Samanea Saman in his Jan 8 letter, "Zoo park needed", is worried that the land occupied by Dusit zoo will be turned into a shopping complex, or skyscrapers, or both. Don't be.
The land occupied by the zoo is part of Dusit Palace area and is right next to Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, built by King Rama V. The Hall is one of the most historic and sacred places in Thailand, right up there with the Emerald Buddha Temple. It served as a landmark, Thailand's first parliament and housed several royal rituals. No Thais can stomach an eyesore created by giant billboards or high-rise buildings that dwarf the sacred Throne Hall.
My best bet is if Dusit zoo is relocated the land is likely to be turned to a national urban park as a memorial to our beloved King Rama IX.
Somsak Pola
End gift-graft
Re: "NACC faces further flak over gift limit" (Editorial, Jan 6).
I agree with a total ban for gifts regardless of the value. As the editorial team suggested, this tradition could lead to corrupt practices as givers expect some advantage from a certain government official or politician.
Moreover, there is an indirect advantage for the givers who may hope for media exposure when they hand the gifts to the big shots.
R H Suga
Rat mine-busters
Re: "Thailand's long fight against a hidden killer", (Spectrum, Jan 7).
For a country so full of landmines, it is a strange thing that in your story I read nothing about the rats that have been trained to detect these.
This is happening in several countries and even in our neighbouring country Cambodia.
Dutchie Jomtien
Fifa kerfuffle
The 2022 football World Cup in Qatar is some way off, as reported in local media, but serious questions remain regarding this unusual venue for what is to many the greatest sporting event on the planet -- with lots of politics thrown in.
Assuming that the tournament will in fact take place in December when the desert heat is more forgiving (although still very humid), the weather is less critical. The havoc it will wreak on the European football calendar seems to bother no-one.
When a country with no footballing tradition (and indeed with a weak national team) is awarded such a prestigious event, the beautiful game loses out as Qatar will not match the other teams and local enthusiasm will be lukewarm at best.
That raises the issue of the foreign fans descending on Qatar and its capital city Doha. As a Muslim country, Qatar will not allow the open sale of alcohol. For most fans, football without beer is simply unfeasible. Strict dress codes will be in place, which will affect female fans. Unmarried couples cannot share hotel rooms, so forget about taking your girlfriend to watch a game together.
Last but definitely not least, Qatar has made no pledges regarding the expected refusal to admit fans from all countries, in particular Israel. That could turn this World Cup into a political event, turning the very essence of football into a laughing stock.
Over to you, Fifaf honchos.
Andy Leitner
Puppy love
Yes, there are a lot of stray dogs roaming Thailand, but this problem exists everywhere (except where dogs are barbarically slaughtered and eaten like in Korea, China and a few other countries).
Mr Bahrt could move to one of these countries and thereby relieve his stress over the "stray dog syndrome" problem. Of course, Eric Bahrt, who seems to have solutions to all the world's ills, could perhaps do his little part and adopt a few strays.
David James Wong
Narcos reign
My mind has been boggled by the amount of drugs confiscated in the last few months.
I read that more than 14 billion baht worth of drugs were confiscated in a month and yet they still pour into Thailand. Who can afford to take such losses and continue producing more drugs on this industrial scale?
Not a Mentally Stable Genius
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