Sun, May 26, 2013 01:49:24 AM
Bangkok Post
Sun, May 26, 2013 01:49:24 AM
Bangkok Post
Re: ''MPs brawl in unity bill chaos'' (BP, May 31). What the Democrats did in parliament yesterday was unacceptable and showed them at their lowest point. Their behaviour revealed their desperation.
Since they advocate ''democratic processes,'' they ought to accept their defeat in last year's election. And that due to the majority of Pheu Thai MPs in parliament, the reconciliation bills are most likely to go through. This will nullify all parties' actions since the 2006 coup, paving the way for Thaksin Shinawatra's return coupled with receiving his frozen assets.
Whether Thaksin is in Thailand is in effect irrelevant. He controls Pheu Thai. Yet it seems the Democrats will go to any lengths to stop Thaksin from returning. Why are they so afraid of and fixated on Thaksin? Thaksin's absence or presence would not have changed the outcome of last year's election.
I am disappointed at the Democrats' unruly behaviour. If they really are what they claim to be _ a champion of democracy _ accept whatever results that await them, and concentrate on winning the hearts and minds of the Thai people at the next election.
EDWARD KITLERTSIRIVATANA
Sonthi saving ThaksinThe cartoon on Wednesday showing Sonthi Boonyaratglin booting out Thaksin and reconciling with him is entirely in line with my thinking on the subject. Gen Sonthi has never revealed why he carried out the coup. If it was to save Thaksin it was a great success. Now Sonthi is trying to save him again with his version of the reconciliation bill. What the bill is trying to do is dismiss criminal actions by politicians under the guise of politically motivated crime.
RICHARD BOWLER
Web campaign all spinThe striking wrap advertising run on Wednesday encouraged readers to visit www.modern-thailand.com, but once there, visitors must surely have been disappointed by a complete lack of meaningful content on the website.
Knowing that this initiative is being paid for by taxpayer money, it is disappointing to see that the designs and lack of content suggest an expensive foreign graphic design team rather than the numerous ''highly skilled human resources'' of Thailand who would surely have been able to do a substantially more useful ad and website.
One suspects this is yet another government led window-dressing campaign devoid of substance, yet commanding plenty of fees for all involved, as we saw with the Thailand Elite Card, the Creative Economy and consultancies by other foreign ''experts'' in the past.
If the government has so much time and money to generate self-praising promotions and employ iconic media spokespeople to promote Thailand's competitiveness, then surely they have time to explain to us how much each of these campaigns is costing us, and to actually spend a few hours adding some substance to the campaign.
VAN NOSTRIN
Bye bye, cheap labourRe: ''Migrants flock to see Suu Kyi'' (BP, May 31).
If Myanmar can finally get their financial house in order, and it appears as if they are heading that way, millions of Myanmar labourers will return home to rebuild their own country.
Thailand will be left with an acute shortage of cheap labour and a plethora of low skilled but necessary jobs Thais may be unwilling to take. What will happen to the Thai economy and competitiveness when the cheap labour leaves?
RKD
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