OPINION

Korean dust-buster

There have been numerous rather far-fetched solutions proposed to dealing with Bangkok's air pollution crisis. A simple and effective solution is readily available. An after-market particulate removal device is manufactured in Korea which electrostaticly causes the particulates present in diesel exhaust streams to fall out of suspension in the exhaust air. These highly effective and simple to install devices are available in two sizes, one for trucks and buses and one for passenger vehicles; both are affordably priced.

The BMA should simply require all diesel vehicles wishing to enter Bangkok environs be equipped with one of these devices. A sticker affixed at inspection stations would easily allow for police to monitor compliance. Let's stop this utter nonsense of pretending there are "safe" levels of air pollution, twiddling with garden hoses and rain-making band-aids, and actually do something that will make an immediate difference.

With regard to the air pollution problem, Thailand needs to adopt new building codes that ensure air is filtered for the inhabitants. The government will probably never get a handle on smog anytime soon if the current track record of problem resolution is followed. Citizens then should at least be able to find and expect protection in their shelters. I never hear this common sense solution offered by anyone discussing this issue.

I find it fascinating that engineers and architects here study the same science and data available to all in that profession yet avoid using technology that actually benefits the residents of such buildings.

It is one thing to build a high-rise condo building, it is another to make it truly habitable.

After listening to the 7am Mcot English-language news on 107FM, mostly about Bangkok, what else, I always love the mid-broadcast announcement, "In other parts of Thailand…" Is anyone interested in the "other parts of Thailand"? Haze from burning rice and sugar cane fields brings highway visibility to a mere few metres. People burn their garbage along the sides of the roads and in their yards. Black vehicle exhaust fumes are the norm, not the exception. I don't know if there is a word or term for vehicle maintenance in Thai, but if there is, it is certainly not understood.

Some local pickups have not had a service check since they were put on the road a few centuries ago. Many motorcycles probably predate the dinosaurs, looking like apparitions, moving wrecks, with no number plates. But then, this is the "other part of Thailand" where the brave do not venture, and the laws are flaunted or ignored. It is time to incorporate and include these "other parts" into the whole, and enforce what is good for Bangkok applicable to the rest of us.

On the topic of air pollution -- as I sit at traffic lights for minutes on end in a new car with the engine running, I wonder why the government doesn't insist on stop-start technology on every vehicle produced for the local market.

My Indonesian-manufactured scooter has it, why not my made-in-Thai one?

Re: "The paradoxes of Thai education", (Opinion, Jan 16).

In her interview with Prof Gerald W Fry, who edited a book called, Education in Thailand: An Old Elephant in Search of a New Mahout, scholar Ratana Lao, one of the authors, highlights several points:

Thailand spends a lot of money on education but the educational achievements do not live up to the investment;

Most money is spent on infrastructure;

It is difficult to assess quality. We cannot measure creativity, critical thinking or problem-solving; Thailand is far behind in research.

There are pockets of excellence, but they are hard to scale up. We have to address small schools problem. Many good ideas have not yet been implemented, e.g., project-based learning and a more child-centred approach.

From the above input, we could siphon some money (1) from infrastructure (2) to strengthen research (3) that focuses on quality assessment (4), scaling up excellent practices (5), addressing small schools' problems (6), and implementing project-based learning and a child-centred approach, essentially using research as a strategy.

Re: "Police traffic tickets set to go digital", (BP, Jan 18).

This digital policy will improve accuracy and cut the workload for both the police and Land Transport officials. Even now, Thai drivers tend to ignore the traffic rules because the punishments are relatively light. This digital system should be extended to automatically issuing notices to violators that they have to appear at a police station or face the consequences. Those who fail to turn up merit arrest warrants.

As British members of parliament continue to procrastinate over Brexit, I would suggest they ponder the words of C S Lewis: "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."

There's talk around town about the government requiring foreigners living in Thailand on retirement visas to buy health insurance, and since most of us are old now this would be a big expense that's hard to bear. We already spend most of our savings to cover the costs of daily life here; adding insurance to the load would make life difficult for all of us.

I would like to weigh in on this issue by raising some key points. First, some of us, such as my wife and I, are citizens of countries like Australia that provide universal health care to all its citizens free of charge, including surgery and hospital care. If we have a serious health problem that requires surgery and hospital care, all we need to do is buy a plane ticket and fly to Australia, and the problem is solved, at no expense to Thailand. So retirees like us don't need health insurance of any kind.

Secondly, I have spent the past 40 years researching, practising, and writing books about naturopathic health and healing systems such as Chinese medicine, breath and energy work, fasting and detox, diet and nutrition, and therapeutic massage. Many Western retirees in Thailand know of my work and follow my recommendations on self-health care. When something goes wrong with our health, we use these natural methods which are safer, more effective, and far less expensive to fix. However, health insurance policies do not cover these traditional, natural treatments. So for retired people like us who take good care of our health and rarely get sick, paying for health insurance coverage would be a waste of money.

In closing, I would like to suggest a simple solution that would resolve this issue without forcing us to buy something we don't want, don't need, and cannot afford. The government currently requires foreigners living in Thailand on retirement visas to have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for three months prior to having their visa renewed. All the government needs to do to guarantee retirees can pay the cost of a medical emergency is require them to keep a minimum balance of 400,000 baht in their Thai accounts all year round. That's enough to pay the cost of almost any medical problem requiring hospital care, and it's the amount of insurance coverage this proposal stipulates.

With renewed speculation about ending the 90-day report and introducing new long-term visas, the hoary old chestnut of compulsory medical insurance for retirees is raising its head again. Common sense, you say.

Yet bursars in many hospitals in Thailand don't agree. They know that many of these old guys (and gals) in their 60s and 70s+ have absolutely no chance of obtaining serious cover, but pay for medical procedures out of their own pockets. All that huge revenue would disappear if there is a mass kicking-out.

You can certainly find elderly foreigners on one-year extensions of stay (retirement) without two dimes to rub together, but don't forget the vast majority don't expect charity. In reality, the much-publicised cases of bankrupt foreigners seeking crowd-funding for their operations are much younger people on tourist visas.

Health insurance is fine and dandy as long as the companies believe they can make a profit from you. The alternative is self-insurance. I hold a Cambodian long-term visa and signed a paper confirming that I understand I will not receive any medical treatment except as a private patient.

Prince Philip was involved in a car accident (BP, Jan 18), but the news did not include a key detail reported in the British media. Upon arriving at the scene, the police, adhering to standard procedure, breathalysed His Royal Highness and the other occupant of the car.

In Britain, unlike in Thailand, road safety is taken seriously, and the rules of the road apply to everyone. Britain has the third-lowest rate of road deaths in the world, Thailand the second highest, a statistic that prompts much hand-wringing and appeals for "something to be done". Britain has shown the way.