OPINION

A charter task too far

Re: "We need a British governance model, not North Korean", (Opinion, Sept 9).

When Khun Songkran Grachangnetara hinted the new person to lead the drafting of the constitution drafting should be “A British public school boy, Oxbridge educated, and an unapologetic Anglophile, former prime minister...” my heart skipped a beat. But then I was relieved to see the name that followed - Anand Panyarachun.

Khun Anand is an upright man, who designed the 1997 constitution and he may be approached again. But these are different circumstances. Since the 1997 constitution was initiated by an elected government, Khun Anand could do his job freely, with no one looking over his shoulder.

But asking Khun Anand to architect the new constitution under the military's guidelines is like asking Frank Lloyd Wright to design a house and demand that it face a certain direction.

Somsak Pola

John G is absolutely correct in his letter “Where’s the parity?” (PostBag, Sept 10).

His comments will no doubt resonate with British expatriates worldwide. He could have added his UK pension is capped at the amount he first received it, and after 15 years as an expatriate he is duly disenfranchised.

Though it is a personal choice to spend retirement overseas, I have some difficulty accepting the shoddy treatment meted out to us by the British government simply because we have chosen to live abroad.

As a serviceman, I had no choice but to pay taxes and National Insurance contributions for nearly 40 years; they were simply deducted from my pay. But then to deny us the benefits of those payments and remove our basic rights as British citizens in our retirement was one of the meanest and most disingenuous actions of George Brown during his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Are we likely to see any improvement to this treatment? Not a chance!

Johnny Thoyts

Re: “Boxing orangutans raise animal rights concerns”, (BP, Sept 3).

While animal entertainment may look harmless, it’s what goes on behind the scenes that concerns me. If you google: “Force Change: End Orangutan Boxing Matches in Thailand”, you can sign a petition to end this outrage.

For elephant shows in Thailand, those watching this kind of entertainment should realise the animals were often brutalised and baby elephants are routinely tortured in a ritual known as “crushing” in order to break their spirits. The public only sees the elephants after their spirits have been broken. I had hoped the animal welfare bill passed last year would put an end to this. But the bill is too weak and that’s why now there is an effort to strengthen it. Was the original purpose of the bill to help animals or just fool the public into thinking something was being done when everything is business as usual?

Eric Bahrt

Re: “Somyot tells immigration cops to shape up”, (Thai Pulse, Sept 9).

Thailand shares borders with many counties, with numerous immigration checkpoints, and some at international airports. However, almost every fugitive chooses to escape to Cambodia through the Sa Kaeo checkpoint. Very few head to other countries. Is security particularly lax at this checkpoint? Cambodia seems to be a very comfortable country for fugitives to hide. Authorities need to look into this issue.

RH Suga

I am sure all expats will applaud national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompunmuang for summoning immigration police chiefs this week to berate them for exploiting the system for their own financial benefit. It is also a valuable lesson to junior officers, who complain about low salaries. The general provides a shining example of how, by being thrifty as one rises up the ranks and scrimping and saving where one can, it is possible to accumulate a modest nest-egg of over 300 million baht!

Nigel Pike

CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Fax: +02 6164000 email:

All letter writers must provide full name and address.

All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.