Leave our trees alone
Some of us living in Bangkok have been frustrated for years by the way crews from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) routinely hack down the big beautiful trees that line our roads and sois.
I have always been told that they don't have a choice about doing this because the trees interfere with the above-ground telecoms and electrical wiring, causing outages.
About one month ago, all that above-ground wiring was removed from the north side of Sukhumvit Road from at least Asok through Phra Khanong and probably beyond. And yet, the BMA crews are still out there cutting down all the trees. They are not trimming them, which isn't necessary anymore anyway, they are reducing many of them to little more than stumps. Despite the fact there is no more wiring.
Why does the BMA have a pathological hatred of trees? Trees make Bangkok beautiful. They make the streets cooler with their shade. The politicians and bureaucrats who administer this city go on and on with PR campaigns about making Bangkok more "liveable" and "green". They don't seem to have a clue about how to do that. How does butchering all the trees make the city more "green"? This really needs to stop.
Robert Horn
PM should heed history
In 1980, then prime minister Kriangsak Chomanan voluntarily resigned from office -- telling parliament that despite being a premier voted in by an election, since his government lost a vote in the House, he should thus relinquish his PM post.
That was a purely democratic act from an army general who was once a coup leader.
In 1988, after serving as prime minister for eight years, General Prem Tinsulanonda refused the offer from leaders of the election-winning political parties for him to be premier once again -- leaving the premiership to be consequently filled by Chatichai Choonhavan, head of the Chart Thai Party.
After the next general election slated for November 2018, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha should follow in the footsteps of Gen Kriangsak and Gen Prem -- and allow Thailand to go back to having the full democracy it deserves once again.
Chavalit WannawijitrChiang Mai
Learn from foreigners
Re: "If I ruled the world", (PostBag, Dec 18).
Whilst the letter writer, "Not blinded by the bling!", feels it inappropriate to comment constructively on the Thai nation when merely passing through annually for a spot of pleasure, for those who have chosen to make Thailand their home, often for decades, it is appropriate to care and to comment.
Thai law does not allow much more, but helping Thai people to better understand Thai affairs, on which much Thai rule of law often seeks to keep them ignorant, is a positive contribution for non-Thai residents.
This healthy expression of care includes pointing out: That the deputy PM and defence minister's ostentatious sufficiency practices raise very real questions to be answered; that the conclusions of the army investigation into the death of a cadet being mysterious, unaccountable, self-amnestying and insistently dogmatic reflect all too well the traditional Thai military virtues that we see in the currently ruling Thai politicians; and that whilst good women and men can and do come from military backgrounds, the fact is that overthrowing a constitution is bad morals, ousting a popular, democratically elected government is bad morals, and violating basic rights to free speech is bad morals, demonstrate that it is inevitably the case that a military political party that respects good morals is a contradiction in terms.
Felix Qui
From fiction to 'facts'
Re: "Panel insists cadet died of heart attack", (BP, Dec 16).
I don't know how many times I have read in popular detective fiction novels that a prisoner in police custody exhibited injuries and bruising because "he fell down the steps" at the police station. Now it seems fiction has been plagiarised into "facts" by the Thai armed forces investigating the sad death of the 18-year old army cadet Pakapong Tanyakan. My condolences go out to his family.
Martin R
Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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