OPINION

Tip of the iceberg

Re: "Tourists under siege", (PostBag, March 17).

Koh Tao Resident has gotten what is termed "just desserts". Instead of complaining about tourists and restrictive laws, why doesn't Koh Tao Resident, instead, cobble together a group to investigate island corruption, police ineptness, and residents hiding murderers.

The two Myanmar boys convicted in the infamous Koh Tao murder which most people are sure they did not commit, but were duped due to "dark influential forces" and police duplicity, might do something for your island's image. You reap what you sow.

Re: "THAI defends bulging waistline ban on Dreamliners", (BP, March 17).

While there will be the usual whingers claiming discrimination, I can understand the reasons given by Thai Airways for the ban.

On a recent flight (not on a Dreamliner) the woman next to me, who had a well-stocked waistline, demanded I remove my elbow from the armrest between us as it was poking into her.

That she was also carrying in her lap a baby which screamed throughout the flight did not help.

I politely suggested that next time she might like to buy an extra seat. So, go for it, THAI.

Re: "Interpol pulls red notice for 'Boss' from its website", (BP, March 16).

We still have to wait for the reason why. But I am sad that the country's diplomats do little in serious cases like this. They act just like agents for trade and tourism.

Take a look at the Shinawatra family. The wanted head of the clan and others are still free to travel around the world. Also, I fear that the corrupt nature of Thai police is a reason that they cannot gain trust and credibility from the world police organisation.

Re: "Trump loves dictators, and they love him", (Opinion, March 16).

I fully agree to the opinion expressed by Nicholas D Kristof on this.

When George W Bush was about to retire from his presidency there was an article about him in BusinessWeek ending with the statement that history will decide about his presidency. I wrote a letter to BusinessWeek stating that Mr Bush will be remembered as the most successful president ever, because he succeeded to cause more damage to the US and the world than any of this predecessors. Now, I have to correct myself as it is clear that he is being beaten by President Trump. The damage he is causing will be beaten only by Hitler and Stalin.

Re: "Height of idiocy", (PostBag, March 16).

Jack Gilead condemned the flight attendant. But the owners of the dog didn't complain when the dog was put in the overhead bin, so who's the moron? A three-hour flight and the owner didn't check on the dog? Did the flight attendant know it was a dog she put in the overhead bin? Other passengers back up the flight attendant. So maybe you should have all the facts checked.

I am a retired Continental/United employee, so I know what I'm writing about.

Re: "Trump, Kim have reasons to be civil", (Opinion, March 13).

A Trump-Kim summit is only a cautious first step in the complex long-haul diplomatic hustle and bustle to denuclearise North Korea. However optimism for successful and permanent nuclear weapons deproliferation of the Korean Peninsula is constrained by the inexplicable exclusion of China -- North Korea's advocate -- and Japan, whose island territories Mr Kim's armed missiles have recently overflown, to great alarm.

Without a five-way agreement that encompasses agreements of both Koreas, the United States, China and Japan, the US-North Korea summit is unlikely to broker a reliable and lasting peace in Far East Asia.

It was sadly amusing that when the first air quality alerts were announced, that a government agency said all will be OK in 10 years.

So as we head into the hot season and the legendary traffic contributes to the weather conditions, perhaps a daily reminder would be helpful of how Bangkok and Chiang Mai are nearly where Beijing was years ago.

The government should do more than talk about seeding clouds and perhaps focus on vehicle emissions and traffic regulation enforcement.

One can not reform anything or stop corruption if you only have the blind leading the blind.

Perhaps a better brand of whisky would help!

Re: "When letters get in the wrong place", (BP, March 11).

I must say that only Roger Crutchley's wit fully captures the intricacies of the English language. I guess, in Thailand, English is not just an alien language but sometimes it sounds like falling debris.

When it comes to the use of words and grammar, things can get very wobbly. To keep it short, I will just give few real examples: Porn Beauty Salon, Pissy Steak (try it, what is the point of being pissed off), an advertisement on a van -- www.misspuke.com, Weight Lipting (liposuction for weight loss, I guess), Son-In-Laws-Balls: deep fried eggs with sweet and sour tamarind (all with the usual family love), a billboard ad "Billbraod for Rant" (stop ranting about high rent) and the last one, a sign in front of an ornament shop -- "Jade is a kind of the Stone it's precious stone from Heaven. Have a Specially Stronger and Have a Strange Powerful (199 baht)".

There you have it, please do not spend your time correcting them!

As they say, "Beauty of the language is in the brains of the beholder."

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