OPINION

Crossings chaos

Well done to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for the excellent resurfacing of many roads in the Suan Luang area by using tarmac to eliminate all the recently installed red pedestrian crossings, white road markings and lane dividers. The ensuing havoc of cars and bikes driving all over the flipping place and pedestrians having no crossing facilities on On Nut 17 (and other sois) as a result of those essential markings being obliterated is marvellous. Congratulations!

Coups always wrong

Re: "Anutin says no to coup bill", (BP, Dec 10).

What an extremely sad and sorry state of affairs when Anutin Charnvirakul -- a leader of a major political party and Minister of the Interior thinks so little of the parliamentary system and the citizens that he is quite happy to allow the possible intrusion of the military into political affairs. There is never a good enough reason for the military to organise an armed coup and depose an elected government, and any bill that reduces that risk is worth voting for.

Does Mr Anutin really think so poorly of his past political friends and party members that they deserved to be ousted by men in uniform, and more importantly, did the generals improve the situation and improve the democratic system that he purportedly stands for? But then, as a man who once apologised for a statement that he insisted he did not post, he may not be the best example for aspiring politicians to follow.

Notre Dame truth?

Re: "Notre Dame reborn", (PostBag, Dec 10).

The Eternal Optimist rather contradicts his own nom de plume with the suggestion that there was foul play involved in the destruction of much of Notre Dame cathedral five years ago.

As far as I'm aware, the exact cause of the fire is not known, but I haven't previously seen any suggestion it was other than an accident. In any event, TSO can't have it both ways. Either there was a "vile fire" or "Eight-hundred-year-old oak does not burn". Both cannot be true in this instance.

Flyover conundrum

Re: "Drunk Benz driver kills motorcyclist", (BP, Dec 5).

According to the news, the man with 119 mg/dl of alcohol in his blood drove his Mercedes car and hit the motorcycle on the Thai-Japanese flyover in Bangkok. The motorcycle rider fell to her death on the road below.

The car driver is certainly responsible for driving under the influence, according to the law. But I'm curious about the flyover being off-limits to motorcycles. Isn't it?

The female rider might not have faced tragedy if she had been disciplined and always abided by traffic law while driving.