OPINION

Taxis need 'adjusting'

I am disappointed to report, the publicised "attitude adjustment" of taxi mafia scammers in Bangkok and Pattaya has been a complete failure.

In Bangkok, around 100% of the taxi drivers "stationed" in the Sukhumvit hotel district are still refusing to use the meter. Day after day, the same taxi scammers occupy the prime "tourist scamming turf" in front of every hotel. These criminals, posing as taxi drivers to get close to their victims, seem to have protection from the authorities.

On my recent trip to Pattaya, I was looking forward to using a legitimate taxi service since I had read the Pattaya taxi drivers recently experienced an "attitude adjustment".

Intending to meet up with some friends for seafood in Jomtien, I hailed a taxi and the driver refused to turn on the meter and demanded 300 baht.

I was so disgusted that I abandoned my dinner plans and cut short my Pattaya holiday.

Since the taxi mafia "attitude adjustment" has failed miserably, may I suggest the Army sweep through said areas and mass arrest about 500 of these professional tourist scammers along with the police offering protection to these thugs.

The consumption of alcohol has a number of negative effects. Among these are impairments in motor control, vision and judgement. It is thus critical that people do not drive when drunk (though in fairness, the greater proportion of accidents in Thailand seems to stem from failure to comply with vehicular safety regulations and people being granted driving licences when they can neither drive properly nor obey the traffic code).

Yet more important than the foregoing point is the fact that alcohol acts as a disinhibitor for emotions and behaviour. It facilitates the expression of underlying tendencies to behaviour: an underlying tendency towards happiness and compassion leads to improved mood and increased compassion when under the influence of alcohol, whereas an underlying tendency towards ill will, hatred and violence leads to increased resentment and violent action.

The extraordinary prevalence of violent crime when under the influence of alcohol in Thailand is, therefore, not caused, but merely facilitated by, alcohol and is an expression of a sickness that runs through the whole of Thai society.

The source of this sickness is stress, which readily breeds ill will and hatred. Stress is induced by many aspects of Thai society, beginning with the imposition of regimented behaviour at school.

Re: "NLA eyes overhaul of emergency response system", (Online, May 3).

It was a very interesting reading indeed. How many times have readers been in traffic jams with ambulances behind them, lights flashing, sirens blasting to no avail? Most drivers sit in their vehicles totally oblivious, smoking cigarettes, listening to music, windows up with the air-con on, totally ignorant of the need to move out of the way.

In Ontario, indeed, throughout Canada, and in many areas in the United States, when an emergency vehicle, police car, ambulance or fire truck approaches in either direction with sirens and lights, traffic is required to pull over and come to a complete stop in both directions. In the event there is a squeeze situation, drivers are permitted to drive onto the sidewalks or go into opposing lanes. Anyone ignoring these rules faces quite extreme penalties. The consequences are simply not worth the risks.

Imagine any vehicle in Bangkok or in other Thai cities giving right of way. Perhaps when one is the victim inside the emergency vehicle, one will sing a different tune and curse those who do not let the emergency vehicle have right of way. But then, it never happens to us, does it? It's always the other fellow.