Axes to grind

There is a story in the March 4 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald with fascinating parallels to recent Bangkok Post headlines about the "Axe Ladies".

Residents of Willoughby, an upper-class northern Sydney suburb, are increasingly frustrated by inconsiderate drivers parking across their driveways.

One resident, Heidi Williams, is quoted as saying, "I've been parked in and just had to get the bus to work. But mainly I get parked out, so I can't get into the driveway because there's someone there".

And again there are parallels with the Bangkok case. "Complaints to Willoughby City Council have failed to solve the problem," she said.

Several other residents quoted in the story said they had similar experiences, including being late driving their children to school and late for doctor's appointments.

So today I wrote a letter to the SMH suggesting a solution. The frustrated residents of Willoughby should pass the hat around and raise the airfares for me to organise sending the Bangkok "Axe Ladies" to Sydney. They won't be allowed on board with their axe, so that will have to be supplied on arrival.

But I am sure they will do the Willoughby residents proud in solving their problem.

David Brown
Spooky road toll

On average about 24,000 people in Thailand died each year in road accidents, or about 65.8 per day. Last year 390 died from road accidents during the seven days covering the Songkran Festival, or 55.7 per day.

As you can see, on a typical day, 65.8 people died on road accidents, compared to 55.7 during Songkran. I attribute the the lower rate of casualties to the heavy traffic on key highways and abundant police checkpoints during Songkran. So, please stop spooking us during Songkran.

Somsak Pola
Trudeau not wanted

Re: "Billionaire activist holds out hope of new era", (BP, March 5).

First of all, no one wants another Justin Trudeau, not Canada, not Thailand.

Trudeau was voted in because he was thought of as "charming" and "handsome". A politician he is not, and he proved to be a great disappointment early in his administration. Most Canadians who voted for him now cannot wait to be rid of him. Justin Trudeau should never have left his previous job as a high-school gym instructor. He has inflicted enough damage on not only Canadians in Canada, but on those of us who have retired and live in Thailand. The Canadian dollar has the value of a third-world currency.

No, another Trudeau-type politician is not needed.

Jack Gilead
Bet against drought

La Niña's southern oscillation has entered its second year and if it persists into the fall is predictive of very heavy rainfall in Thailand. Although the data is currently indicating a slightly increased likelihood of an ENSO-neutral fall, this is not a reason to presume drought conditions will prevail.

Yet we read that with water reserves plentiful in most provinces, government preparations are under way for rainmaking and water conservation through October. Might one wonder what is being done about flood preparations?

Michael Setter
Senseless slaughter

Re: "Aim before you shoot mouth off", (PostBag, March 4)

Well done Colin Carr in pointing out that Korat Chris, when writing in his letter "Loaded questions" that annual US gun deaths were a mere 10% of annual Thai road deaths, is way out on his numbers by a factor of 13.

In his letter, Korat Chris also wonders if Thais had the same access to weapons that they have in the USA, if there would have been no coups here.

In the UK we have strict gun control with only about 50 people killed by guns each year, compared to the USA's 33,000. Yet we have only ever had one military coup -- that by Oliver Cromwell in 1653.

Preventing coups is no reason not to bring in rigorous gun control and so stop the senseless and needless slaughter taking place in the USA.

Andy Phillips

Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email:

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