Tomorrow never comes

POSTBAG

Published: 6 Oct 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The Thai word ja, the English equivalent of ''will'', is interesting.

Thaksin Shinawatra promised to cure Bangkok's traffic problems in six months. His favourite word was ''will''. ''I will cut traffic jams in Bangkok,'' he said.

Now the prime minister has established a subcommittee that ''will'' establish a method to cut traffic problems in Bangkok. Rice farmers ''will'' profit from the rice mortgage scheme. Flooding ''will'' be prevented. The poor ''will'' receive proper housing.

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howell
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Discussion 16 : 06 Oct 2012 at 23.5316
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@FUTURE MANGO. Spot on ! Thaksin is such a slimy manipulator he never ever promises a date just some vague time in the future. And yet people believe him and then forget his promise that was never a promise at all.
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domdunnn
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Discussion 15 : 06 Oct 2012 at 15.0015
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Tomb D2

In addition to malaysians, 250 million Indonesians speak Bahasa, as do the people of Brunei and it is one of the official languages of Singapore.
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lungstib
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Discussion 14 : 06 Oct 2012 at 13.1214
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I would very much like to see the USA election get the same air time here in Thailand that the Thai election gets in the USA. Probably 10 mins for the whole year. Perfect.
It would appear that watching Tv is the prime pasttime for most falangs along with writting to the BP complaining about the programs.
Forget the US election, give up watching TV andjust enjoy thecomedy that is Thai politics.
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egon
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Discussion 13 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.5013
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Wilcox:Disappointing me.Thai language far better can express emotions,ideas than the english.You notice this by reading thai literature.Your opinion of Obama,s socialist policies is a misnomer often used by people who are too lazy to analyse his policies.You should not confuse taking care of the people who cann,t take care of themselves with Obama being a socialist.On the contrary his policies give people a greater chance to realise the american dream than the winner take all position of Romney.
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jcwilcox
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Discussion 12 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.4412
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ERIC BAHRT - debates do mean something. They place the protagonists under the spotlight. against Obama, Romney seemed to be far more eloquent and better informed. Romney seemed to face reality rather than Obama who would seem to favour destructive populist policies, similar to those that have brought the UK and Europe to their knees. Levelling down does not work in the long term and pandering to the do-not-haves creates indolence. That is my impression as a non-American.
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egon
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Discussion 11 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.4111
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Disc 1:Let,s stick to the facts!As the past shows Eric is right:debates don,t serve much of a purpose.Even if Eric,s posts are not serving much of a purpose the fact remains debates do neither.I am happy to read that faith in Obama is hardly diminished.Heavens forbid a Romney becomes president with his survival of the fittest policies and his war rhetorics.You don,t honor your nickname as it is evident that Soderberg hasn,t the slightest idea about the policies of Obama or Romney.Every one au fond with these policies know about Romney,s lies in the debate{even gingrich accused Romney of telling lies}.
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jcwilcox
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Discussion 10 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.3710
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SUTIPUNT - Yes, you are right but what we see here is typical of the Thai style of reasoning that does not refer to basic principles. Any business that is not aware of supply and demand and the need for profitability will not exist very long.But when employees decide the wage structure private enterprise is doomed from the start. The minimum wage nonsense is putting the cart before the horse and sees the tail wagging the dog.
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jcwilcox
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Discussion 9 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.289
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THEODORE - It would seem that Obama is advocating the same destructive policies that have reduce the UK and Europe to its current parlous state. Liberal socialism will ultimately completely destroy the 'American Dream'.
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jcwilcox
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Discussion 8 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.218
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Charles Frederickson - Why complicate matters further. Your suggestion will solve nothing internationally. You claim your hybrid Asian language to be useful as it has many of the attributes of the English language, so why not stick with English which is already an established language internationally. Encouraging the use of English which is the most widely used in modern technology, would make for better social cohesion globally. One language is the answer to many problems and is there a better language than English anyway.
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jcwilcox
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Discussion 7 : 06 Oct 2012 at 10.107
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FUTURE MANGO - The Thai language does not have the benefit of grammar that allows us to be so precise in English. I raised this point with a very educated Thai and she replied,"But we understand each other". The language reflects the reality of life in Thailand: muddled and without vision. There is no forward planning but their favourite remark says it all, "mai pen rai".
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Tomorrow never comes | Bangkok Post: opinion