I am afraid to say that Burin Kantabutra is stretching credibility a bit by suggesting that honesty and respect for the law are traditional Thai values.
The Thai public has been witness to some of the most outrageous displays of dishonesty performed by its elected and non-elected politicians over the past three decades. Corruption has been ongoing at the highest levels and there is no indication that it is improving or ever going to stop. Almost every government office has seen its share of publicity over dishonest behaviour and the police are almost certainly at the top of the list.
Considering that these are the people that make and enforce laws it's no surprise that the average citizen sees laws as nothing more than a ploy to keep them down while the elite continues to do as they wish.
Lungstib
Let's ban ivory here
Re: "Beijing enacts sweeping ban on entire ivory trade", (BP, Dec 28).
Plaudits to China for outlawing all sales of ivory. As the main consumer market for ivory in the world, the ban on all sales -- if strictly enforced -- will go a long way toward ending the senseless slaughter of elephants around the world.
Pressure should now be placed on Thailand, and all other countries that still allow the sale of ivory, to enact and enforce similar bans. Only when the sale of ivory is completely ended will the poaching of elephants stop.
Samanea Saman
Saving their bacon
This evening, at about 5.30pm while returning home from a shop on Ram Intra Road, to my utter bewilderment (and delight) I briefly witnessed from the taxi window a small group of what looked like wild pigs charging down the pavement (they were not regular porkers) outside the market at Km 4. In a bustling urban area devoid of animal life except for glum soi dogs, scrawny chickens and the ubiquitous pigeons, they reminded me of the hogs (they looked the same) that were disrupting village life upcountry recently. Wonder what that was all about? Fleeing the scene to save their own bacon?
Robin
Speeding to nowhere
Re: "The lost art of travel", (PostBag, Dec 31).
Add to the wonderful train, The Flying Scotsman, those wonderful Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation aircraft. One would sit in comfort with lots of leg room, lots of body room, enjoying great meals during a flight. Sure, the Super Constellation lacked the speed of a 747 or a Concorde, (I believe it was about 300mph), but arriving in "one piece", relaxed, no jet lag, fewer luggage weight restrictions and more, made travel a treat instead of a treatment, as the old saying went.
Yes, progress replaced the L-1049, but at what price? Like bullet trains, was it, or is it all worth it? We tend to put so much into how fast we get from one place to another, (at times dying in the process), burning out our lives like a candle lit at both ends. Hurry, hurry! Time is money!
Casey Jones
Bring on 'dark side'
Congratulations to the Bangkok Post for their choice of so-called "dark side" social media sites for "2017 Person of the Year". It would be refreshing to see more of these sources included regularly in the Post's news and opinion selection process. The daily diet of big news service reports and syndicated op-ed sources is dependable but monotonous, predictable and frankly quite disappointing in many respects.
Michael Setter
Out of our car league
This might be nice for the auto editor to consider. During the coming year, let's see more reviews and introductions to vehicles we can afford and buy. Reading about Maybachs, upper-end BMWs and Benzes, high-end Porsches, etc, are for the select few. And those who buy these expensive, over-taxed vehicles do not need to read reviews. They plunk down money, (probably mostly in dollars), and drive them away.
Maybach Mango
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