More millions go missing from public funds

On May 13, 2005, the Foreign Ministry announced that the doomed campaign of Thaksin's deputy prime minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, for the post of United Nations secretary-general would cost Thai taxpayers at least Bt100 million. Two weeks later, on May 26, Jakrapob Penkair announced the government was seeking the same amount, Bt100 million, to start a lottery to raise funds for the victims of traffickers in women and children. The project was to be supervised by a "human trafficking prevention and suppression committee".

To this day, nobody knows what happened to the lottery or to the human trafficking prevention and suppression committee - or to Bt100 million.

Samakh Siphonpat

Bangkok

An idea for public transport and petrol savings

A good way to reduce petrol consumption and make money is by utilising expressways for public transport by van and bus, creating new point-to-point routes to train stations. Many suburban interchanges have no expressway public transport at all, yet have vast areas of unused land underneath the expressways. For example, Chaeng Wattana, Sri Saman, Pathum Thani, Sukhaphiban 3, Ram Intra, Lam Lukka and Thanyaburi all have big populations and such spaces under or beside the expressways which could be turned into van pools and parking lots. Some of these areas have absolutely no public transport at all into the city. Every resident must drive their own car into town.

If the option is given for "expressway point-to-point" rapid routes, maybe this would result in a quick solution to some of the traffic woes.

Thailand Guru

Bangkok

PM does nothing to help the ordinary citizen

PM Samak bullies reporters. He is Thaksin's nominee. His administration fails to deal with economic problems that are plaguing the country. In short, he's just plain no good. Despite having authority in his hands, Samak fails to wipe out a herd of thugs who illegally set up a concert stage on a main bridge, blocking traffic in four directions.

Samak can redeem himself by giving back Makkhawan Bridge to commuters. If he can't do it, he should resign and relinquish power to the Democrats. 

Somsak Pola

Samut-Prakarn

Irish give EU bureaucrats

a bit of a comeuppance

Re: "'No' vote means Ireland must leave the European Union, Opinion, June 17.

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen lambasts Ireland for rejecting the Lisbon Treaty and claims the 'No' vote was sad. Poppycock! The Lisbon Treaty is only decipherable by a bureaucratic elite who give not a fig for the desires of ordinary voters. This is not freedom. It is a return to a Machiavellian centralised state run for the benefit of a European elite.  Jensen's protests are the squeals of outrage as the gravy train is again derailed by Joe Public. Well done the Irish.

Nick Ferriman

Bangkok

EU treaty writers produce unintelligible guff

The Irish were correct in rejecting an unreadable mash-up of legalese in lieu of a clear constitution. The idea of pushing this through the back door of ratification by professional pols in the thrall of the neo-liberal business lobbies ought to get most of Europe's parliamentarians defeated at the polls. It was disgraceful! In Ireland, the people were able to vote on it, and down it went.

This should be remembered for what it was: the people rejecting the repellent pile of manure that professional obfuscators put together to satisfy their "real" constituency: the myopic business class.

John Francis Lee

Chiang Rai

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