How could all five markets at the Seri Villa housing estate, Prawet, have been operating illegally, with some violating the building code as well? The markets have been operating in plain sight for years, with customers jamming streets with parked cars. BMA governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang is to be praised for quickly checking on the Prawet markets and vowing to review all 364 markets in Bangkok.
Such widespread illegal operations in Prawet, including parking that blocked residences, means that the district office and traffic police must have been derelict in their duties at best, or corrupt -- or both. The evidence is as clear as the 25 ultra-expensive watches on DPM Prawit Wongsuwon's wrist, so please give us decisive action this time, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, not just talk.
Burin Kantabutra
Ode to battle axes
Two Bangkok aunties took an axe,
And gave a pick-up forty whacks,
When they saw what they had done,
They gave another, for forty-one.
Not only Lizzie Borden the original axe lady, but many others are very proud and supportive of Aunties Rattanachat and Ranee. Brava gals!
The police in Bangkok have more than egg on their faces. Good thing their uniforms are brown. Ha, ha, ha!
Vasserbuflox
Junta headaches
Re: "Govt admits election uncertainty hurts corruption ranking", (BP, Feb 23).
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said "he would assign the Justice Ministry and anti-corruption directorate centre to study the reasons for Thailand's low score, suggest fixes and report on any progress".
Now I understand why the junta has made absolutely no progress toward their stated goal of "reform", they just started work yesterday!
Michael Setter
The usual suspects
A year ago a reputable British newspaper announced the winner of the latest US election was...Goldman Sachs, same as the previous seven elections. I was reminded of this by hearing the same old arguments between supporters of "evil" Hillary or "dumb" Donald even after all this time. It was masterful manipulation to let the voters think it really mattered when in fact either winner was already in a pocket through party donations and the legal form for bribery, influential lobbyists. The face presented to the public didn't matter, made obvious by the previous elections campaign by "big change Obama" who in fact could have been confused for Bush Junior.
That got me to thinking that maybe things here in Thailand are being manipulated in some way by corporations, banks and mega-wealth to get a similar outcome. Gen Prayut is fast losing popularity but still at the helm of a government mired in problems of its own making. Any election on the horizon, however, looks like it will be contested by all the old unfavourites from Pheu Thai, the Democrats and the odd-ball collection of faces that change party as often as they do jackets. Just like the US we could be looking at an election where the least disliked gets the vote and the nation goes on unreformed and as corrupt as ever to avoid rocking the wealthies luxury yachts. "Change, real change" looks a forlorn hope.
Lungstib
Get out of jail cheap
What were authorities thinking when they set the bail for business tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, charged with poaching endangered animals, among others, at the ridiculously low amount of 150,000 baht? This is not even peanuts to the likes of the insanely rich mogul. Such a piddling amount barely covers the cost of a business class ticket out of the country -- several of which by now have surely been purchased by the magnate should there be any sign of sincere judicial action in the case.
Samanea Saman
Cruelty to justice
Re: "Accused poacher Premchai gets 2nd summons", (Online, Feb 22).
Don't be afraid, Premchai. Nothing will happen to you. You can, like so many others in your status group continue to ignore summonses forever. The Red Bull brat ignored them all, Yingluck and Thaksin ignored them all. You, like them, are above the law. Now, if I accidentally ran over a snake slithering across the road, I'd probably be caught and jailed for life for cruelty to animals.
Jack Gilead
The smoking gun
Regarding the US gun problem, we are wasting time arguing over "taking guns away" versus "not taking guns away".
Gun ownership has been a legal right since the 2nd Amendment was adopted in 1791, but these horrific mass murders are a relatively recent phenomenon, so what has changed?
I blame violence in movies, TV, music videos and the latest addition of gun violence glorification, those video games.
Right now guns are "cool", like smoking was "cool" long ago when I was a kid in the 1960s.
Back then Humphrey Bogart smoked, GI Joe puffed away, the Marlboro Man was never without one, even Johnny Carson lit up with his guests, and we monkeys did what we monkeys saw.
When US policymakers decided enough was enough, the Surgeon General announced that smoking caused lung cancer, images of cigarette smoking was banned in all media, then came the Tobacco lawsuits, the "sin taxes" and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2002 smoking in restaurant ban (which was ridiculed at first).
The point being, we didn't get people to stop smoking by taking their cigarettes away from them.
Eddie Delzio
Statue of Vengeance
Re: "Trump suggests arming teachers", (BP, Feb 23).
Senator Marco Rubio says he will "reconsider" opposition to banning large-capacity magazines as " it may save lives in an attack". In other words, there will be more attacks with guns, but let's try to reduce the body count. The gun fetish has such a powerful hold on Rubio's imagination that he is completely unaware of the cynicism of his "generous" offer to "reconsider" the availability of war weapon-sized magazines.
Perhaps Trump could -- with his experience in the construction of tall Trump towers -- assemble a crew to climb the Statue of Liberty and replace the torch brandished by Lady Liberty with a gun, but one maybe minus a large magazine. That would be a fitting tribute to a country unique in the world for its willingness to sacrifice it's citizens in the defence of everyone's "right to bear arms".
Edward Zile
Sick gun culture
Just imagine if the man who killed those 17 children at a Florida high school had been an illegal alien or a Muslim or both. Donald Trump would be gloating. But since that wasn't the case the Florida shootings will be forgotten in a matter of weeks, if not days.
May I remind everyone that the semi-automatic assault rifle used to kill those children was legally bought. A great day for the NRA, Donald Trump and all the sick people who support either one of them.
Eric Bahrt
Schooled in violence
In the US, where the number of firearms surpasses the number of country's population, public places such as schools have been turned into barbaric killing fields almost on a daily basis.
Worse, with the proliferation of war-type rifles during the past few years -- as a result of the addition of a mechanical device called "bump stock" into an ordinary rifle to turn it into an automatic one -- the US citizen-safety situation has become worse.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), seems to be the only private entity responsible for making the US the world's largest market for firearms.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, presidential candidate Donald Trump received US$30 million from the NRA in campaign funds for the 2016 election -- the biggest sum the group has ever given to any presidential candidate.
Other Republican Party lawmakers who received campaign money from the NRA include Senator John McCain (Arizona), who received $7.7 million; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) $1.3 million; and Senator Marco Rubio (Florida), $3.3 million.
According to the report, the NRA does not support any Democratic Party candidate. On the contrary, most of the group's money has been spent to help discredit Democratic candidates -- to keep them from winning elections.
It looks like money politics has successfully made its way into the US democracy, and the gun lobby is one of the biggest perpetrators.
Chavalit Wannawijitr
Carry on scamming
The budget airlines I have flown use Thai time for their schedules. A boarding time of 2pm means 3pm. A departure time of 2pm again means 3pm. My last trip took the prize. I only had a carry-on but before I got to board I had to have my carry-on weighed. People that were over had to pay. You get a cheap fare but the added costs kill you.
If the high-speed trains materialise and you can travel from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in three hours, why fly? It takes three hours from arrival at the airport just to get off the ground.
MR P
Destructive driving
Re: "Monorail road plan enrages Kasetsart", (BP, Feb 22).
So Kasetsart University chiefs want the government to cancel the proposed expressway between Kae Rai and Lam Sali in Bangkok, citing concerns about an increase in air pollution. Fair point. But I wonder how many of these university chiefs own cars, and commute to work and go shopping using their cars? If you own and drive a private car in Bangkok then you are part of the air pollution problem!
Peter Atkinson
Hogging the clouds
The article "Making It Rain" (Life, Feb 21) exposes a fault in our collective reasoning and part of the reason that we are destroying our planet. The article talks about the success and pride associated with the effort of making it rain to benefit rice farmers and consumer capitalism.
Because Thailand benefits from the manipulation of the weather, the "Butterfly Effect" (the chaos theory that focuses on the inter-connection of systems within an environment where small changes have large effects) is not considered.
The question of "who is harmed by forcing rain where it is not intended to go naturally" is not entertained or allowed. How it might be actually making the flooding problem locally worse is also avoided-mainly because of the profit and money from selling rice. With Thailand being the number two global rice producer generating over $4 billion per year, avoidance of this issue is a form of corruption.
If we are to address climate change, we need to include all the influences on weather. When I talk with climatologists about how they account for global weather modification efforts in their models about weather patterns, they say this information is absent because the data is "private" or proprietary. If we are to understand the challenge of climate change and determine coping strategies for the future of humanity, we need to include this into the algorithms and models for a relevant solution.
So instead of making a game to perpetuate this fault and scientific omission, how about inspiring students to explore the ramifications of such programs?
Is being greedy about rain, or any natural resource, really something that needs to be supported and blindly cheered on? How does responsibility for one's actions, which is a major Buddhist tenet, factor into the equation?
Darius Hober
Cops 'out to lunch'
In his Feb 22 letter, "red light anarchy", Sai Wansai asks if the authorities could enforce the rule that motorcycles should stop at red lights. If he is referring to the Sathon crossing near the vacant Athene Francais, I understand his plea. That is one hellish crossing. But Sai you should realise the authorities are busy finding stores that are illegally selling decks of playing cards. There are just so many hours in a policeman's day.
Aachan Mike
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