't have police in collusion with extortionists, fleecing tourists for tens of thousands of baht on a daily basis.
Tourists from India and the Middle East seem to comprise most of the victims, though the beach thieves will openly steal from any unwitting foreigner.
At the very least foreign embassies should put out travel advisories, warning their citizens of the rampant extortion that is going on here.
Phuket and Pattaya police are helpless to intervene _ either out of fear of the extortionists, or because they themselves are in on the scam. Top politicians in Bangkok are equally ineffective, and appear not to care that the widespread jet ski scam is doing untold damage to the international image of Thai tourism.
KIP KEINO
Hiding from the hunters
Elephants in Thailand are like tigers: there are more in captivity than in the wild. It is a shameful way to treat the national animal _ chained up, beaten and/or drugged. To those who praise certain elephant camps, I say you are not seeing the full picture. Training a calf to do tricks involves significant cruelty. They should be with their mothers in the forest.
Sri Lanka takes care of its wildlife and creates, for example, waterholes where tourists can view animals in their natural habitat. I would pay good money to see this in Thailand, but unfortunately there is no wildlife tourism here, as every creature is hiding from the hunters.
JOHN BALL
Chiang Mai
'Thainess' unfathomable
It is often said that foreigners will never understand so called ''Thainess''. So true, and here are a couple of examples why:
On Phahon Yothin Road heading towards Thammasat University _ right in the heart of last year's flood zone _ the drainage ditch at the side of the road has been removed and replaced with an extra traffic lane. The road is now 13 lanes wide!
To make matters really weird, some of the concrete posts carrying those ugly wires have not been relocated far enough and have actually been left in the new lane! Anyone pulling into the left lane will be confronted with a deadly situation.
On the same road, the central drainage ditch is completely clogged with garbage. It must be borne in mind, though, that this is Pathum Thani, truly one of the world's most squalid urban areas.
MYSTIFIED
Immigration, speed up!
My wife and I are enjoying our 48th visit to Thailand. Needless to say, we love the culture, friendliness of the Thai people, the food, the relaxed atmosphere and, of course, the wonderful weather _ all of which go to make this a truly unique country.
However, on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport, once again we had to queue up for almost two hours to go through Immigration, which was horrendous. Something needs to be done to speed these formalities up.
PETER LORD STOURBRIDGE
West Midlands, England
Bright sides of Thailand
Re: the poor service at Suvarnabhumi airport. I have been travelling in and out of Bangkok every month for nearly 20 years, and must agree that the service (particularly at the arrival hall) has been absolutely hopeless these past six to 12 months. I really don't understand why they do not do something about it!
I have a suggestion that might help those poor tourists waiting in long, endless queues. To keep their spirits up, why not distribute reading material, something about what a visitor may/may not do in Thailand:
- Never use the zebra crossing because you will most certainly be run over and injured.
- Don't smoke between Sukhumvit Soi 5 and 15, because there are no bins for your butts and you will be fleeced by the ''cigarette police''.
- Don't walk on Bangkok's street footpaths without keeping one eye out for motorcycles and the other for dog excrement.
- Don't try and work out who is the actual prime minister running Thailand because you can't.
But there are plenty of things one may do:
- Visit the beautiful temples and heritage sites Thailand has to offer.
- Visit the beautiful beaches which will make you want to stay in Thailand forever.
- Take your wife or girlfriend to check out Patpong and Soi Cowboy, because that's life.
- Most of all, talk to all the beautiful, smiling, friendly Thai people, because that's what makes Thailand so special.
DAVID BATTEN
Hotel fire safety a joke
Re: ''Two foreigners perish in hotel fire'' (BP, March 10).
Corners continue to be cut and another hotel fire is hardly a surprise.
Take, for example, a five-star international brand name hotel which opened last year out of compliance with local fire prevention standards, (and remains so as far as local residents can tell). Additionally, fire hydrants and emergency access areas are blocked by cars and vans as a matter of course. The routine delivery of gas canisters is a dangerous joke, and there's more ...!
Surely, it is now high time for a complete overhaul of the fire, safety and hotel certification process. And what of insurance? How many hotels are adequately covered? Who checks? The hotel mentioned above refuses to disclose its public liability insurance cover. And what of international brand names? How responsible are they if an accident takes place, especially when their own negligence plays a part?
These tragedies will continue to happen until human beings are seen to be more important than saving time and face, securing contracts, cutting costs, collecting backhanders and reaping fat profits.
JOHN SHEPHERD
Well done, Supinya
NTBC commissioner Supinya Klangnarong is to be congratulated for making a courageous, albeit rudimentary, gesture towards establishing a culture of transparency and accountability at a government regulatory agency. The negative reactions of her colleagues were quite revealing, in summary suggesting that her remarks had caused them to lose face and that perhaps Ms Supinya lacked ''good character''. I wonder if any of these 10 commissioners might be concealing unusual wealth under a pile of iPads and iPhones.
MICHAEL SETTER
Name and shame
Re: ''Supinya's gift comments spark tension'' (BP, March 10).
Commissioner Supinya Klangnarong called for the NBTC to draw up a code of conduct on gifts after a telecom giant tried to give her an iPhone which she refused. I am quite sure she knew this iPhone exceeded the 3,000 baht anti-corruption rule which bars officials from receiving such gifts.
Now, three NBTC members, who remain unnamed, are accusing her of damaging the reputation of the regulatory organisation. What? I say she should be praised for speaking out. Are we not trying to eliminate corruption in Thailand? Isn't accepting expensive gifts a form of corruption?
The author of the above story, Komsan Tortermvasana, should name and expose the NBTC members who seem to think graft should not be exposed and made public.
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