Published on August 26, 2005
Thai workers troubled in Taiwan should be given better chances to work at home
Re: “Labour crisis: revolt prompts Taiwan rethink”, News, August 24.
“I disagree with sending unskilled labourers to work in other countries. There are plenty of jobs left in Thailand,” Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is quoted as saying in the article, before adding that were 30,000 vacancies in eastern Thailand’s industrial zone. Well, it’s influential Thai bosses who are to blame for not hiring Thai labourers. They hire Burmese so they can pay well under the already low minimum wage. Thai bosses don’t treat foreign labourers well enough. The Thais in Taiwan are being treated the same way apparently. Bring them home and let them work here. BC Phuket ------------------------------------------ Creative solutions needed for long-term water problems I suggest that Pattaya look into a desalinisation plant to solve its water problems. It is my understanding that the city is now accepting presentations, but is initially turned off because of the projected costs. Especially with the recent flooding problems in the North and Northeast, and the continuing drought problems on the Eastern Seaboard, this is an idea worth considering. Another solution to water shortages might be an aqueduct from the Mekong River to Chon Buri. The Thai government seems to love “mega-projects”. There’s one they could really sink their teeth into. Additional benefits would include using local labour along the way rather than continually giving money away and a design that would facilitate the addition of smaller tributaries along the way for use in irrigation or whatever. John Arnone Yasothon ------------------------------------------ Abuse of maids a disturbing problem needing solutions Would you care to purchase a slave? She’s in excellent condition. Skills include cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, laundry, walking the dog, shopping, running errands, answering the phone and any other menial task you can imagine. And all this for the bargain basement price of just Bt3,000 per month. Sound like a good deal? Well hundreds if not thousands of Thai homes are cashing in on this deal with hordes of young Thai women moving down to the towns and cities from Isaan and the rural provinces to find work as maids and servants, not to mention the disenfranchised immigrants from Burma and Laos. Yes, I know it’s nothing new and has been happening for many years, but what is surprising is the amount of abuse these women are subject to. It truly is staggering. Having had experience talking to these women, I often hear of men getting their maids pregnant or of disgruntled housewives berating their husbands for not conjugating their marriage for periods of up to a year! But the most distressing are the cases of coerced sex, which often result in pregnancies. The unfortunate maids are often threatened with violence if they make any reports to the police. The solution is to draft specialised legislation to protect these workers, enforce stiff prison sentences for the perpetrators, set up housing for victims in the form of women’s hostels to provide refuge for the victims, and social care to try and rebuild sometimes irreparably damaged lives. Because these things happen behind closed doors doesn’t make them any less real for the victims involved and it is something we all need to have a long hard think about. Ken Bangkok ------------------------------------------ Might as well allow racing since it can’t be stopped Re: “Proposal to block off streets blasted”, News, August 24. While Rama V Road may not be the best selection of a venue for motorcycle racing, I see no conflict of interests in providing some stretches of public road for sanctioned racing. Why fight with racers by chasing them through traffic, which causes accidents? It is better to provide an outlet for people’s interests than attempt to regulate their behaviour in a way that leads to rebellion. Especially when there is nothing inherently wrong with the behaviour. Racing motorcycles is a perfect example. By providing a place for people to race, the government will create a healthy outlet for racers. By requiring safety equipment, and a safe time and place, people who enjoy racing, who build self-esteem by showing they are good at something and by interacting positively with others, will be better off. There are many four and five lane stretches of roadway that could be partitioned with two or three safe lanes for racers, a barrier lane, and still a lane for regular motorists. This would not be illegal if monitored by police –in fact it would show racers that the government is flexible, cares about them, and encourages them to follow the law by racing in legal times and places. The government would not be liable for injuries any more than they are liable for any road accident. If there is any doubt, racers could sign legal wavers that say they, themselves, are responsible for any accidents. The fact is some people have modified motorcycles and/or think racing is fun. There is nothing illicit about this practice – motorcycle riding and racing is a hobby that people enjoy all over the world, not only recreationally but in professional circuits where racers are applauded and receive prizes. These people are going to ride fast. Give them a legal outlet, and they’ll do it safely. Make it completely illegal, and they’ll do it in regular traffic, endangering their lives and the lives of others. Encouraging safe, legal racing will only make the job of enforcing safe motorcycle driving at all other times easier. Saying “yes”, to simple positive steps that make people happy is always better than saying an unconditional “No!” A safe rider Bangkok ------------------------------------------ Legalising street racing will only worsen matters Re: “Proposal to block off streets blasted”, News, August 24. No sooner had the plan to legalise road racing for teens been made known to the public than people directly concerned voiced their opposition to this fantastic scheme. People with common sense can list a thousand harms it will do. Maybe our Social Development and Human Security Minister Watana Muangsook deems it a new, cool idea. But it’s a rather crazy thing to do! This minister’s duty is to develop our society, particularly to develop our younger generation to be competent masters of our society and to make our society secure, particularly for our teenagers. But our minister tried to justify this plan by saying that it is a solution to the problem of teens racing problem. Unfortunately, it sounds like he is at wit’s end. Abee Bangkok ------------------------------------------ Better discipline greatly needed on the street Re: “Rescuer killed by rogue motorcyclist”, News, August 24. This is very sad indeed, there is no discipline in driving in Thailand at all. Most drivers are selfish and have no respect for others. Pedestrians have a difficult time crossing the road. The root cause is corruption! Issued tickets can be bought, and the confiscated driver’s licence returned when the price is right. Surasak Piputtana Bangkok ------------------------------------------ Mapping out more efficient traffic patterns for Bangkok Re: “Mr Fit-it given a vast array of tasks”, News, August 25. I applaud Newin Chidchob’s decision to consult commuters for possible solutions to Bangkok’s traffic woes. Here’re my two cents on the problem: Make all of Sukhumvit Road a one-way street with traffic flowing in a western direction from Phya Thai Road until the intersection with Rama IV Road. Likewise, turn all of Phetburi Road into a one-way street with traffic flowing in an eastern direction from Phya Thai to Phra Khanong. This also means no counter-flow bus lanes. All streets that connect these two major avenues will remain two-way, but parking by the kerb should be prohibited. On Soi Thonglor, for instance, traffic flow would be much, much faster if commuters were able to use the six lanes instead of just four. Sitting in gridlock Bangkok ------------------------------------------ Africa’s hungry deserve genuine aid, not cynicism The article on the failure of foreign aid in Africa (“The case against emergency food aid”, Opinion, August 23) proposes that fertiliser is the preferred substitute for emergency food aid because it offers a long-term solution and at a lower cost per meal. I would like to take issue with this argument because fertiliser and emergency food supply are not substitutes. One operates on a much longer time frame than the other. Both are necessary. A properly constructed foreign aid programme provides long term structural solutions as well as emergency food and medical assistance. It is true that foreign aid has not had much success in Africa or elsewhere but that is likely due to complexities in foreign aid, which are not addressed at all in the article. Most analysts point to the failure of the top-down approach, the linkage of aid to sourcing of specific goods and services from the donor’s home country, and the absence of suitable infrastructure in the receiving country in terms of governance and logistics for effective delivery of the benefits of aid. An innovative alternative approach has been micro-credit, something your article attacks as anathema to the aid concept because interest is collected from the poor. The rather superficial analysis of the international aid business appears to be a smokescreen for the real agenda of the article and that is the racist and neo-colonial cliche that poverty exists because those people over there are just having way too many babies. Cha-am Jamal Phetchaburi
Post your comment to this story here