OPINION

Are they high?

I find it amazing that while there are factories in the countries north of us producing tens of millions of methamphetamine pills everyday for years, some of which are smuggled into Thailand, the Narcotics Control Board chooses to spend its time and energy raiding some small marijuana farm in Suphan Buri where they are apparently developing the byproducts of marijuana so they can be used in a healthful way.

With priorities like this, no wonder our prisons are full to the seams with petty drug dealers while the factories to the north continue to churn out millions of meth pills every day, year after year.

Re: "Duty-free drama unfolds", (Business, April 8).

The graphics alongside the article describing the ongoing debate over duty-free concessions at Thailand's airports tell it all. The world's top-ranked airports all award multiple duty-free concessions split by category; Thailand awards a monopoly. The global average that concessions earn for their countries' coffers is 30-40%; for Thailand, it is only 17%. Airports with the most competitive duty-free systems rank among the world's best airports; Suvarnabhumi ranks just 36th in the world.

The article elaborates that the average tourist spends just US$47 on duty-free items in Thailand, compared with US$260 in South Korea. In total, Korea pulls in more than US$10 billion from its duty-free operations annually, while Thailand sales are a relatively puny US$1.9 billion -- less than one-fifth the amount of South Korea.

The lessons to be learned are clear and straightforward. Multiple concessions result in more competition, which results in better shopping for tourists, which yields higher sales, which produces more revenue for the country. And in the process, the airport becomes more popular with tourists and earns higher global status. Why are these rudimentary lessons of other countries and other airports so difficult for Thailand to learn and adopt?

Karl Reichstetter's letter, "Imagined enemies", (PostBag, April 9), makes a great point that the monarchy is not under threat, and that the military needs to stop hiding behind this excuse for its meddling.

All the positioning and posturing the military blusters about is not supported by facts and reality. The one time in the last century that Thailand was actually attacked and invaded was in World War II. The military of Thailand, which is sworn to protect the Thai royalty and nation, only lasted a day before surrendering to the Japanese.

The Thai military today is even less prepared than 80 years ago to fend off an invasion. With no nuclear, chemical, biological, satellite or space programme, there is no way the Thai military can pretend it has the capability or capacity to truly protect anything. And there is nothing wrong with this! There are much more pressing social issues that demand the limited resources of the country.

The major part of growth is having the courage to be flexible and let go of what does not serve you anymore instead of holding on out of habit.

Re: "What Thai youths do not know", (Life, April 9).

Pongpet Mekloy writes how grateful Thai youth should be for what the old generations have done to bring Thailand this far -- by comparing Thailand with Laos! Why not compare it with North Korea? Or why not compare it with Singapore, Japan or South Korea? Then the Thai youth would know how badly the old generations (and the numerous military governments) have failed them.