Will BTS stop those whistle-blowers?

I am particularly annoyed with the blue shirted Securicor guard staff on the BTS platforms, who constantly blow their whistles, as a train arrives. Obviously, one can see and hear the train arrive. Securicor make a lot of money supplying these mindless staff. BTS could do better, if it sacked all the Securicor guards, and used the money to increase the number of carriages on the trains and hence reduce the overcrowding, and help improve what is a reasonably efficient service.

ALAN P. HORROCKS

BANGKOK

Rude taxi drivers leave poor image of country

After a 30-hour journey from New York, I arrived- at Bangkok airport at 1am with my two young children. After walking for what seemed several kilometres in subterranean gloom, I eventually exited into the main terminal building to be hailed by a chorus of hisses as illegal taxi touts tried to get my attention. Ignoring them, I left the terminal building to try to find a shuttle bus. Generally, international airports have numerous, frequent shuttles taking passengers to all relevant points. Not Bangkok. I eventually found the lone shuttle stop only for my family and I to be screamed at by a Thai woman irate because we would not use her taxi. "Go back to where you come from-foreigners not wanted here", she screamed. The security guards looked on with ridiculous grins on their faces. I tried to imagine this situation in Los Angeles, London or Tokyo but could not envisage such an outrage. Eventually a shuttle bus arrived but rather than taking us to the destination shown on the board, it dropped us at an empty, dark bus station where we had to wait for another bus. There was no English - all signs were in Thai, which made it very difficulf for us to find our connecting bus.

As a frequent flier, I have never come across such a poorly run airport. The situation my family faced was very threatening and so I will ensure that neither I, nor my family, will ever transit through this nightmare city again.

PETER HIGGINS

NEW YORK

Education scheme brings hope to poor children

Pha Nga Area Education Office Director Wipon Nakpaun's valiant efforts to solve the diminishing enrolment situation faced by small, rural schools are now paying off. Recognising that all children residing in Thailand deserve, and are constitutionally guaranteed the right to quality education, Wipon has initiated an exemplary progressive thinking scheme to provide basic Thai literacy primary education to all children of Burmese migrant workers. More than 200 of the mostly ethnic Mon offspring are currently enrolled in small, government elementary schools.

A similar philosophy has successfully assimilated hundreds of Andaman sea gypsy Chao Thai Mai children into the mainstream education system while simultaneously respecting their socio-cultural identity and traditional Moken heritage.

Most recently, focusing on IT computer-related skills development, an innovative hands-on "how to" workshop invited teachers from 100 plus remotely located small schools (fewer than 125 students) to participate in a practical training workshop based on the new reading readiness A-OK/ABC-123 self-access learning CD-ROM, with a comprehensive pilot project evaluation over the course of this term to be monitored by the area education office Supervisory Unit.

DR. CHANCHAI PRASERTSON

BANGKOK

A symbiotic relationship to stay in power

TE Banker (Letters June 14) wonders why the government puts up with "banned" faction leader Newin Chidchob as a powerful influence within the ruling coalition.

The question practically answers itself. This is a symbiotic (some would say parasitic) relationship, whereby the Democrats survive in nominal control while Bhum Jai Thai gets its best shot at pushing the bus project through.

It's not pretty and it can't last, but the alternatives hardly set the pulse racing.

CITIZEN JANE

BANGKOK

Mega-malls must tone down the decibel levels

The article inspired by Oraya Sutabutr (What the hell's that racket, June 14) is very good. It will be good if the mega-malls quiet down the noise also.

Recently, I went to Future Park Rangsit, to make some large purchases. I made the purchases from the Home Products display in the centre of the basement.

The speaker system was so loud that I could not hear the cashier. They were talking to me and I could not hear what they were saying. We had to communicate using sign language. This is inexcusable!

This is not the fault of Home Products, this is the fault of the management of Future Park. They must control the |noise level, not the company making the sales.

All the companies making the sales want to bring in more people. They do not understand they might be driving away potential customers.

The Country Place, also located in Future Park, is another area that does not control the noise level. Here again it is not the customer setting the noise level, but the employees of Country Place.

A group of old friends and I used to have weekly gatherings here to talk and enjoy the food. Now, because the noise level is so high, we do not go there.

If Future Park cannot control the noise level, we might move the gathering to some other less noisy place.

TOM

BANGKOK