Published on January 01, 2005
I praise Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for acting swiftly to ameliorate the tsunami damage and, once again, His Majesty the King, our sage monarch, has shown the way by donating Bt30 million from his personal funds for this same goal.
I laud the way that countries, organisations and people from all walks of life have come together as one to help those in need, without regard to race, religion or nationality. This is the “good will towards men” preached by all religions at its best.
I fully agree with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who wants to turn this crisis into an opportunity. We must rebuild, and most swiftly – but let’s do it according to a plan, not helter-skelter, as in Pattaya. Also, this time, we must prevent politicians from trampling on our environment. Plans submitted for approval must be carefully scrutinised to make sure they meet zoning laws, with land deeds existing for proposed sites. If such reviews take over one month, they could be outsourced to private architectural and engineering firms, with rigorous checks and balances to ensure that the spirit of the law (not just its letter) is complied with. Illegal buildings on protected or forest land should be posted on the web (with photos of the building's owners) and torn down upon expedited court order. The state could extend tax deductions to lower rebuilding interest rates to practically nil, with generous repayment periods – but only for those plans meeting zoning and environmental regulations. Tax breaks should be offered for job retraining/relocation, and to those firms that hire local labour to clean up and rehabilitate the environment. As General Robert E Lee would have said, “The South shall rise again, sir.” Burin Kantabutra Bangkok Editorial exhibits an unwelcome bias Your editorial accusing the US of being stingy regarding earthquake relief assistance (“A generous global relief effort”, December 31) is, as usual, biased and ignorant. In addition to the initial US$35 million (Bt1.4 billion) donated by the US government, millions more are being contributed by private American companies such as Microsoft ($2 million). Meanwhile, France – the world’s 5th largest economy – has made a whopping donation of $130,000! And what do you say about this? Nothing! May I also remind you that, but for the USA, this newspaper wouldn’t even be being published today. You, and this country, would be existing courtesy of the dictatorship of the Imperial Japanese Empire. And France would be saluting a swastika. David Kaye Bangkok Improved efficiency critical in aid mechanisms One may have to consider the reasons for any hesitation by the US to release relief funds. As someone who has lived in Southeast Asia, I can confirm the inability of funds to reach the people who most need them. After years of relief organisations, companies and NGOs having to bribe customs agents in countries receiving aid, witnessing the pilfering of cash, materials and medicines by government officials, and seeing aid recipients pay bribes in order to receive humanitarian relief and other help, it stands to reason that the US is not just going to throw good money after bad to these animals. Make no mistake, these funds will also fall into the wrong hands to some extent. One of the biggest culprits is the United Nations and its agencies. Instead of pointing the finger at the people who provide their means of living, they and everyone else should look at their expense accounts, their new vehicles every few years and the homes they are living in. Lets look at how much it costs to keep one UN employee in an undeveloped country. Why does one person need a $5,000-per-month home, and new Range Rover every two years? How much is the person who referred to “some countries” as being “stingy” being paid? Couldn’t some UN staffers live in a New York suburb instead of Manhattan and save this beloved agency hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in New York alone? Can we ask why they and other relief organisation employees are living in huge mansions of five and six bedrooms with no children in Cambodia at a rent of $3,000 per month if not more when the annual income of the average Cambodian is less than $500? International school tuition fees for their children are at least $15,000 per year per child. The situation is the same in Asia, Africa, Central and South America and the former Soviet Union. As someone who has provided services to these agencies, I can tell you that there are quite a few dishonest practices regarding the procurement and purchase of goods and services. In my opinion, lets take a good long hard look at who is “stingy” so these poor unfortunate people can be properly helped. A “stingy” American United States Where was the support when Florida suffered? Re: “A generous global relief effort” (Editorial, December 31). I would suggest that it [the aid from the US] is more aid than that offered by the world to Florida after it was hit by storms in 2004 causing over US$20 billion (Bt780 billion) in damage. My, aren’t you smug, misguided and ill informed. You should be on the staff of the United Nations! Brian Morrison Bangkok Failure to warn was criminally negligent The Thai weather experts who failed to warn the rest of us that killer seismic waves might be on the way should be prosecuted in the criminal courts for manslaughter. The excuse that they remained idle because they were worried about damaging the tourism industry is insulting not only to the dead, injured and bereaved, but also to the owners of countless resort businesses subsequently damaged or destroyed. The cost of their incomprehensible silence has been the biggest blow to Thai tourism that I can remember in seven years of living here. One notes that the complacent weather gurus made their fateful decision while on a junket to Cha-am, hundreds of miles away from any threat to their own lives. But suppose they had been sunning themselves in Phuket or Krabi. Would they have backed their judgement by staying put – or shouted a quick warning from the taxi as they headed for the hills? Those responsible must be brought to book. As a first step, the government should leave the whitewash brush in the Information Ministry broom cupboard for once and launch a full public inquiry into this catastrophic conspiracy of silence. Cyclops Phetchaburi Lack of initiative is endemic in this society In the haste to investigate why there was no warning regarding the recent tsunami, we should not stop with the Meteorological Department. Their hesitation and lack of action is merely part of a general culture of leaving the thinking to others in this paternalistic, hierarchical society. Sadly, this type of behaviour is reinforced by an administration and a prime minister who tells people that they don’t need to think, so long as they leave everything to the daddy government. The lack of a tsunami warning is just a symptom, even though one with deadly consequences; the real disease is the belief of the Thai people that someone else will take care of them, and the current government’s shameful exploitation of that belief. HP Boothe Taling Chan Sharapova puts Paradorn in the shade I noticed in the report regarding a generous financial donation by visiting Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova (“Maria offers condolences”, Sport, December 31), that home-grown tennis ace Paradorn was reported to have donated Bt10,000. Any donation is of course to be lauded, and for all I know Khun Paradorn may, like many of us, have also donated blood, clothing and other essentials, or may even now be volunteering. But considering how much money he’s received in sponsorship, Bt10,000 might, to some, look a little mean-spirited. E Scrooge Bangkok Home is where the heart is, apparently A report on Thursday announcing Paradorn’s appearance in the Tata Open in Chennai [Madras], India, next week (“Paradorn to play in the Tata Open”, Sport, December 30), described the tennis star’s new home at some length, including its Jacuzzi and home theatre. The report also mentioned that Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova had donated US$10,000 (Bt390,000) to tsunami victims in Thailand and that Paradorn had donated Bt10,000. Bt10,000? Kenny Marshall Bangkok Heartfelt condolences for Thai disaster victims My heart breaks when I watch the news and I see the suffering in my favourite part of the world. I was in Phuket two weeks ago, and to know that the friendly people I met there have been injured and killed is more than I can bear. I will be back. I have contributed to the relief effort here in the US, but I owe the Thai people my support by returning as a tourist in March and help, at least in one tiny, tiny part, in getting the region back on its feet. All of my friends who have been to Thailand feel the same way. All will return this year. As we sit in our homes safe and sound and watch the news, there is no way we can truly comprehend what people have suffered. It is with our utmost sincerity that we offer our heartfelt condolences. Dr Jonathan P Brazee San Diego, California
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