Profits from destruction

POSTBAG

Published: 16 Feb 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The question has to be asked: Who will profit from the Mae Wong Dam project (''Dams done in 5 years, says Plodprasop'', BP, Feb 10) which will flood part of a protected national park that happens to be an integral part of Thailand's remaining Western Forest Complex?

Certain nameless people have tried several times over the years to destroy parts of the largest system of protected rainforest left in mainland Southeast Asia (for example, the Nam Chon Dam project which was first proposed in 1966 and finally abandoned in 1988) and all credit to the Thai people that this important reserve of 17 protected areas covering 18,000 sq km along the border with Myanmar is still protected.

However these nameless people seem determined to try and destroy parts of this important reserve again, so let's start asking the hard questions _ who will profit from flooding parts of this reserve? And who will move in and ''remove'' the valuable trees before the land is flooded? Once we know that we will see who is responsible for the continued onslaught against the Thai people's natural heritage _ the rainforest.

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pattel
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Discussion 18 : 20 Feb 2013 at 19.2518
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In over 30 years of coming to Thailand I have never been offered children. Young men , young ladies,ladyboys , threesomes just about every possibility you can think of, but never young children. This is not because I never go to the most, shall we say exciting areas because I have (and still do) but children never.
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egon
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Discussion 17 : 17 Feb 2013 at 09.4217
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Mr.Meldrew:Evidently you are not really au fait.Not only one walk on Pat Pong but a 30 years experience.Moreover as someone commented this was probably a trick to lure the not speaking thai farang in a bar to be blackmailed in paying tens of thousands of baht.But,helas,people don,t look at the facts but at sensation.
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mr.meldrew
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Discussion 16 : 17 Feb 2013 at 02.2416
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JOHN KANE: What a strange and disturbing letter. Just because you took a walk in a notorious sex district and wasn't offered child sex we should take that exercise as fact that "paedophilia, and sex trafficking too for that matter, is far less common than the internet blogs and entertainment media would have us believe."

What because in your little walk you wasn't offered any? Thomas Giesen reported he was offered such services and so that makes your observations null and void. And I find it rather strange you would want to report that such disturbing things are "far less common".
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englishbob
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Discussion 15 : 16 Feb 2013 at 18.5115
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@Michael Nightingale -
Regarding 'poison meat' vs vegetarianism, the facts speak for themselves... People are living longer, and healthier lives. Your argument just doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
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englishbob
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Discussion 14 : 16 Feb 2013 at 18.4614
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Disc13 Ringmaster - Thailand should therefore conduct Thaksin's other cases 'in absentia'.
That way you and the other non-Thaksin-haters will have to concede that a corrupt man was found guilty rather than clinging to the notion that he is a victim.
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ringmaster
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Discussion 13 : 16 Feb 2013 at 12.3413
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Renaissance - Yes, and I don't mean to suggest that Thaksin wasn't corrupt. Even I wouldn't argue that. But that particular case and how it was handled was dodgy at best. Thaksin isn't regarded as a fugitive to the rest of the world because the rest of the world sees that particular conviction as politically tainted. He'll never be extradited because of that. Most Thaksin haters just don't get it.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 12 : 16 Feb 2013 at 12.0112
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pquinlan: Oops! It was indeed a mistake. One just can't get trustworthy keyboards anymore. (Thank you for pointing it out.)

Ringmaster: You're quite right. The legal system is used selectively by the political masters at the time.
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mr.meldrew
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Discussion 11 : 16 Feb 2013 at 11.4611
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MICHAEL NIGHTINGALE vegetarianism might be the way for him, but the majority of the world are meat eaters and so would not agree with him. And veggies are just as tainted by dodgy producers than meat, if not more.
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pquinlan
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Discussion 10 : 16 Feb 2013 at 10.5810
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Rennaisance: While I agree with the general thrust of your argument, it is not helpful to the credibility of your argument if you get basic, and very publicly known, facts wrong. PM Yingluck is Thaksin's youngest sister, not his daughter. I trust this was a slip of the fingers on the keyboard? Or perhaps obscure sarcasm?
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ringmaster
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Discussion 9 : 16 Feb 2013 at 10.569
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Renaissance Sure... You described Thai legal due process better than I did. And when the Dems were in power all cases against their supporters were ignored or delayed seemingly permanently but woe to their opponents. It is convenient to have a system of laws where everyone is a criminal. You just pick and choose who is prosecuted, convicted, sentenced and bailed based upon what is more politically convenient. That is Thai legal due process.
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Profits from destruction | Bangkok Post: opinion