Rich guy justice
Re: "Politician's son faces charges over crash", (BP, April 19).
The car chase and crash scene on the expressway that has gone viral in social media is more exciting than a Bond film because it is real.
Without the exposure in public, the case would most likely have ended up in the local police station as a minor offence, written up and filed by the police officer on duty.
In Thailand, if you are a somebody or the children of someone in high places you can easily prevail and walk away from any criminal offence.
The infamous Red Bull heir's hit and run case, and the "you know who my father is" catch phrase, are just the tip of the iceberg of how an abuse of power by civil servants can turn black into white, and vice versa.
Hopefully this time the case will not be swept underneath the carpet like many others. Let the public know that even if you are a nobody, you are still protected, and justice will take its course.
Yingwai Suchaovanich
Unity must be real
Re: "Bigger Asean could counter tariffs," (Opinion, April 17).
There is no doubt that Asean enlargement could enhance the bloc's leverage in a mercurial global trade environment.
However, such enlargement should not be taken as a strategic move. It must be a genuine political act that comes from agreement among current members.
Asean's consensus-based framework means any new accession depends on solidarity.
This solidarity must pre-exist any formal declarations. Whether the candidate is Timor-Leste or Sri Lanka, expansion will only succeed if unity is more than rhetorical.
Ioan Voicu
Pedestrian peril
Re: "Frenchman killed crossing road", (BP, April 4).
This year I had three PostBag comments, all regarding zebra crossings in Thonglor, and that it is hopeless if the police do not punish motorists....which does not happen. I can tell you tourists are aghast, frightened, shocked.
I recommend that the Post every week writes an article regarding the dangerous life of pedestrians in Thailand.
Helmut Sandmann
Casinos a hard slog
Re: "Bhumjaithai told to sort out casino differences", (BP, April 17).
Interesting to watch this casino proposal by Pheu Thai that has come out of nowhere and is being pushed hard by Thaskin and daughter.
It takes a lot of conviction for people to devote so much energy to something the public doesn't appear to be interested in.
Brian Springer
No global parent
Re: "Workers face fallout", (PostBag, April 9).
Yingwai Suchaovanich echoes mainstream media in whining about US President Trump's demand for reciprocal trading arrangements with all nations.
The former soft-power peddling of lenient tariffs and uncontested protectionism as a US geostrategic policy is no longer viable nor does it produce mutually beneficial results. Like the heirs of a tycoon, the grown-up children now presume to be entitled and cry when their allowances are cut.
Yingwai claims, "Mr Trump is jeopardising the livelihood of millions of workers in Southeast Asia."
The United States is not a global parent. By requiring nations to handle their own business and engage in free, fair, and equitable trade practices, the failures of governments globally will be exposed for their populations to see.
Already the Thai PM, rather than proposing zero tariffs, as Taiwan has done, has decided to pursue arms purchases to lower the trade surplus. Of course, this transfers a substantial additional tax burden to Thais rather than giving them the opportunity to export more to their biggest customer by lowering tariff barriers.
China and the socialist nations of the world subsidise all business but also tax their profits heavily. People are getting tired of this style of greedy top-down authoritarian governance and long for freedom.
It is often said China raised hundreds of millions out of poverty, but this supposed economic "miracle" only occurred because the CCP ceased directing communal enterprises and allowed foreign investment, thus giving the rural Chinese a taste of freedom.
That freedom released the power of the people and incentivised them toward self-improvement and economic prosperity. Essentially the CCP just got out of the way.
Michael Setter
Tired of excuses
Re: "Just response", (PostBag, April 15).
Peter Atkinson's letter repeats the same old spin that claims of Israeli genocide are just Hamas propaganda.
Some of the reputable sources I use who accuse Israel of atrocities include the Red Cross, Unicef, Doctors Without Borders, ICC, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (Both also condemn human rights abuses in Muslim countries) and B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group.
How much longer are we going to let Israel brush off these charges by crying anti-Semitism? Ironically, the fact that Palestinians are also semites means that Israel is anti-Semetic.
Eric Bahrt
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