OPINION

Fair trial for everyone

Re: "Misplaced sympathy", (PostBag, March 21).

Martin R, when people protest against the death penalty, it doesn't mean they sympathise with the convicted mass murderers, does it?

Maybe my writing was ambiguous; but, I don't sympathise with Premchai Karnasuta. My point is that we should let justice run its course and don't get too upset if the verdict doesn't come out the way we want. It seems the public is eager to see Mr Premchai being punished for his crime and also for the crimes of Thaksin, Yingluck and the Red Bull kid. Everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even the super rich like Mr Premchai.

According to news media reports, the dog in the United Airlines saga was indeed in a pet carrier, designed to fit under the seat, a TSA-approved carrier. Yet, Mr P insists it wasn't so.

I'd suggest Mr P go online and look at a picture of approved carrier in question. There are several links which show pictures. As the proverb says, "A picture is worth a thousand words". That should clinch it all, and, thank you, end of story.

Re: "It's a dog's life", (PostBag, March 21).

I hope you are with these dogs 24/7 and clean the s**t after them. Keep them quiet too, so we can sleep here.

As the temperatures rise and Songkran draws near, it seems that the "silly season" is upon us.

Wristbands for tourists in Phuket are once again being discussed. And in the wake of a spate of rabies deaths, various schemes are being discussed at a high level: pet taxes for pet owners, pet registration and even tax deductions for owners who take good care of their pets. Amazing that any of these ideas can be met with a straight face around a meeting table, let alone seen as even vaguely workable.

Wasant Techawongtham in his March 17 column, "Too many hurdles for the disabled to clear", missed a simple point. One cannot use the sidewalks in the cities, as a disabled person, because they are not flat. Too many uneven spots, missing paving stones, pipes or other obstructions sticking up. A blind person would be constantly tripping, and all too many sidewalks don't have a ramp.

Thailand is a great place to live; but it's got a long way to go until it can be seen as handicap friendly. It's going to take a long time and a lot of money to fix the problem. My hope is that they can find the funds to get started, very soon.

Re: "Love thy neighbour", (Spectrum, March 18). Why does this writer refer to the individuals in his article as migrants? They entered the US illegally and broke US laws so they are criminals. If I entered Thailand illegally and got caught I would be deported or put in jail. The saying that they have to "leave their children behind" is not true. The children can go with their parents.

Re: "Shock and awe", (Brunch, March 18).

In his fine report on his short visit to Prague, Khun Om Jotikasthira mentions that he was impressed by the low prices of local craft beer, learned that Czechs have the highest per capita beer consumption in the world and that pilsner beer had its birth in today's Plzen in 1842.

Worth adding is that Budweiser Budwar is one of the world's top quality beers, far superior to the version of Budweiser which Anhenser Busch in the US is mass-producing, based on the original recipe from Czech immigrants, but over time altered to mainstream American taste.

My personal ranking of the world's best beer countries (in alphabetical order): Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany. So-called "beer trails" are well worth exploring.

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.