Re: "ONCB warns of pot extract contamination", (BP, June 7). ONCB secretary-general Niyom Termsrisuk said high levels of pesticides and cadmium were found in nearly 18 tonnes of cannabis while about two tonnes were found contaminated with cadmium.
"Only about seven kilogrammes of the samples were free of both pesticide and cadmium contamination and these samples will be handed to medical institutes," read the article. Anyone familiar with the science of plant extraction and contamination of feedstock will know this account of the Narcotics Control Board's actions makes no sense.
"Seven kilogrammes out of 18 tonnes were found to be free of contamination" would require testing of 18 tonnes of biomass, tested kilogramme by kilogramme to ascertain the contamination, which would be an extremely time-consuming and costly procedure.
Second, the medical institutes could run a simple extraction and column separation process, removing the contaminants from the pure oil. Something is fishy at the ONCB.
Midnight Mango
Pointless charges
Re: "Thaksin gets two years for abuse of power in lottery case", (BP, June 7).
Don't waste any more tax money and time. No charge will make a difference, unless Thaksin Shinawatra comes home.
R H Suga
Don't flagellate the writer
Okay folks, so the flak has hit the fan over the Bangkok Post's banner headline, "Prayut beats off rival for PM". Big deal. I wonder if anyone would have made an issue of the poor use of the idiom, "to beat off" except for those silly folks with dual mindsets who see everything as having a connotation.
"Fights off" might have been a better choice. However, in American English, "Man beats off grizzly bear attack", "Child beats off dog that tried to bite him", is perfectly acceptable. The meanings are conveyed in both sentences.
What about all those who drive Mistubishi Pajero vehicles? Does anyone realise that in many Spanish speaking countries, a pajero is a person who "diddles themselves"? Probably not. And what about the kid selling pork balls in noodles at a local market stall, many years ago, who was learning English and made a bilingual sign for his illiterate parents that read in English, "We sell the balls of the pig with noodles". The boy was happy to be corrected, but very proud of his English nevertheless.
And I was proud of him too. As an American English speaker, I'm a lot more liberal and tolerant of language usage than my cousins across the sea. I've heard Brits asking the barber for a "blow job" instead of a "hair dry". Come on, don't flagellate the Bangkok Post headline writer for an expression that goes either way.
Jack Gilead
Healthcare takes cash
Re: "Immigration earful", (PostBag, June 6).
Somsak Pola brings a welcome element of humour to the vexed issue of financial requirements for foreign retirees in Thailand. There is no doubt the various changes to these requirements are sometimes confusing, but to suggest, as some have, that the immigration authorities hate expatriates and want to drive us away is surely complete and utter nonsense.
In reality, authorities are merely reacting in a prudent and common sense way to the threat to Thailand's healthcare system, posed by an ageing population, both local and foreign.
I do not know how many expatriates have made adequate provisions for healthcare, and of course none of us know what "adequate" means because we do not know what lies in store for us, but long-term hospitalisation, major surgeries and full-time care can be very costly. It therefore seems to me that the current requirement to have a minimum monthly income of 65,000 baht, or a minimum of 800,000 baht in a bank account is not onerous.
Rather than complaining about the imagined inequities, surely it would have been a much better idea to provide for future healthcare, either by arranging health insurance or by setting aside funds for the purpose.
Robin Grant
Apologies rare as hen's teeth
After the debacle we have witnessed in the last few weeks with "experienced" politicians pushing for ministerial positions, going back on their previous promises to voters and looking for power incommensurate with their electoral results, FFP's problem with a "young and boisterous" member seems rather minuscule. Furthermore, the following apology could set a precedent in a place where apologies are as rare as hen's teeth.
Lungstib
Rotten soda drinker guts
I read with interest, "Not the real thing", (PostBag, June 8), written by a lifelong Coca-Cola drinker. I wonder if the writer ever duplicated this simple high school experiment: A little cube of raw meat is attached to a string, then lowered into a glass of Coca-Cola, (or Pepsi), permitted to remain submerged for about an hour, then withdrawn. The experimenter will find the meat was "eaten" or starting to be "digested" from the acid in the drink. Aside from rotting teeth, I would not like to speculate about the condition of the guts of a lifelong soft drink consumer. I shudder to think of it.
Kishkess
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