OPINION

Justice at last

Three loud chaiyos for the Phuket Provincial Court in acquitting two Phuketwan news website journalists over a report implicating the Thai navy in human trafficking (BP, Sept 2).

The Phuket court’s courage benefits not only the individuals concerned, but also the image of Thailand — for justice has not only been done, but it has been seen to be done. The verdict thus is a win-win.

The Samui court, hearing the high-profile rape/murder case of British travellers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao, should take the Phuket court as its role model. Here, too, justice must be seen to be done. For example, key evidence such as DNA tests must be done by an accredited agency with no conflicts of interest. Let’s show the world that rule of law is returning to Thailand.

Burin Kantabutra

I’d like to make a clarification in regard to Thomas Giesen’s comments (“A silly comparison”, PostBag, Sept 4) against my previous letter in which I likened the Thai police force rewarding themselves to the actions of police in the US that similarly reward themselves.

I was referring, of course, to the infamous “Civil Forfeiture Law”, which allows police to seize money from any citizen they suspect is involved in illegal activities, whether or not that citizen is ultimately charged for the crime under which the forfeiture is made.

This money is often kept and added to the budgets of the police force making the forfeiture. So, understanding their motives in wanting to continue to pursue this practice is obvious.

The controversy comes from the point that these forfeitures are contrary to the “innocent until proven guilty” principle, which is a basic tenet of the US criminal justice system.

US Attorney-General Eric Holder has distanced himself and the federal government from the practice saying: “The federal government will no longer take part in most of these seizures.”

Mr Geisen is correct in his comment that the AG’s decision will most likely not have much of an impact on the police force’s behaviour at the state and municipal level.

I am certainly not an apologist for the Thai police force. I was merely painting them with the same brush as the greedy police forces in the US.

While he is correct on one point, if Mr Geisen had simply done a little research on the other points I made, I wouldn’t feel compelled to write this boring clarification.

Dave Proulx

Re: “Free as you want”, (PostBag, Aug 31). Recently a British friend asked me what I think of President Obama. I responded: “He’s doing a good job considering what he has to work with.” Let me explain.

There was never a president before George W Bush who came to office when the economy was in such fantastic shape and left it in such a shambles. No fair-minded person would deny that the economy has improved since Mr Obama became president.

While the right-wing maniacs at Fox News blame Mr Obama for the spread of the IS, those Fox News hypocrites forget that they supported the Iraq war which led to that problem in the first place. Who ever heard of the IS before the Iraq war?

But because of the special interest groups in America it’s hard for anyone to be a good president. For example, it’s because of the pro-Israel lobby that America allows Israel to get away with every atrocity it commits and that greatly intensifies the problems we have with Muslims.

In any case, my point was that every American — regardless of their opinion of Mr Obama — should be proud that America went from being a country which had slaves to a nation where a child, regardless of his or her race, can grow up to become president of the United States.

Eric Bahrt

Being a long-time resident and a frequent Pattaya visitor over the years, it still astonishes me how greedy and heartless Pattaya meter taxis are.

Recently I had to play a host to an overseas family of five. They needed to use the meter taxi service.

These ruthless taxi operators refused to use the meter and charged our visitors 300-400 baht for a 10-minute ride that should have cost 40-50 baht.

The taxi drivers turn down dozens of commuters, content to linger outside tourist hotels and shopping centres for hours at a time, waiting for novice tourists to pounce on, gouge, cheat and scam. Worse, these predatory taxi drivers have no qualms in ordering the other taxi drivers in the area not to give you a fair price. The Tourist Authority should take note that my friends cut short their Pattaya holiday. They won’t be back and certainly will not be promoting Thailand as a friendly holiday destination to their friends back home.

Jeff Grabowski

In his letter of Sep 3, Kuldeep Nagi continues with his anti-Western tirades. Without any reasoning he calls George W Bush a complete disaster as a president and the person responsible for turning America into a paranoid nation.

Mr Nagi continues in a similar theme by blaming the leadership of Bush and Tony Blair for “the death of millions of innocent people in the Middle East” and holds policies of the US under Mr Bush as being “responsible for the rise of terrorist organisations... throughout the world”.

It is all too simple to lay the blame for the world’s problems at the door of the US, but more difficult to back it up with sound reasoning. We want explanations free of bias against the West.

Martin R

Don’t be too concerned, Khun Kuldeep (re: “Obama not the worst”, PostBag, Aug 31). The Americans got rid of the two Bush presidents, and hopefully will not vote in Jeb, a disaster waiting to happen. Obama is still the worst disaster to hit the US in decades, because it is not as much what he supposedly tried to do, (little to nothing), but his wishy-washy wavering, his lying, his being out of touch with reality, his lousy record as a state senator, his constant failure to show up for congressional voting, his “I’m right, you’re wrong” attitude.

Lobzig

In a recent letter I said I would continue to jibe Thaksin and his populist policies. A writer the very next day or so said Thaksin’s populist policies were not all that bad, citing the 30-baht health plan as one of his successes.

It might have been his only success.

But the government’s revival of the Village Fund policy, I still maintain was, is, and will be an abysmal failure. “Somkid’s stimulus plan an invitation to more debt”, written by Khun Sawai Boonma earlier bears this out.

Charcoal Ridgeback

Re: “Fishing ban sparks protests”, (BP, Sept 2). This showed a miscalculation by state authorities to balance the required number of trawlers and quantity of catch with demand and conservation limits during the re-registration of trawlers. The authorities need to review this issue again very carefully and mull permanent corrective action.

In the meantime, they should apologise and pay compensation to trawler operators for no-fishing days.

RH Suga

Since the removal of the umbrellas and beach chairs on our beaches we have had several disappointed guests leaving earlier than planned.

Tourists, both local and foreign, are coming to Laem Mae Phim and Thailand for the sun and the beautiful beaches but since the authorities decided to remove the umbrellas, tables and chairs from the beaches opposite most of the hotels, more and more tourists are avoiding Mae Phim and even Thailand.

If the authorities do not want beaches full of beach chairs and umbrellas why not allow only one or two rows on the land side?

Due to this regulation there will be a loss of jobs at many restaurants, hotels and shops in Laem Mae Phim as tourists will stay away. We have received several emails from locals and foreigners who have expressed their concern to the media and the TAT. And we have already two holiday cancellations.

Our restaurant on the beach road, the hotels, other restaurants and shops are already noticing the lack of visitors and, with the high season approaching, it is necessary to do something about this and this will have consequences for the labour situation. Jobs and businesses are in jeopardy and many will lose their jobs!

After the sad events in Bangkok, Thailand needs to boost tourism, so authorities please do something about this mistake and make sure that tourists, both local and foreign will not skip Mae Phim and Thailand and then locals can keep their jobs.

Josefin Kristiansson

Some years back I suffered a coronary blockage while travelling on a plane. I survived that, changed my diet, lifestyle and added selected vitamins and supplements to my regimen in consultation with my American doctors.

Moving to Thailand in 2000, I continued to receive these vitamins and supplements here through Thai Post. I receive treatment at a Bangkok hospital and my Thai doctor has received a complete account of the vitamins and supplements I receive and offers no objections.

I would add that most of these vitamins and supplements are not available here and if substitutes are, they are prohibitively expensive due to Thai taxes and are of lesser quality.

Recently, however, three of my suppliers have told me that Thai customs has imposed “restrictions” on these imports to Thailand. One supplier simply said they do not ship to Thailand anymore.

A second one said they were “unsure” if my order would reach me and the last one that sent me an order last week now states that there is both a 1.8kg limit on orders as well as a cost limit of 2,800 baht per order.

The Customs Department has done little to publicise its policy change on vitamin/supplement imports.

It is not a medical organisation and their apparently secretive and unilateral “restriction” poses a threat to all the Thai and foreign residents who rely on doctor-approved vitamins and supplements to maintain their health.

Caskets anyone?

David Swartzentruber

Re: “Not the West’s fault”, (PostBag, Aug 29). I suggest that Charlie Brown is the one who should re-read what he has written.

It is surely indisputable that US policies in the Middle East have caused millions of deaths in Iraq alone, which has been totally destroyed and may never recover.

The Sept 11 attacks did not come out of the blue; they were a reaction to US policies. The US then reacted as always with more aggression which as usual has not improved matters.

Now we have the IS. Statistics on the use of vetoes in the Security Council are available on the UN website. In recent years the main user of the veto has been the US, usually to avoid condemnation of various illegal activities by Israel. This can hardly endear the US to Muslim communities. While terrorists are of course responsible for their actions, these have to be considered in context. People are driven to terrorism for reasons, and if the problem is to be tackled the reasons need to be understood.

Think again, Charlie Brown.

Colin Roth

The dual tragedies of Thailand’s forcible dispatch of Uighurs to the repressive dictatorship known as China, and the subsequent Erawan bombing could have been avoided if: a) China, like civilised nations, allowed its people to live freely anywhere in the world they are welcome (then no need for human trafficking), and b) if the Prayut regime, unlike China, had treated those people as human beings, instead of as chattel or runaway pets to be returned to their owner.

Paul Bradley

In his Aug 31 letter, Robin Grant cited reports from across the world over the declining rate of infant mortality as a result of the Universal Healthcare Scheme.

He should have described the bad consequences as a result of Thaksin Shinawatra introducing populist schemes to Thailand. The 30-baht healthcare programme has done much damage to Thailand as well.

It has caused widespread inefficiency in hospitals all over the country: Doctors and nurses became demoralised by the introduction of the programme: Many resigned to work for private hospitals.

Often, there were complaints that patients were prescribed with pain-killing pills when they asked for a thorough check for cancer. By the time they knew they had the fatal disease, it was too late.

Vint Chavala

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