Blind loyalty
It is so poignant to read the words of Michael Cohen.
The former personal lawyer and "fixer" for President Donald Trump was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison for matters that he previously did for himself and for his boss. His words in the packed courtroom, as quoted in Western media, were:
"It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light ... Time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds ... I brought undeserved pain and shame on my family," He added in the presence of his wife and two children that "I deserve that. They do not."
The words were so sincere and without pretence. Because of blind loyalty, I wonder how many in Thailand have fallen like Michael Cohen.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Loans won't help
Re: "Ministries enlisted to cut fertiliser costs", (BP, Dec 10).
What the ministries are not addressing is the cause of the problem. The article says they are trying to give more loans to farmers who are already in debt up to their eyeballs. The high cost of fertiliser is the problem. More loans will not help the farmers but who the loans will help are the big banks.
What's needed is a common sense approach to the problem. More potash mines need to be built. This is the only way to reduce the cost of fertiliser for farmers. One particular potash mining project in Udon Thani has been jumping through government bureaucratic hoops for 25 years waiting for the Ministry of Industry to issue a "licence" or permit to begin operations.
The issuance of these permits or licences needs to be streamlined to help the Thai economy in general.
Do you think thousands of jobs will help the people and the economy of Thailand? Yes, there are environmental issues but these have been addressed time and time again. As soon as the mining company complies with all the requirements, the laws seem to change, delaying the project now for 25 years!
For thousands of years man has taken mineral resources from the ground and used them in ways that enrich and help people. Potash is used in fertiliser and aluminum manufacturing.
The only way to ensure stable prices for fertiliser that farmers can afford is to ensure continuous production and supply of raw materials to the market.
Ronald Lifson
Western ideas work
A person once said to me via PostBag, "keep your Western ideas" to myself. Well, the Mercedes Benz would not have run into the back of the broken down truck, had the red cones been placed 100 yards behind the truck, to let drivers know there was a broken down truck ahead. "Western ideas" do work, if put into law.
Barry Wallace
Long and winding road
I think it is worth commending Thailand's efforts to reduce road deaths, which seem to be finally paying off. The World Health Organisation's latest study reports Thailand's road death rate is now 32.7 per 100,000. This is still shocking and awful compared to Europe's 9.3 per 100,000, but significantly better than Thailand's last score of 36.2 deaths, when it was the second most dangerous place on earth for road safety.
Here in Phuket, great efforts are visibly being made to put partitions down the middle of dangerous roads and safety barriers along others, fix potholes, fit cat's eyes and repaint faded road markings.
Such efforts to change the physical road safety landscape now need to be matched by renewed police efforts to see crash helmets are worn, seat belts applied, speeding curtailed and drunk driving rigorously punished.
Thailand has a long way to go but it has at least made its first step.
Andy Phillips
Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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