Shock: counterfeit goods at Pantip Plaza

Here we are told that an economic counsellor at the US Embassy in Bangkok visited Pantip Plaza some time ago and was surprised to see lots of fake products in one shop. He asked the vendor if she wasn't afraid to be selling fake products. She said no, because her boyfriend was a policeman.

More recently, the same counsellor asked another vendor the same question. She said yes, she was afraid of being caught. The counsellor interpreted this as a sign of improvement in Thailand's enforcement of anti-piracy laws. Your reporter expresses the hope that this view will result in a liberalisation of US trade policy toward Thailand.

I hope this story is inaccurate, because anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the Thai economy should not be surprised to find fake products at Pantip. For an economic counsellor at an embassy to be thus surprised suggests extraordinary ignorance in his field of expertise. Also, it is entirely possible that the only reason the second vendor was afraid of being caught was because she did not have a boyfriend who was a policeman. Finally, is it reasonable to hope that the US Embassy is in the habit of recommending major policy changes to its government on the basis of one official's informal conversations with two vendors?

This man is an economic counsellor with the US Embassy. I am an American taxpayer. My taxes help pay his salary. If this story is true, I want my money back.

YANKEE DOODLE

BANGKOK

And they call |us barbarians

Re: "Video: Chinese fur farmers skinning animals alive", Letters, March 19.

Thank you for printing the letter by "Phuket Horse Rescue", who brings attention to the horrible suffering that fur animals endure in China. I would like to add that, in America, animals on fur farms are killed by neck-breaking, anal electrocution, or with weed killers. The best way to fight the fur industry is to boycott fur and urge everyone else to do the same.

ERIC BAHRT

PATTAYA

(Ed: This horrific video can be see at: http://www.peta.org/feat/|ChineseFurFarms/index.asp)

Elephant polo is no fun for elephants

I thought The Nation might be interested in PETA's efforts to convince Audemars Piguet, the main sponsor of the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, to withdraw its support of the event. PETA recently launched an alert on its website, PETAAsiaPacific.com which enables visitors to write to Audemars Piguet executives voicing their concerns over the cruelty the company is supporting.

Elephant polo makes life for Thailand's captive elephants even more miserable. Most elephants are used as tourist attractions in camps, where they are forced to perform tricks and give rides. PETA has uncovered the horrific torture that is routine in Thailand's secret "training" camps. Still-nursing baby elephants are dragged from their mothers. They are immobilised, beaten mercilessly, and gouged with nails for days at a time.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the ethical implications of their choices. PETA is hoping that consumers will voice their concerns to Audemars Piguet executives, but also take their dollars elsewhere when they realise the cruelty this company has chosen to support.

ASHLEY FRUNO, PETA ASIA-PACIFIC

BANGKOK

The state will want your money soon

Thailand can learn from AIG's paying US$165 million (Bt5.86 billion) in bonuses even though it made the largest corporate loss in history and had to be bailed out with over $170 billion.

For AIG chairman Edward Liddy to insist that AIG is legally obligated to reward gross loss-making is to question management's own competence, both in approving bonus contracts and in selecting those Liddy terms as "the best and brightest", yet whose lack of talent is painfully evident.

Liddy and Co have made fools of the US taxpayer - but we should not let Thai state-owned enterprises (SOEs) make fools of us. They, too, will be seeking big chunks of your money and mine due to their own monumental losses. Management ignored cries of danger by the likes of Warren Buffet for years, and kept going their own way.

Benchmark each SOE against its strongest competitor in the region, and give bonuses to management and staff pro-rated against the extent to which the SOE closes the gap against its competitor in terms of key performance indicators. Freeze salaries if they're over those of the private sector.

As HG Brown noted, "Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own." Let's be wise.

BURIN KANTABUTRA

BANGKOK