OPINION

Making a mockery of 'justice'

As things stand now, wealthy fugitives from Thai law, such as Thaksin Shinawatra or Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, who is wanted over a hit-and-run killing of a policeman, can evade accountability for their alleged crimes simply by fleeing overseas until the statutes of limitations applicable in their cases expire, after which the suspect is free to return, untouchable by the law.

That hardly deters crime and makes a mockery of the Thai system of justice.

I propose that where warrants have been issued, if the person goes overseas, the clock on the statute of limitation in their cases be stopped automatically until such time as the suspect is placed under custody.

I accept that the Thai system of justice is itself badly in need of reform, but fleeing the country doesn't foster such change. The accused must face the music, all the while fighting for a trial that is impartial, transparent and fast.

All sport is free to watch on the internet and it's all legal. You will need a computer with a Windows operating system and Google Chrome, which works best with an ad-blocker installed.

Go to the Google web store and install for free Ad Guard Ad-blocker, which works well. Search for stream2watch.cc and you're ready. Once you're there, click on live sports and you will be redirected but click on the x on the address bar (very quickly) and you will get back to the page. When you click on a game, wait for a white window and, after the seconds count down to zero, double click the x and you're ready. If you do not get a white window, click on a different stream and try again.

Every time you get redirected, click on the x in the address bar -- do it quickly -- and you will get back to where you want. You can watch all sports from everywhere with a great picture. I have been using it for four months and I get a great deal of sports.

Another one is sportp2p.com with a good amount of sports, though not as good as the other site.

If you want American TV on the internet, all channels just like cable in the States, go to streamlive.to and click on premium and see what you get. It's close to HD quality. You can't beat this deal. I cancelled True when I found out about this one.

As is so often the case, the cover-up -- like the missing plaque -- attracts more attention than the original act.

The "government", through the police, are now ordering groups not to discuss it (BP, May 4). Somehow it all manages to be both hilarious and deeply sinister.

It's hard to resist the feeling that solving this little mystery would provide the clearest insights into where the country is heading and who is heading it.

Bravo to the Transport Ministry, ("Rail study slammed for its 'lack of details'") for slamming the SRT study for a high-speed rail link between Bangkok and Korat. One hardly expects any high-speed rail service to stop at every little whistle stop as that would put it on par with the present SRT local runs.

A train picks up paying passengers to rely on profit. A high-speed Bangkok to Korat train might make one or two stops between its leaving and arriving terminals. A high-speed train that does not fill its passenger quota per run would be equivalent to the now-defunct Concorde flying half empty.

The SRT should first concentrate on improving service and rolling stock, and that should attract more passengers. The free rides on commuter lines are no answer to anything, having led to an attitude by the SRT of "who cares as long as it moves". The Transport Ministry is demanding, and rightfully so, to see studies involving the "what if" factor, in the event these high-speed trains are, in the end, not financially viable.

I guess there is always room in Sattahip for them next to the aircraft carrier and the soon-to-be purchased submarines, along with the army's defunct blimp, plastic fake mine detectors and the other forgotten cast-offs, rotting away. It is sort of like the cavernous (outdoor) storage facility in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Re: "Court rejects 6 sex ring warrant bids", (BP, May 4).

The news that Thai police investigators are planning to put one of the victims in the Mae Hong Son child sex-for-sale scandal to undergo a lie detector test is profoundly unbelievable.

Instead of doing so, why don't we put the ex-governor of the province and other police and provincial officials -- who are alleged to have been the masterminds and customers in this child prostitution case -- to the lie detector to see whether they are lying?

A new water park at Phantai Norasingh opens this week. I am shocked to see the ticket price difference stated in Thai and in English. For Thais: Adults @ 399 baht, Kids @ 299. In English: Adults @ 999, Kids @ 899. You want to charge foreigners higher but with such a difference? How can Thai tourism survive in the future? Or is it because you are trying not to have foreigners visit?

Bravo to the Justice Office, which, according to local media reports, is contributing 2 million baht for bail for the two elderly people sentenced to prison for 15 years (reduced to five) for picking mushrooms.

Doesn't something seem obviously flawed in a system that sentences mushroom pickers, who were made scapegoats for illegal logging, the shoddy investigative work in the Koh Tao murders, and then, on the other hand, letting the killer driver elude justice (seemingly willingly on the part of the police) for the past five years?

Something grossly stinks, and I can tell you it's more than rotten mushrooms.