'Thief-a' calling
Re: "Govt thinks again over World Cup bid", (BP, May 19).
The Post reports that Fifa are asking for a whopping 1.7 billion baht for World Cup rights. This after China (whose population is more than 20 times that of Thailand) reportedly secured them for only 1.95 billion baht. Most of the games are on during the night here, and thus the opportunity for advertising revenue is severely diminished, of which I'm sure Fifa is aware.
May I suggest the government tells the money-grabbing Fifa extortionists to shove their bid where there is no thermonuclear fusion reaction?
Regular ralliers
Re: "Thousands join UK far-right rally", (World, May 18).
As a frequent visitor to Thailand, I regularly read the Bangkok Post. I write this email regarding the article about the latest right-wing rally in London. I do thank the Post should provide more investigation and fact-checking in this report. Indeed, the people who attend these rallies are normal working-class people from the UK -- grandads, mums and dads and many young people who have had enough of illegal immigration and mass migration to the UK, making life very difficult for the local population to obtain doctors' appointments, hospital appointments, dental appointments and housing. I can assure you, they are not "far right"; they are everyday British people standing up for their beliefs and their country.
Wrongful blame
Re: "City bus-train collision kills 8", (BP, May 17).
The police charge of reckless conduct causing death against the hapless goods train driver is grossly unfair and incorrect.
Every train is driven on a railway track, which has priority over road traffic and is, hopefully, protected by road barriers at crossings. Also, to stop a train, especially a goods train, is not a matter of just braking for a few metres.
Thus, it is not the fault of the train driver but the people who operated the crossing barriers, and above all, the unruly drivers who did not stop but entered the crossing as the train was approaching.
I know the Makkasan level crossing well as I used to work nearby.
Even when the warning lights are flashing and the barriers come down, drivers will ignore them and enter the railway track by avoiding the barriers on the track, often getting stuck right on it, as the traffic on the Asok road is permanently gridlocked.
Once I was in a taxi which did this suicidal manoeuvre and got stuck on the railway track as the train was coming. A heart attack scenario!
Luckily, I jumped out of the taxi even when it somehow managed to leave the track because the vehicle in front of us moved.
Yet the idiotic taxi driver chased after me and demanded his fare.
It is the duty of the government to make all railway crossings in Thailand safe!
