Published on November 05, 2005
Constitutional freedoms are only as strong as those people who stand up to protect them
Section 39 of the Thai Constitution clearly states: “A person shall enjoy the liberty to express his or her opinion, make speeches, write, print, publicise and make expression by other means.” In the same paragraph, it also states: “The closure of a pressing house or a radio station or television station in the deprivation of liberty under this section shall not be made.”
Learning of yet another closure of a government-supported community radio station, and this time one that seems to have followed all the rules, the question becomes: who is protecting the rights of the Thai people under the constitution? Just because the radio station might be have been saying things the government didn’t like, as was its right to do, does not give the government the right to close it down. Either Thailand has a Constitution or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, then declare it so and stop pretending. If it does have a Constitution, then start protecting the people. Yes, even against the government. Christian Lloyd Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Now is the time for all good capitalists to come together Re: “Upcoming clash: participatory politics vs Thaksinomics”, Opinion, November 3. Suthichai Yoon suggested a dichotomy between participatory politics and Thaksinomics. I would like to propose another alternative. It is painfully obvious that PM Thaksin used his wealth to take parliamentary control and in the process ran the country into the ground. The financial heavyweights in Thailand, in an enlightened act of self-defence, should consolidate their financial strength and support an opposition party or a protest movement. I am referring to Charoen Siriwadhanabhakdi of Chang Beer, Dhanin Chearavanont of the CP Group, Chaleo Yoovidhya of Red Bull and a few others. Their own interests are at risk, actually in jeopardy. Thaksin does not have real friends or allies. He is expanding his empire at the expense of the Kingdom. If the Charoens and Dhanins of the world stay on the sidelines or are pro-Thaksin, they will witness their own financial demise amid the economic ruin and political upheaval from Thaksinomics. Netirat Intira Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Argument against US education disingenuous Re: “Widely varying standards for American universities”, Letters, November 3. What is Gareth Clayton’s beef with the US? He continually uses the Letters section of The Nation to spew his anti-American tirades. In his letter, he attacks the US again but this time using flimsy, anecdotal evidence of his Thai students and sample questions of a GRE exam off the Internet to support his notion that American educational standards are low. I think it is curious that Clayton doesn’t mention if his Thai students came from university or high-school exchange programmes. Nor does he mention where his students studied. The US is a big country; it has 50 states and 296 million people. Each state has its own standards; public and private high schools have their own standards; public and private universities have their own standards. There are no national standards, per se. In other words, a Thai exchange student studying in a high school in the backwoods of Lexington, Kentucky, might have a different experience than in a private high school in Anchorage, Alaska. A Thai exchange student studying at MIT will have a different experience than one studying at Cabrillo Community College. I went to a University of California school. The University of California only accepts the top 12 per cent of all California high-school students. Even to be considered for admission, one must demonstrate mastery in a foreign language and total competency in algebra, geometry and calculus. At the university level, one must fulfil foreign language and maths requirements. Non-maths majors are not required to take many advanced maths courses in most American universities, which might explain why the basic GRE maths questions seem simple to Clayton. If I were a maths professor, the basic GRE maths questions might appear easy to me, also. Why doesn’t Clayton give the samples from the subject GRE for maths to his students and see how they do? If they are as simple as he claims, I am sure his students will score in the top percentile on the real GRE maths test and be on their merry way to a top US graduate school that is renowned for advanced mathematics. I am also curious to know how many of his former students are in graduate school getting their doctorates in maths. Contrary to what Clayton asserts, the basic GRE exam doesn’t measure the advanced maths capabilities of the American public. There are two types of GRE: the basic test and the subject test. If an undergraduate wants to enter a particular field of graduate study, he must take a specific GRE, such as for maths, science, economics or computer science. It is pretty shameful that Clayton would intentionally distort evidence to support his bogus argument. I have to wonder if he allows his students to do the same thing. Brad Polisuk Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Democrats have had plenty of time to challenge Egat IPO Re: “Democrats dub Egat listing unconstitutional”, Business, November 4. It’s good that the Democrats are not against Egat’s privatisation, and we all agree that national interests must come before vested ones. But in opposing Egat’s IPO, they owe us explanations. First, regardless of the merits of their case, why raise their opposition now, when the IPO is about to be launched? Egat’s case has been intensely discussed for years – or have they been voicing their concerns publicly all along, but I just wasn’t aware of their efforts? Second, as dams have already been transferred to the state, and if shares were widely and transparently dispersed – eg, pro rata based on taxes paid – what are the Democrats’ specific concerns? Third, instead of threatening to reverse the IPO when they return to power, they should be constructive and state conditions under which they would be in favour of this IPO; eg, what limits (if any) they’d put on share ownership or how to ensure that power grids were not abused. Explain, please, and quickly. Burin Kantabutra Bangkok ---------------------------------------- High time that rogue nations paid their past-due bills Re: “Mass Thai kidnap fear”, News, November 1. The article mentions that Thailand is owed US$100 million [Bt4 billion] for past rice sales. Well, we still remember PM Thaksin’s statement that he likes to make the impossible possible. So wouldn’t it be a good idea for him to get this money paid into the Thai economy as soon as possible? We all know he needs it desperately, to pay for his dream city and the airport and the rail system and for roads. The list goes on. Let’s see some action from the PM. Alan Catton Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Ill-considered words run counter to democratic spirit For the prime minister of a supposedly democratic country to say that parts of the realm that are not voting for his ruling party will receive government funds later than others borders not only on cynicism, but also on plain dictatorship. We have all known Thaksin for a long while, but he has truly reconfirmed himself: the man speaks before he thinks. Get rid of him before he spoils everything! Let the man be a member of some dubious karaoke and assorted golf clubs, but not the leader of a country. As leader, he should treat everyone the same and not in the George Orwell sense of “some animals (ie, some provinces) are more equal than others (ie, the ones where Thai Rak Thai didn’t win)”. Thomas Schmid Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Working conditions of bus drivers help cause accidents Re: “Carnage in the bus lane”, News, November 3. You report several accidents and examples of dangerous road behaviour by drivers of affiliated bus services in Bangkok. These are the concession services that the government was keen to promote a few years back. The work conditions the drivers of these buses endure are onerous in the extreme. Many services start at 4.30 in the morning and finish at 10 or later at night. Four hours of sleep is not unusual, and supervision is minimal. Where the BMTA runs a two-shift system, the owners of these contract bus routes (sometimes women of a non-Thai ethnicity) keep their staff working till they drop. Is it any wonder they are more accident-prone? But do not blame the entrepreneurs. Blame the BMTA and the Transport Ministry, who approve the concession contracts and allow these cowboy companies to continue their mayhem undisturbed. John Benson Brisbane, Australia ---------------------------------------- Poor planning puts one near, but not at, the cultural centre Congratulations to the Bangkok city government for the happy BTS/MRT connection to the Thailand Cultural Centre. This made it relatively quick and easy to get out there to see a performance of “The Nutcracker” ballet on Thursday night. However, I must say that the linkage between the station and the centre is an unfortunate oversight. Arriving at the MRT’s Thailand Cultural Centre station, the centre is nowhere in sight. Plenty of signs in the station, but once you are up to street level, you’re on your own. One has the impression of being dumped out on the pavement from the MRT and left to find one’s way over a random track. Was this slightly scary trek (at dark) through uneven dirt paths actually planned? In fact, this is too familiar a pattern with our planners generally: they seem to think that proximity is linkage enough. This gives an impression of being elegantly received going in and then unceremoniously dropped going out. Really, gentlemen, can’t you do better than this? JMW Bangkok
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