OPINION

Road carnage shame

I continue to be amazed by the Ministry of Transport's hare-brained solutions to the carnage that occurs every day on Thai roads.

One solution: To make it compulsory to have "dash-cams" fitted in all vehicles, so that drivers will think twice about driving recklessly or dangerously if their actions are being filmed. Really?

How will this be enforced, exactly? How will the police know: (a) if a dash-cam has been fitted, (b) does it actually work, and (c) is it switched on? Ascertaining the answer to these fairly fundamental questions will be incredibly difficult, at best, if not utterly impossible in practice, especially as the tinted windows with which most cars are fitted make external, visible checks totally unrealistic.

If the police are unable or unwilling to ensure that all motorcyclists wear helmets -- something that is incredibly easy to spot -- then what chance do the authorities have of enforcing dash-cams?

Additionally, my hopes were raised when I read that the Thai government was intending to adopt the policies of other countries to help reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities, not to mention those who survive, but with short-term, long-term or permanent injuries. Then my heart sank when I realised that this involved, among other fairly peripheral measures, raising the pass mark for the multiple-choice test paper for would-be drivers, as if knowledge and a competence to drive are synonymous.

As motorcyclists account for the largest proportion of road fatalities, then a separate test for "big bikes" does make perfect sense but, once again, this largely misses the crux of the issue. As I understand it, if a car driver knocks a motorcyclist off their bike, then the car driver is likely to be adjudged at fault, regardless of what the victim did or did not do.

If this is indeed the case, then the powerful message it sends to all motorcyclists is that they can do any damn fool thing they like, but they will never be held accountable, financially or legally, for their actions. The everyday evidence of my eyes is that this is most definitely the reality on the roads.

If the government is serious about tackling this hell on the highways, they could start by introducing a proper driving test, held on real roads, conducted by a fully trained assessor sitting in the passenger seat. Also, make overtaking on the left illegal, and redesign Thai roads so that changing direction does not require turning out of the (ostensibly) fast lane into, or across the other fast lane. These three things, combined with an effective police force who enforce the law, would work wonders, in time.

Recognising such elementary steps that need to be taken, albeit over time, would represent a great start. So, please stop tinkering at the periphery, and tackle the root causes of this international shame as soon as possible!

During the recent cold snap I have noticed many vehicles being driven with the side windows open. This beautiful weather has also allowed everyone who cares, to take a look at the drivers using their mobile phones! It's incredible just how many you can see chatting away whilst navigating the highways! I have also seen the "heads down" texting taking place! Should be so easy to catch these offenders one would think?

The bad weather did not kill the Irish kitesurfer in Hua Hin as the police have implied, but the buoys installed by the thetsabaan a month earlier.

I can't figure out how but the buoys were supposedly installed to protect swimmers. A week before, under normal weather, a German kitesurfer almost drowned after being entangled in the buoys. It seems that in its endeavours to promote tourism the thetsabaan are systematically using the wrong initiatives. While Hua Hin is a popular kitesurfing destination it also seems that the thetsabaan are trying their best to discourage the proliferation of this sport. If the thetsabaan and the tourist police want to promote tourism they might start by listening to the tourists and expat residents.

Another taboo subject is noise. Hua Hin is popular for party houses. Those are rented with disco lights and karaoke and renters party all night making noise until early morning at the expense of the neighbours' peace and quiet. Nothing has been done to correct this situation. Similarly on Soi 94 there is an open bar with live music and the sound system is way too loud. Complaints to the police fall on deaf ears (no pun intended).

Przemo Kranz wrote on Dec 22 that he had done a little research and read The First Arab-Israeli War by Benny Morris. I don't think Przemo read too deeply however. Benny Morris writes in one paragraph, describing the Arab world as "barbarian" and the Palestinians as wild animals who had to be locked up in "something like a cage".

Morris's personal journey is interesting to note because it mirrors the journey of Israeli society at large from the heady days of the Oslo accords to the dark pessimism of the second intifada. I suggest Przemo Kranz re-read the book thoroughly, not giving it his own interpretation. Incidentally, Mr Kranz, you neglected to mention in which library you found the book.

"No alcohol, no pets, no parties -- and now the National Parks Department is "unwelcoming visitors on big motorcycles".

And ... no warning! This last minute decision will spoil many thousands of people's holidays. It's not just motorcycles which are noisy.

What ever happened to Thai sanook? This country is steadily becoming a police state. Where's the consultations? What role does the citizen play in decisions like this? Poor Thailand.

I fully endorse the National Park Department's decision to ban big bikes as well as parties etc. Leave these places be for those who appreciate their natural beauty and quiet atmosphere, and let what's left of the long-suffering wildlife exist undisturbed.

The UN General Assembly's overwhelming vote to condemn the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel -- in which 128 countries voted for the condemnation, nine voted "no", and 35 abstained -- would not have come into being had President Donald Trump shown enough understanding and respect for world opinion.

It is an undisputed fact that Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war -- and annexed it into Western Jerusalem without the international community recognising it. Jerusalem is not just important for people with Judaism belief; it is also one of the three most important cities in the Islamic religion after Mecca and Medina; Christians all over the world also consider Jerusalem as the birthplace of their religion.

The world community has been expecting the US to show its fair-mindedness and non-partisanship during the past 70 years following World War II: So far, so good.

Hence, the Trump administration should reflect on its own behaviour during the past year to see what went so terribly wrong that has brought about this week's UN General Assembly condemnation.

Re: "Liberal fascism arrives", (BP, Dec 12).

Ignoring ethical problems associated with President Trump is bound to cost American stature in the world very dearly. Those who blindly support Mr Trump see the US mass media as the source of fake news. We all know very well that the root causes of corruption are greed for money, craving for power and the naiveté or tolerance of the general public to such behaviours. And that is exactly what Mr Trump's presidency is all about. This is what he has been doing all his life, and that is what Mr Mueller will be investigating, hopefully?

Edwin Abbott, the 19th century theologian said, "Men are divided in opinion as to the facts. And even granting the facts, they explain them in different ways." And I must say, explaining the facts differently is acceptable but ignoring them completely is foolhardy.

Re: "Myanmar army massacred dozens of Rohingya", (BP, Dec 21).

Is there a reason why Madam Aung San Suu Kyi should not be tried for abetting the Rohingya genocide? Those who stand silently by, knowing what is going on, are as guilty as those committing the act. She is the head of state although the army runs the country's affairs. She could have protested, said something, but she did nothing except offer platitudes. She acted like a frightened old lady instead of a voice to be heard against Myanmar's military atrocities.

The same thing happened in Germany a scant 75 years ago. That country still bears the stigma.

Whilst out this afternoon in Nonthaburi I saw a motorbike being driven by a male (presumably Thai) but he was only using one hand, his right hand, to steer/brake. There was an infant perched on his left knee, too young to be able to grip anything by himself (though even if he had been able it would still have been too dangerous, infants and children should never be allowed on motorbikes), and the driver's left arm was around the child to hold him in place on his knee. The driver, to his credit, was actually wearing a helmet, but not the infant, probably because they don't make helmets for them. How can anyone be so careless and reckless with an infant?

It's not unusual in Thailand to see four or five people on a motorbike, with no one wearing a helmet, or to see a passenger on the back of a motorbike using both hands eating something or playing on a mobile phone instead of using one hand or preferably both to grip the handrail on the back of the bike. If the driver goes over a pothole or has to suddenly brake or swerve then the passenger is going to fly off the bike.

But at least if you are an adult then it was your choice to get on the bike, unlike an infant who is incapable of making a choice and has to rely on his parents to keep him out of danger, not endanger them by putting them at unnecessary risk of serious injury or death.

I enjoyed David Leonhardt's Dec 19 article, "The Republican tax plan will turbocharge inequality". One more item should be added.

Most, if not all Republicans, are big churchgoers. I find it ironic that these churchgoers do not realise that Jesus spoke more about the poor then any other topic in the New Testament. Hypocrites.

Why are English-language prospectuses not made available to foreigners living in Thailand who are offered and or subscribe to new Thai IPOs? Does this not go against proper international standards on new stock offerings IPOs, ie new IPO offerings made without readable prospectuses accompanying them? Especially since these are made available to foreign institutional investors abroad which regularly receive these. Yet, postal inquiries confirm this key document is not made available to local foreign residents in Thailand.

Is this not a form of investor discrimination to foreign individual stock investors living in Thailand?

I complained about the difficulties I faced in getting a tourist visa for Pakistan in my Dec 16 letter.

Since that time I was invited to meet with officials at the Pakistan embassy in Bangkok who could not have been more hospitable and gracious in explaining the problems I had with my application.

Therefore, to add balance to my letter, I am delighted to report that since that meeting my visa will be expedited and I now look forward to my holiday in Pakistan where I am now confident I will be made welcome.

With reference to the front page of the Dec 21 edition, the text accompanying the aircraft photo identifies the plane as a "Gripen" which is of Swedish manufacture.

While the Royal Thai Air Force has such aircraft, the one pictured is a Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany.