OPINION

The right direction

Re: "Our next leader will have to fix economy" (Opinion, Jan 17).

I read a lot about corporations that go through structural changes, realignments and upgrades that are needed for the future, but that make shareholders unhappy in the present because of the costs and lower stock profits.

Corporate officials have to "sell" their plans and explain that the gain is worth the pain.

Thailand is in that position today.

Railroads must be upgraded and replaced, airline industry problems must be solved, education must be improved and a myriad other 21st century challenges undoubtedly lies ahead.

Southeast Asian countries can no longer live on borrowed time and use yesterday's solutions for today's and tomorrow's challenges.

The Thai government has gone in the right direction and now needs to tell the world what "future Thailand" will look like.

Short-term opportunities may come and go, but long-term planning does not go unnoticed.

Thailand right now is a very undervalued investment. 

Over Christmas I was in Bangkok on holiday. I always go to the river and sometimes travel on the ferries. But this time I noticed that the tourist boats were, it seemed to me, overloaded.

Passengers were crowded on to the rear platform, cheek by jowl, and I expect there were standing passengers in the main cabin.

This is no way for tourists to view, photograph and enjoy the journey and to get off through the masses present at the various stops.

But more importantly, there is the safety aspect. Are passenger loads being strictly adhered to and are there sufficient life raft available in the event of an emergency?

This could be an accident waiting to happen unless the authorities and the operators ensure all safety measures are taken.

A reporter from the now defunct New York Herald Tribune once explained to my high school journalism class in the 50s that one should not attack a person for how he writes, but only his ideas if we disagree with them.

As an undergrad in Queens College, New York City, many years ago, Theodore Bikel came to lecture one fine afternoon.

He told us that if all the trees and flowers would be the same colour, the world would indeed by a colourless, dull place.

Therefore Michael ("Watch your behind", PostBag, Jan 17), please don't be so hard on Eric Bahrt. It is not how Eric writes, but his ideas I suspect you do not like.

Eric Bahrt adds much needed colour to PostBag. While I do not always agree with you, Mr Bahrt, I urge you never to be deterred from putting your ideas to paper, whether I or others like it or not.

The other evening I was researching import duties on laptop computers.

I found a number of websites that indicated there were no customs duties on importing a laptop other than the payment of 7% VAT.

But there were one or two that indicated there might be significant duties on the same product, so I looked up the Thai Customs website where I was given a contact email to send my questions to.

I typed up a nice email and promptly sent it off, only to receive the dreaded "Mail Undeliverable" return. 

Returning to the website (www.customs.go.th/wps/wcm/connect/custen/importexport/importer/importer) I checked the address to verify it and then noticed the small bar at the bottom of the Home page which said: Copyright © 2009 The Customs Department -- Thailand. 

Now I don't know if this means they haven't updated the site in seven years or if they just created it, but it's not good business to publicise broken links, especially for Customer Service.

All in all the website was nicely done, but it was impossible to find any information even though I did have the Harmonized System (Tariff code) for the item.