All those who have criticised the comments by US envoy Daniel Russel during his visit to Thailand should read Songkran Grachangnetara’s article, “Only real democracy will solve Thailand’s problems” on Thursday. It’s the most powerful he has written so far. The article clearly illustrates Mr Songkran’s anguish at the current plight of his country, and his concerns for the future will be shared by many of Thailand’s friends abroad.
Bryan Lindsay
Prayut best for Thais
Songkran Grachangnetara seems to be writing in a different country in a different time. I’m surprised that as a Thai, he still harps on a Disneyland fantasy theme about true democracy in Thailand. Having resided in both England and the USA and judging from his education, he has become Westernised.
He should realise that Thailand is Thailand, and little will change. Democracy here is a self-destruct button that once activated will blow this country apart. The Thai mentality does not run toward democracy, but toward individuals and clans wielding power and control. Thailand lacks the checks and balances for anything else to happen.
Yingluck Shinawatra was supposed to be part of democracy, but was a puppet for Thaksin, who ran the country from Dubai. Again, it was all about power and control. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha may have come to power with a coup, but he is the best thing that has happened to this country in decades. Notice peaceful cities, no destructive rallies, no attempts to burn down Bangkok, no groups taking over intersections to hold cities and their residents hostage and much more. Now, if only, like Mussolini, he could get the trains to run on time, Thailand would be in its best position ever.
Satisfied Mango
Go home, USA
I have no idea what information Washington received from its Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney, who held the job since before the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) takeover, but the position conveyed via the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel in Bangkok on Monday contains several mistaken assumptions.
Washington states that it supports democratically elected governments, but is it aware of how much money Ms Yingluck used to buy those (democratic) votes and where it came from? When she was elected to parliament, she colluded to rob the country and destroy the justice system.
You say the usurping of power was not righteous, but do you realise the NCPO had to step in before the country became more damaged, both economically and socially, and could in fact have become a failed state? You say we should discontinue martial law, but do you realise those still colluding with the fugitive Thaksin will come out and cause problems again with no fear for the law?
As a Thai citizen, I think it is pathetic how willfully ignorant Washington portrays itself in order to play both sides of the fence. My country is a free country that holds as much prestige as yours. Since World War II, you in Washington have taken the liberty to endlessly interfere in the internal affairs of countries across the globe, causing damage that cannot even be calculated. Take Iraq as an example. Have they not fallen to pieces because of you? I think it is time to call a stop to this. Go home and sweep your own house clean. Shame on you, Ugly American!!!
DK
Bangkok
Thais don't like advice
Re: “Reach for the video”, (PostBag, Jan 30).
Burin Kantabutra is so far, after 15 years in this country, the only Thai I know of who will not only heed good criticism, but also be thankful for it and act on it. Judging by the furious overreaction to the advice concerning the political quagmire given by the US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, Thais will never accept any advice, let alone criticism, no matter how apt it is.
Bravo, Khun Burin
Isan Proofreader
Russel 'understands'
With all due respect to Vint Chavala (re: “PM rebuffs US martial laws barbs”, BP, Jan 28) and Mr BJ from Ubon (re: "US should wise up", Jan 29), I believe they underestimate US envoy Daniel Russel’s local knowledge.
Mr Russel is certainly well informed. He is also a well-paid US government employee, doing his job. While Thaksin clearly showed his allegiance to the US government, it is also clear that Prime Minister Prayut’s loyalty goes first to the people of Thailand.
The US government’s relentless request for a “return to democracy”, despite the overwhelming support of the Thai people for Gen Prayut, begins to sound like a broken record.
Clara Holzer
No democracy here
Thank you PM Prayut for your words of wisdom, “Democracy will never die from Thailand”, in yesterday's Thai pulse. Some people may not understand the correctness of this statement. But most of us know that democracy cannot die if it was never here in the first place. Thailand has yet to see true democracy.
Charlie Brown
Pattaya
Cold day in Riyadh
Karl Reichstetter’s apparently tongue-in-cheek Wednesday letter suggesting Buddhist temples and Catholic churches might be constructed in Saudi Arabia raises very interesting issues related to freedom of religious practice and the potential for religions to live side by side in harmony.
We might reflect on how realistic such thoughts are when public celebrations of Christmas are banned in Brunei “for fear of Muslims being led astray” (BP, Jan 9), and high-ranking Islamic clerics feel compelled to “protect” Muslims from exposure to alternative concepts and ideas as might emanate from copies of the Bible falling into the hands of the faithful in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and elsewhere.
Churches and wats in Saudi Arabia? Right, that will be a cold day in Riyadh!
Samanea Saman
Rice money was lost
Andreas Kertscher recently wrote in PostBag that the money lost in the rice-pledging scheme wasn't lost but rather redistributed to the farmers. Yet, he failed to recognise that the government bought the rice at highly inflated prices, way over market prices, and has then had to sell it at market prices, if not less. That is where the government has lost money, in addition to mismanagement by the government resulting in spoilage and theft of rice. Government intervention in the marketplace almost always hits the taxpayer in the pocketbook. In this case, there was not even a noble cause. It was to acquire votes and to keep you-know-who’s party in power.
Harry McCaffrey
USA
Pledging hurt farmers
My wife’s family grows Hom Mali rice in Isan, and I never heard of a single "farmer" who received the pledging price.
First, you had to register for the programme and then find a warehouse that would buy under the programme (very few existed). When there was one (many times very long distances from the farm) there would be two queues. Twenty trucks would sell rice from one line to one from the other. Let Andreas Kertscher figure which line was selling the “pledged” rice. Some farmers waited in queue days — yes, days — for their rice to be purchased because all the non-pledged rice was being bought immediately at quite reduced prices.
When the poor farmers with no “special connections” were finally able to sell their crop they were told that it didn’t meet the specifications (it always seemed to be too wet) and they would not get the pledging price of 15-20 baht. Many times it could be down to near single digits.
Of course 600 million baht was “lost” and then “found” by the “special” ones as they would pull out all that old stock from years past (and some recently purchased dirt-cheap stocks) and run it through (just one of the too many corrupt ways that were used to suck the system dry) and sell it at the top pledge price.
Buy it for eight baht, and sell it back to the government for 15; that sure helps the poor farmers buy those new cell phones and pay off the loan sharks.
Tom Duzanica
No Yingluck sympathy
Eric Bahrt, in his Friday letter, “Sorry for Yingluck”, says that his feeling sorry for her, from his point of view, is a miracle indeed. I, in turn, feel sorry for Mr Bahrt for feeling any sorrow at all for Yingluck, or for that matter, for the rest of that corrupt, power-grubbing family.
Jack Gilead
Coup was necessary
Re: “No need for a coup”, (PostBag, Jan 26).
Eric Bahrt states in his concluding sentence: “It seems Mr Wilcox is only for law and order when 'his side' is in power." He is absolutely right because I stand for law and order. My side is for law and order, and happens to be a government which places its country first, its political party second and its individual members last and respects the people. Any reasoning, fair-minded person would not disagree with that.
It matters little what political party governs a country, provided they act responsibly in the interest of the country and the people rather than themselves.
Prior to the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) embarking on their protest in November 2013, they ascertained that the contemporaneous charter made provision for the people to protest in a non-violent manner against a dysfunctional, self-serving government. Even during the months of protest, the judiciary confirmed this to be the case.
Mr Bahrt maintains that the coup d’etat of May 2014 was unnecessary because the military could have stepped in earlier during the protest. The military did not step in at that point because the protest was legal, within the law. Had the military taken action, it would have been illegal and out of order.
The reason the military took control when it did was because of the government's supporters responding to a legal protest with military weapons, murdering several people in the process.
The government was also backed by a partisan police force that used military-style weaponry.
The government appeared perfectly happy for their supporters and the police to continue with their rocket-propelled grenades, bombs and rifles "policy".
This situation confirmed that the PDRC was right in the first place to call for such a government to step down and allow democratic principles to be established.
With innocent people being killed and the judiciary being attacked by government supporters and the police in a partisan role, the country was without law and order. It had become a failed state. Thailand was on the brink of civil war due to military-style government support, not because of a legal protest.
At that stage, the military was not only clearly justified in taking control of the country but was under obligation to do so in the interests of the people.
JC Wilcox
The cabbies' wheeze
Has anyone pointed out to the rapacious taxi drivers that they do not have to go to the airport? They can roam Khao San Road or the Grand Palace looking for mugs equally well.
Also, they do not have to help the passengers load their luggage into the glove box they laughingly call a boot, occupied as it is with a massive CNG tank.
Nor do they have to pile the luggage on top of the unsuspecting passengers inside the car.
If there are insufficient taxis to service the demand, there will be complaints from the incoming tourists, and that will be a matter for the airport authorities and TAT. They can then negotiate a suitable hike in the airport surcharge.
Just because the taxis have thought up a wheeze to slake their greed is no reason to pander to them.
A Frequent Traveller
Sukhumvit dismay
I was so happy to see the authorities were going to crack down on human trafficking and illegal foreign prostitutes. Sadly, it's a huge task and an even bigger problem.
Sukhumvit Road from Asok to Soi 3 is awash with illegal prostitutes from Uzbekistan and other Eastern European countries. They are all there to feed the ever-growing Arab population.
Over time, with this has come Nigerian drug dealers, and the whole demographics of lower Sukhumvit have changed overnight.
We do not feel safe walk along the street at night. I feel sorry for the Thai residents who have lived there all their lives, have homes there and pay taxes.
As a taxpayer in Thailand, I also feel dismay.
Victoria
Road sign mayhem
Having just returned from a quick in-and-out business trip to Bangkok, I took the opportunity to drive upcountry to visit a few friends.
I was amazed that so many traffic warning signs, stop signs at intersections, yield signs, signs announcing sharp curves and zigzagged roads, upcoming U-turns, traffic lights, and others were mostly not visible.
They were blocked by branches, banana trees and weeds. Isn’t there anyone in the Land Transport Department who can control the upkeep and maintenance of these signs?
Everyone wonders why the traffic fatalities are so high.
David James Wong
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