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Published on November 1, 2007

Sadly, railways officials are no exception, and have halted at least seven route services in all regions without notice. Sawit Kaewwan, vice president of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) labour union, says that the protest will continue until PM Surayud cancels the draft privatisation bill.

Some reports say the strikers are simply using their right to vacation leave. They have that right, but exercise of that right must not interfere with rail services, otherwise officials of any station could throw the whole system into chaos by just taking leave simultaneously. SRT strikes are particularly distasteful because the SRT has been a perennial money-loser. Rather than presenting a way to both save their jobs and make the SRT profitable, all the strikers do is to seek to force commuters and travellers to continue paying for their inefficiencies and subsidies.

PM Surayud must find the backbone to stand up to the strikers and hold them accountable for their actions. Any official who is absent from duty without having been granted prior permission is, by definition, absent without leave, and subject to disciplinary action.

Anybody who incites others to carry out illegal acts, such as what Sawit is evidently doing, is liable to court injunction and possible jail. Surayud should order the Army to transport passengers and freight that would have gone by rail and present the bill to the SRT's labour union.  If the union doesn't pay, then its executive committee members must be held jointly accountable. Protest, yes - but within the law.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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Who's making a profit from the new bypass?

I would really like to know who approved, and who widened the Chonburi bypass to Rayong.

First, I fail to see why there have to be so many overpasses taking the eight-lane bypass over two-lane country roads. If it were the other way round, a lot of taxpayers' money would have been saved. Secondly, I wonder what company is in charge of the construction? Not only is there hardly any work progress to be seen, nor many workers, but also the new overpasses are getting worse by the week. Now even big trucks don't use the outer lane because of the potholes, and on the inner lanes the potholes slow down all traffic to 20 kilometres per hour.

So who is bagging the money and who is sleeping instead of making sure that this traffic hazard is finished as fast as possible?

Sam Munich

Bangkok

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Junk mail replaced by phone spam

For decades there was junk mail that came through the post office. So much came to my residence in California that I used to roll it in string and burn it in my wood stove - though I didn't like releasing toxins from the coloured ink into the air.

Since moving to Thailand, I neither receive junk in the post, nor do I need a wood stove. Then, with the Internet, spam was foisted upon us - and it pollutes our e-mail accounts in ever-greater quantities. Thankfully, there are spam filters that work rather well.

Now, however, we're subjected to mobile-phone spam (dare I coin a new word: mobyespam?). How to stop it, I know not. Calling my service provider elicits cheery feints of wanting to assist, but no tangible action.

Do the other phone service providers dish out spam also? Will this be yet another ever-increasing and annoying intrusion into our lives?

It's low class. Mobile-phone service providers should have the decency to disallow it at its source

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai

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Don't let Burma fade away

The BBC has reported that the Burmese junta is recruiting children into its army and still Thailand and the region do not stand up to the generals. How long will these repulsive, murdering leaders, who do not even care about the children of Burma, be allowed to continue in power?

The Burmese regime will damage the region and Thailand if it is allowed to continue perpetuating its crimes.

Perhaps there should be an elite, international group of people in place to defend the rights, and represent democratically, elected leaders who have been overthrown by the military, such as has happened in Burma. This group could be an international voice for people like Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of Burma.

Stuart

Darwin, Australia 

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Thai politics: depressing and funny at once

The political news, as reported in The Nation these last few days, if correct, has produced information about some pretty grotty behavious by at least some of the election candidates and others. At least one candidate apparently proposes to portray on his campaign poster a picture of Thaksin alongside his own picture. One wonders, is this intended to show that he stands by the former prime minister's reportedly corrupt practices? No prizes for correctly guessing which party he comes from.

Then, not surprisingly, at least one of the new parties is anxious to prevent the government from putting a stop to the corrupt practice of buying votes. Does this mean that they would prefer to buy their way into parliament? Surely not. These people of such obvious integrity, so totally suitable to be members of parliament, can mean no such thing. Again, there is no prize for correctly guessing the party concerned.

Then quite astonishingly, this same party is putting forward the quaint idea that their current leader would make a fine prime minister. Really? No doubt he is the best that they are able to put forward for the post.

As an aside, one notes that Russia is perfectly happy to have their forthcoming election viewed by official international observers. Not us, however. No doubt we are far too important on the world stage to allow riff-raff to see what we get up to. No corruption here to speak of, at least none that we would want outsiders to observe.

Reading about these sundry shenanigans, one is moved from disbelief to dismay, and then to depressed black laughter.

Henry Ashe

Bangkok

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The pantomime of Thai politics

A strange paradox is the free English-language press of Thailand.The word "democracy" is bandied about by academics and intellectuals, who have no idea what this term, in reality, means. A truly communicative, aware individual is branded in Thai society. The polite, submissive attitude is the way of all things. Children are taught to be silent and passive.

But not everyone is hoodwinked by this. Thai citizens, of course, know better. The press today is filled with the shenanigans of Thai politicians, who are all prima donnas and opera stars in the best theatrical tradition. They jockey for position, clasp hands and embrace as if they are all in love, bribing, manipulating and cajoling their way into power in any way they can imagine.

Thai politics is quaint in the extreme but unfortunately - although more benign than Burma - it can turn malignant at the vagaries of military juntas who believe they know what's best for the average citizen.

Adam Rosenblatt

Bangkok

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