OPINION

Kill all of these rascally dogs

Back in the 1960s the Hong Kong government was paranoid about rabid dogs entering the colony from mainland China.

Dogs had to be vaccinated with a tattoo in the ear as proof and also wear a licence disc on a collar as proof of ownership. Any dog found without one or both would be put down humanely. The only dogs seen in Hong Kong now are on the end of a leash being restrained by their owner who, by law, must clean up any mess left by their pet.

Now in Thailand we are faced with a rabies "epidemic". The Soi Dog Foundation and other animal lovers claim the culling of stray dogs will not solve the problem but a programme of sterilisation and vaccination is the answer. The question I have is why must Thailand be home to over eight million dogs and what use are they to the people? I've lived here long enough to read horrific stories of dogs savaging old women to death and removing the faces of young children. Dogs seem to eat and sleep most of the day and spend the night scrapping among themselves and making sleep all but impossible. They defecate anywhere which, if accidentally ingested by children, can cause blindness.

If you're an outdoor type, exploring temples and ancient ruins can be made uncomfortable with packs of resident dogs menacing you. It's not fun being chased by a crazed dog while riding a bike either. Dogs scavenging for food upset garbage bins and make a mess. They lie around public areas, markets and restaurants barking and intimidating people. I find nothing redeeming about these creatures. It's time Thailand got serious about tackling this matter. Vaccination, sterilisation and dog homes are expensive, time consuming and will not solve the immediate problem.

Culling of stray dogs will. Dog owners must also be responsible owners, vaccinate their pets and not dump them at the local temple when too expensive to feed. Dog breeders and dealers should be outlawed.

Perhaps Mr Premchai and his chums who apparently have no qualms about killing animals, could be sentenced to a few years travelling up and down the country eradicating the stray dog problem -- and I'd be happy to join them!

Re: "Xenophobia reigns", (PostBag, March 23).

Burin Kantabutra is a brave man, in once again opening discussion of the hot-button issue of foreign ownership of land and corporations. Aside from a few sensitive assets, in strategic sectors vital to national security, there are no compelling arguments for precluding foreign ownership.

The main argument is that an influx of foreign investment would drive up prices of assets in Thailand, beyond the reach of "everyday" Thais. But we should all recognise, however, that restrictions on foreign ownership mainly benefit rich and elite Thais who are consequently able to acquire ever more assets at less than their true market value. It is not poor Thais, or even middle-income Thais for the most part, who are the buyers of land and corporations -- it is the rich. Thus, preventing foreign ownership is actually just one more way to protect the interests of wealthy Thais in their quest for ever more.

Re: "Cops push for licence points system", (BP, March 24).

As reported, under the points system, which works well in other countries, motorists committing traffic offences will have points deducted and be suspended from driving for a certain period when the points are used up.

May I suggest a further development: When visiting Australia recently I saw announcements that double point deductions were in force during public holidays. Perhaps this may help reduce the spike in the already high accident rate during such periods as New Year and Songkran. But given many Thais' general disregard for safe driving at any time (and the consequences thereof), I'm not sure this would work either, but it may be worth a try.

Re: "City pollution at 'national disaster' level", (BP, March 24).

A screamingly obvious solution to reducing pollution in Bangkok is to follow the wisdom of authorities in Myanmar who banned motorcycles in the nation's largest city, Yangon, and are encouraging the sale of electric motorcycles in other cities across the nation. Electric motorcycles are quiet and pollution free.

The health impact from pollution is well documented. Pollution can lead to coronary artery disease, strokes, asthma attacks and, in the long term become a precursor to cancer.

Pollution from vehicular traffic in congested Bangkok is killing its citizens but little, if anything, is being done about it. Support the sale of electric motorcycles.

I belong to an American organisation called Jewish Voice for Peace. We are mostly American Jews who support pro-Palestinian rights and feel, for the most part, the media have misled the public into thinking that those running the Israeli government speak for all Jews.

We are not even anti-Israeli since there are many Israeli Jews who completely agree with us. We are simply opposed to the Israeli government and its barbaric and illegal polices, such as the spreading the Jewish settlements in occupied territory.

I am begging the media to understand that not all Jews think alike and it's causing terrible anti-semitism when the media suggests otherwise.

We all wonder why we hear so much about corruption in government agencies, yet hardly anyone is fired or jailed.

I think it has to do with "professional courtesy".

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