\City Hall should have been placed on the boardwalk

Editor
Re: Push and shove walks on both sides of the road (PM Mailbag Friday, 11 January 2013) - Sidewalks that are unfit for walking or being usurped by businesses? The problem is that there is no lobbying group for improvement other than citizens and citizens have no one to complain to except the government. And the government ... the measure of a good government and a stable society is the ability to collect taxes and to collect the trash. After that it is a descending hierarchy of needs and obligations. Safe and adequate public walkways are on that list. But look at City Hall. No problems walking around there so the problem is not on the minds of the mayor and others. City Hall should have been placed on the boardwalk.
Dana

Traffic and songthaews

Dear Sir;
Since Pattaya boasts an English speaking mayor, I wonder if he might address the concerns publicly of the English speaking community that provides so much revenue and creation of jobs in this great city.
For some time now there have been continuing debates on the level of traffic in and around Pattaya which seems to be growing almost by the day and especially at holiday times.
I would express my particular concern on this occasion about the songthaew. I have for some 24 years supported this institution and service provided by the citizens of Pattaya for the benefit of its community. I fear that this great service and the providers of same over recent years have been abusing their privilege of providing this service to the community.
Many now choose only to pick up fares for 200 baht and 400 baht one stop one place in deference to those wishing to hop on and hop off. The unreliability of the service forces the community to seek more reliable forms of transport, buying bikes or cars. This in turn increases the traffic levels.
If these citizens who drive the songthaews do not realize their responsibility to the community to provide an efficient and reliable transport service then they must forfeit that privilege and the town hall must be obligated to provide a reliable and alternative means of transport to reduce Pattaya traffic.
Clearly the licensing and operation of songthaews is not being managed properly by the town hall and the drivers are abusing their position to the detriment of both the Thai people and the visitors.
Yours,
PAW
 

Congratulations Graham Macdonald, MBE

Editor;
Many congratulations, to past BCCT Chairman Graham Macdonald who was awarded the Member of the British Empire in HM The Queen’s New Year Honours List “for services to British business interests in Thailand”.
Graham served on the BCCT board for twelve years: from July 2010 to January 2012 as Chairman; from 2005 to June 2010 as Vice Chairman; and as a board director from 1999 to 2005. He was awarded Honorary Membership of the BCCT in January 2012.
Graham founded the BCCT Eastern Seaboard Group in 1997 and remains active in his support of members in the region.
BCCT would also like to congratulate Bert Elson, Branch Secretary, Royal British Legion, Thailand who was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the British community in Thailand.
British Chamber of Commerce Thailand

Reluctant to offer full support

Editor;
I found the letter from Michael Nightingale interesting (taxing the Church PM 28.12). I was pleased that he thought my ideas on the subject of church taxation correct and timely, but I also noted that he was reluctant to offer full support. He thought “the majority of people still support religion, and trying to change the status quo is hardly a vote catcher.” He also thinks that I am “before my time” meaning, I suppose, that if I persisted with my taxation ideas I would be burned at the stake. Surely, such a thing as that wouldn’t take place here in the 21st century. Today, due to the financial mess the U.S. is in, the people should welcome any reasonable ideas that might solve a sixteen trillion dollar debt.
The Congress in the U.S. is even now arguing over taxing and revenue. It should stop bickering and look at something new for a change. It should resurrect and study the phrase “separation of church and state.” If it did I think it would think more about relieving the middle class of a tax burden and place it on the church.
We have the vague phase “separation of church and state” because the government in its wisdom did not want America to become a theocratic democracy with a medieval morality. Medieval morality is what the U.S. had for more than a century. I’m also sure that when Congress served up separation it was also thinking about churches becoming rich and powerful and influential. That’s exactly what most churches have become today. Church and state must be defined better to come of what congress and the people should be thinking. That is absolutely necessary. That’s let religion (there is no doubt that it is necessary) should go back to worship and solace and prayer. There should be no large church enterprises. There should be no rapacious plutocrats in the pulpit. Churches should be taxed.
Ray Standiford

Name a beneficiary

Editor;
Re: BoT urging commercial banks to eliminate fee for money transferring within the same bank (PM Tuesday, 08 January 2013) - 1). I opened a SCB acct. in Phuket 8 yrs. ago, 3yrs later and SCB charged me 1,500 B plus another 300 for a new ATM card! 2).While, maybe, changing the above how about being able, as in most countries, to name a beneficiary on my bank accts? Not a co owner, a beneficiary in case of my death.
Don Aleman

Post more about Satun

Editor;
Re: Promising Satun: Another Thai tourist paradise (PM Friday, 04 January 2013) - Oh wow, I wonder if it’s not as crowded as Phuket or Bangkok. We all want to have some peace and quiet at a vacation place near the beach, and neither Phuket nor Bangkok can give that with the number of tourists flocking all over. Though the markets are really great as well as the food stalls, and the nightlife is also good, then again what we are looking for is a different adventure during daytime and a really peaceful and quiet night. I hope you can post more about Satun.
Alexa Bernales

Thailand’s number of road fatalities is a national disgrace

Editor;
Re: 3 injured in Bali Hai bridge accident (PM Friday, 04 January 2013) - Unfortunately, this is a commonplace, very regular occurrence in Thailand. Traffic rules are rarely if ever enforced. Education & community participation in making roads safer is non-existent. All this, even whilst the death toll climbs to one of the highest in ASEAN. In the one week over Christmas & New Year 365 deaths on Thai roads were reported with over 3,500 injuries. Nobody seems to care. Fasten your seatbelts and expect more of this.
Meanwhile, Re: Chonburi road fatalities jump 50% during New Year’s holiday (PM Friday, 11 January 2013) - The one-week road safety campaign could never have succeeded given “Road Safety” requires ongoing education and community engagement for 365 days a year - not a one week blitz.
Sadly Thailand does not have people in gov’t & the police willing to commit to year-round activities promoting Road Safety or cracking down on reckless driving. The rising toll of road fatalities will continue to rise even as Thailand leads the ASEAN Group in number of road fatalities. 365 deaths in one week of Christmas/New Year is a national disgrace.
Marc Hawkes

Preah Vihear built by Cambodians

Editor;
Re: Border tension with Cambodia escalates (PM Friday, 11 January 2013) - Preah Vihear was built by Cambodians during the Angkor period. The French changed the borders. Thai has red shirt yellow shirt problems and use this as a political exercise to bring the parties together at the expense of Cambodia. “Good fences make good neighbors” - theft of Cambodian land, support to the Khmer Rouge and Sam Rainsy does not make Thailand look good. Does Bangkok want a rocket attack? Hun Sen said “come we welcome you with Land Mines.”
Gary Fultheim

City Hall should have been placed on the boardwalk

Traffic and songthaews

Congratulations Graham Macdonald, MBE

Reluctant to offer full support

Name a beneficiary

Thailand’s number of road fatalities is a national disgrace

Preah Vihear built by Cambodians