Published on September 07, 2005
Re: “Female Davids take on Goliath”, Editorial, September 4.
I am truly delighted to tell you that your editorial on Sunday has touched me deeply. It made my day, after so many long and hectic days in court. It is hard to maintain your equanimity when you are surrounded in public by strong support and strong criticism at the same time. I have been criticised for being too emotional, and told that I should be more concerned about people’s suffering than worrying about myself.
“Supinya, giving yourself publicity will not help to restore freedom of speech in Thailand. What do you think you working for? Supinya, you are just a woman, why don’t you do something simple and sweet rather than be a stubborn girl. Supinya, you just can’t change the world,” they say. Those words, whether said in public or in private, have hurt me. It’s hard to keep your faith and be yourself. Life in both in private and public spheres is challenging for women, as always. I have no regret for what I have done. One day, this will become just history. Life will go on. I have acted in what I regard to be public interest. Truth, freedom and justice must prevail. Supinya Klangnarong Secretary-General Campaign for Popular Media Reform Bangkok ------------------------------------- Token changes won’t further real energy conservation Faced with soaring oil prices, Ministry Permanent Secretary for Energy Cherdpong Siriwit is considering asking petrol stations to close at 9pm, an hour earlier than when they close now. The Energy Ministry’s actions remind me of a wise man’s words: “Having lost sight of our objectives, we redoubled our efforts.” I don’t see how earlier closing times for earlier stations, golf driving ranges, etc. will significantly save gas. Rather, to give an incentive to save, announce that once retail gas prices rise, they will not come down. If world prices decline, then use the savings to replenish our Oil Fund. Also, triple taxes for road-use 95-octane petrol. Privatise tow-away services for illegally parked cars, to clear up our roads. Use Singapore’s system in restricting the total number of cars on the road, and charge heavily for entering congested areas. Subsidise the production and sale of fluorescent bulbs. Charge extra for using electricity during peak hours, while giving low-income families a free, minimal power quota. Give tax deductions equal to double the savings in power bills. Make parking highly costly, and taxable. Use the above services to develop our mass transit system. And above all, be sure that what we do will actually save energy. Burin Kantabutra Bangkok ------------------------------------- Thailand isn’t exactly the paradise it markets itself as I am 57 years of age and this is the first time I have been driven to write to a newspaper. I have just spent three weeks in Chiang Mai and part of a week in Pattaya and what I see from an environmental point of view concerns me. The streets of Chiang Mai and Pattaya are littered with rubbish. A walk along the southern end of Jomtien Beach, in particular, would shock you – broken bottles, plastic bags, polystyrene food containers, etc. Urgent attention is required .Why aren’t there deposits available for return of bottles, cans or plastic bags? The community at large needs to be educated in the use of plastic bags and this extends to large corporations like major convenience stores, who obviously do not train their staff in the judicious use of plastic bags .Why aren’t rubbish containers provided on beaches, in streets etc? Why not a national clean-up day with all the community involved? Although this will only scratch the surface of a major national problem. It appears that in Thailand there is little or no interest in water conservation. In Chiang Mai I have watched in horror while millions of litres of water have gushed down the drains. Buses and tuk-tuks cruise the streets empty looking for passengers. Only yesterday I sat in a congested street in Pattaya and watched in horror as 48 mini-buses cruised past over a 15-minute period with 39 of them empty and the remainder carrying between one and five passengers. I note in today’s press a proposal to hit the supply side of fuel consumption by closing service- stations for a period each day! What about the demand side? Why don’t buses run on some timetable? Furthermore, in both cities the streets are clogged with fuel-guzzling large vehicles, the vast majority of which have a driver only and while equipped to carry freight do not appear to do so. Of course these issues are not confined to your country but let me say in closing that my retired friends and I who are now able to travel the globe are striking off our list of desired destinations those countries that are not environmentally aware. Peter Haslock Melbourne, Australia ------------------------------------- We should take precautions when travelling abroad Re: “Foreign Ministry accused of callousness”, News, September 4. I was disturbed to read the news about the pain and suffering undergone by these travellers. But how come they did not have travel insurance to cover sickness or accidents and repatriation? It is so very cheap! If they did not already insure the passengers, their travel agency ought to have advised all passengers to take insurance before their journey commenced. They know that insurance companies offer group travel insurance at a nominal cost. Sathyamoorthy U Bangkok ------------------------------------- Ethnic minorities also need to be respected in Malaysia Re: “UN agency probes flight of Muslims”, September 6. I believe the UN High Commissioner on refugees should also probe the issue of abuse of minorities in northern Malaysia while its officers are there. Minority groups have always been accorded second-citizen status in Malaysia. Let’s be transparent and have a fair and impartial investigation. Since it gained its independence, Malaysia has treated its minority group with outright discrimination. Let’s do the job right, UNHCR! Thomas Tan Bangkok ------------------------------------- Those claiming to be refugees may be economic migrants Re: “UN agency probes flight of Muslims”, September 6. This is just an excuse being used by individuals to get Malaysian residence. I don’t think it is the “dirty tactics” of militants being used to gain sympathy for their cause. During the tsunami disaster some Indonesians exploited the situation by using “survival at sea” tactics to gain entry to Malaysia. Humans want to move on to greener pastures. My wish is that Muslims and Buddhists will coexist in peace. Low Bangkok ------------------------------------- Thailand deserves the right to take care of its own problems Malaysia should offer their support to Thai authorities and encourage them to take the peaceful approach in regards to handling issues such as the events that led to 131 Thai-Muslims taking refuge in Malaysia. Moreover, Malaysia should encourage Thai-Muslims along Thailand’s southern border to respect and abide by Thai laws, and not encourage them to disrespect Thai laws or the Thai Constitution and create a self-ruled Islamic state. We should talk and assist our compatriots in the spirit of wanting to reach a common understanding, because these Thai-Muslim people have long been ignored. Thai people in 76 provinces are paying taxes to develop our country. All Thai people have to help our compatriots, by ourselves, through peaceful talks and with the desire for common understanding. Sermsuk Pakpiset Bangkok ------------------------------------- Important issues affecting us all come in various forms Re: “Why not get worked up over what really matters?” Letters, September 3. Richard Stampfle ridicules me for concerning myself with such a “trivial” issue as vegetarianism (“Why not get worked up over something that really matters?” Letters, September 3). Only after reading John Angus’ letter (“Road carnage is a crucial issue, but then so is diet” September 5) did I become aware of what Stampfle wrote. Considering the fact that more than 50 per cent of American men who eat meat will die of a heart attack and up to one hundred million people may die of bird flu, I’ll let the readers decide for themselves if this is a trivial issue. As far as I’m concerned nothing more needs to be said. Eric Bahrt Chon Buri ------------------------------------- Vegetarian message worthy of front-page exposure Thanks for printing Isabel Roces’ photo for Peta promoting vegetarianism (News, August 25). Doctors and nutritionists are recommending vegetarian diets more than ever – and for good reason. Plant-based foods are bursting with vitamins, minerals, and fibre and they are free of the hormones, antibiotics, and deadly cholesterol found in animal products. Vegetarian diets are also free of the terrible cruelty of the meat industry, which is responsible for abusing and painfully killing millions of animals each year. Matthew D Johnston Bangkok
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