OPINION

No missteps

Re: "Walkway safety alert at airport", (BP, June 30).

My heartfelt sympathies to the woman who lost most of a leg after falling on a moving walkway of Don Mueang Airport. She must not let the airport operator pin the blame on her and avoid accountability.

Airports of Thailand believes that she fell, exposing the walkway's safety cover and causing her to be drawn into the travellator's internal mechanism.

But news photos show she was wearing jeans and flat-soled shoes, with her phone safely stored in her bag. She had nothing to catch on the walkway, trip over, or distract her attention. Also, a walkway that can't withstand a fall from an adult of average weight shouldn't have been purchased in the first place, nor should it have been used for 27 years when safer models have long been available.

AoT director Karant Thanakuljeerapat said the AoT would cover all medical costs and compensate the victim for her injuries.

But her life's been turned upside down, and the AoT must bear the full cost of their neglect to passenger safety -- not just her immediate hospital bills.

The victim is 57 and at the height of her earning power, which has now been sharply reduced.

She can no longer travel around easily. She can no longer climb up/down stairs or move easily through her house. Her home will have to be made wheelchair-accessible.

The media should make periodic reports on this case so we can all see if the AoT is being as accountable as it claims to be.

MP overload

Re: "Mitsotakis back as Greek premier after election landslide", (BP, June 27).

Greece, with a population of 10 million, held a general election on June 25. The result, with 300 MPs, was announced the same day, and a prime minister was sworn the next day.

In contrast, Thailand's general election result has taken a month to confirm and its PM has yet to be elected.

Meanwhile, in India, the US and Indonesia -- the three most populous democracies -- their Loksapa, House of Representatives, and parliament respectively, have far less than 500 members.

Why a country with a population of 60+ million like Thailand needs 500 MPs is beyond my understanding.

Wind of change

Re: "Pita: Senators should not abuse lese majeste issue", (BP, June 27).

A decade ago, a party was formed by a group of young Thais with the intention to divide the people into two opposing groups.

Now, in Thailand, one side is accusing the other of trying to pit the country's revered institution against the people; and the other side is accusing its rival of pitting the people against the people.

The outcome of this battle could be disastrous indeed.

As I see it, most Thais from the older generation are not opposed to changes in the country, as long as they are done in a peaceful and meticulous manner.

In my opinion, the younger generation could learn a lot from the old, since they have lived longer.

They shouldn't think that older people are all unwise, and that their warnings can be disregarded.

Covid conundrums

Re: "More boosters are not needed, US study shows", (BP, June 23).

Indeed, "Effectiveness of the coronavirus disease 2019 bivalent vaccine", published on April 19, 2023, shows the current vaccines (including those recently donated by Germany) are 4% effective against Covid-19.

Dr Thiravat Hemachudha also said, "worse yet, receiving more Covid-19 booster shots seems linked to a higher rate of new infections, a trend that is still not clearly understood".

Given that Dr Opas Karnka­winpong, the permanent secretary for public health, insisted booster shots are still recommended, it does not look like the whole truth in Thailand will come out any time soon.

Dressed to impress

Re: "Uniformed approach", (PostBag, June 24).

I can only say that when I arrived in Thailand 22 years ago, my first impression was of oceans of Thai school children in their clean and tidy uniforms on the city streets.

It made a big impression on me and gave me added respect for Thailand.

I felt more than ashamed when I reflected on my own ragamuffin appearance when I was at school with cap askew, school badge attached to the breast pocket of my blazer with staples, creaseless black trousers and one sock up and one sock down.

Furthermore, when I got into Thai education myself, I worked at government schools where the children were patently from poor families. But they still came to school well turned out. I saw it as a credit to the ethics of the parents. Very impressive.