Re: "King Power wins contract bid", (BP, June 1). Is there anyone the least bit surprised that King Power has "won" another 10-year monopoly to operate the duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport?
If there was any doubt of the outcome, it was erased when Airports of Thailand AoT announced that technical aspects of the proposals would be weighted to 80% of the overall score. Unfortunately, the losers in this process are the Thai treasury -- which will reap far less than the norm for duty-free concessions fetched at other leading Asian airports -- and all travellers passing through Suvarnabhumi who will be subjected to another decade of sub-par duty-free shopping.
Samanea Saman
Beware what looms
Re: "Minority government idea floated", (BP, June 1).
Perhaps Seree Suwannapanont, freshly minted senator and former loyal member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), doesn't have it quite right when he asserts that "if the government is not corrupt and works efficiently, there is no need for it to have more than half of the MPs to protect it".
The more accurate statement might be that if the government is truly corrupt and works not all efficiently, there is no need for it to have more than half of the MPs to protect it, since it will be able to force itself on the unwilling Thai nation under the bespoke charter make up to enable such abuses in collusion with a senate duly stuffed with loyal men.
And this is the end product of five years of dictatorship? It all sounds too expected as a harbinger of what looms.
Felix Qui
Kill noise monsters
I noticed recently that the government here has some sort of commission that deals with air pollution and noise. I did not realise that they are even aware of the serious problems posed by "noise pollution", but I don't see anything being done about it.
The daily (and nightly) noise pollution in Bangkok and Chiang Mai mainly comes from the motors of tuk-tuks and motorbikes. This kind of noise impairs hearing and does permanent damage to the nerves in the brain, especially in young children.
Most motorbike and tuk-tuk engines are not kept in smooth operating condition, and many are so dilapidated that they sound like war machines blasting in full battle.
The best solution of course is to require that all motorbikes and tuk-tuks switch from gas-fired motors to electric battery power. The technology for this is readily available, and it is easy to do. Meanwhile, enforcing strict maintenance standards for owners of these 2- and 3-wheeled noise monsters would cut the noise pollution.
Daniel Reid
Tourism not dead yet
Re: "Dying Thai tourism", (PostBag, June 2).
"Ex-regular Tourist" claims that one visit to a deserted Suvarnabhumi airport proves Europeans have given up on Thailand. This is akin to arguing that a single video clip of Adolf Hitler hugging a dog proves he was a humanitarian.
Your correspondent is disappointed that his warnings to Thais 20 years ago to stop cheating tourists have not been heeded.
Over the past few years the same warnings have been issued by keyboard warriors about the Chinese. They are apparently forced into Pattaya sex shows, drowned when their pleasure cruisers overturn and charged a thousand baht for a plate of noodles.
Meanwhile, the number of Chinese tourists is about to explode as 90% of Chinese citizens who don't have a passport prepare their applications. The future of Thai tourism may not be to your liking, but it's premature to write the autopsy report.
Barry Kenyon
CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING
136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
Fax: +02 6164000 email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
All letter writers must provide full name and address.
All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.
