Change the chef

Re: "Recipe for reform risks turning sour", (Opinion, Dec 16).

Atiya Achakulwisut was right when she said Thais should not raise their expectations for their country’s new constitution too high.

If memory serves us right, the key member of the current Constitution Drafting Committee also took part in the drafting of the 1997 constitution.

After the 1997 charter was promulgated, this person failed the ethics test − by taking part as a key player in the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

My question is: How come we are still using the service of the same chef who failed to make an edible dish for us the last time?

Vint Chavala

Weed out undesirables

It is my understanding that a foreigner seeking Thai citizenship must meet stringent qualifications, including the ability to speak and write Thai, a knowledge of Thai history, its culture and customs, and to be able to sing the Thai national anthem.

Australia has been criticised lately for its refugee policies, but in general it has been far too lax in handing out citizenship to immigrants, often doing so to people who speak barely a word of English.

Without wanting to play the race card, all too often it seems that we hand citizenship to people who want all the benefits of living in a country like Australia but who have no intention of fitting in to its social norms and conventions.

If Australia adopted the Thai approach it might perhaps be able to weed out the radical elements like the Muslim sheikh Man Haron Monis, who held innocent people hostage in the Lindt Chocolat Café in Sydney on Monday, ending in his death and the death of two hostages, not to mention the serious trauma caused to the other hostages.

David Brown

Not much of a gift

Re: "Pump prices cut", (BP, Dec 16).

Fuel prices are being cut by one baht, and we're told it's a Christmas present! Since June world oil prices have dropped more than 40%.

Fuel prices at the pump should have gone down, on average, by more than 10 baht a litre. What a present.

Lothar

Christmas grouch

I cannot wait for Dec 26 when all the ear-splitting music about fictional Christmas beings will cease and sanity will once again prevail, but I will not get much of a respite as Easter approaches and the fictional bunnies appear.

Brian Forlonge

A welcome hub

Re: "U-tapao airport eyes hub status", (BP, Dec 15).

I welcome this scheme. As they expect, the airport will help tourism around Pattaya, but I find its potential to be a great air-cargo hub for Thailand to be more than a contribution to tourism.

This airport was developed to handle heavy aircraft during the Vietnam War. It can be adapted to handle all types of cargo planes with little effort. The large industrial estate behind it also has potential for further expansion. Commercial flights won't be in conflict with the Royal Thai Navy’s air operation, as most are support types, not combat operations.

RH Suga
Lamphun

Down with torture

It made me sick to my stomach to read Charlie Brown’s defence of the CIA’s use of torture (PostBag,Dec 13). When it comes to torture is there any place where Mr Brown would draw the line? I doubt it.

Or what about all the PostBag writers who justify the deprivation of human rights in Thailand? Will they draw the line anywhere? Not as long as they think oppression serves their interests. As a Jew I’ve been asking for years, when it comes to Israel’s atrocities, will their supporters ever draw the line? No way! When we hear the word fascist we think of Nazis or Islamic extremists. But most fascists are just average people who keep pushing the line back further and further until there is no line at all.

Eric Bahrt

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