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Must have failed econ 101
Editor;
It is quite unbelievable that the baht is where it’s at now! The rice scheme
has failed the Thai rice farmer and seriously hurt his family and the
reputation of the Thai government. The promise of 12,000 to 15,000 baht per
tonne would end up making it too costly to sell to anyone, as it cannot
compete with the other countries lower pricing. And no thought about it
rotting in the warehouses. It was surely only a ‘vote getter’ as anyone with
any knowledge of the marketplace would know that it would be a loss to the
Thai government in the end, and now to throw more fuel on the fire, they do
not have the promised money to pay the farmers and are madly scrambling to
get bank loans. If that is successful, just how are they planning to repay
the loans?
The government is in turmoil, exports are down, economic growth now
predicted to be lower this year, and the USA economy is on the rise (i.e.
Dollar/Baht), and again that old rice problem. It muddles the mind to see
the baht doing what it is doing! Oh, I forgot, it must be manipulation by
the bankers who cow-tow to the moneyed folks. I see a big crash coming in
this country soon, because of a combination of greed and failing Econ 101
class. Realistically, the baht should be around 34 to 35 + judging from
today’s predicament, or did I fail Econ 101 too? Time for a beer to jai yen
yen.
Hyde Parke
Pattaya
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A smokescreen
over smoking
Sir,
Mr. Arnone (PM 21/2) has puffed a lot of smoke in an attempt to obfuscate
the smoking debate. There are two quite separate matters: the adverse effect
on health and the need for ordinary people to be protected from the foul
stink and danger of second hand smoke.
Since we cannot legally defend ourselves against the assault by smokers, we
need the protection of the law. This would not be necessary if smokers were
considerate, but they are not. No decent person, for example, would break
wind in a restaurant, bus or public place but smokers will puff their
revolting muck in these place all the time if not prevented by law and even
then they continue to upset and harm people with their filthy practice by
defying the law.
Regarding the health side of the issue; we have known for more that half a
century that all smoke and combustion products (including motor vehicle
exhaust) can cause cancer. There is nothing new here at all. Smoking, second
hand and third hand smoke are all proven beyond any doubt to be dangerous.
More than a hundred different conditions including even genetic changes are
now known to be associated with smoking. It is highly irresponsible to claim
that second hand smoke has never killed anyone. Even if this were true it
ignores the untold harm, disease and misery caused by second hand smoke.
Michael Nightingale
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Memories bring a tear to my eye
Editor;
Re: Home is where the heart is (PM Mailbag Friday, 21 February 2014) - Bill,
I also have memories that will bring a tear to my eye I remember when my
mother laid me down to sleep she crooned Irish lullabies to me. One of my
favorites was “I’ll take you home again Kathleen”. A 100% Irish folk song”?
The Irish immigrating to America had never heard the song in their native
country but adopted it as their own.
It turns out that the song was written by T P Westerford, an American of
German decent, working at an Indiana reform school and dedicated to his wife
whose name was Jenny, and promising to take her back to the green fields of
Boston. It was written in response to a tune also written by an American
called “Barney take me home again”.
None of this ever dampened my love of this classic.
Not to be left alone with my memories, “I now must rain on your parade” -
the story goes that Banjo Paterson was visiting a Squatters homsteag in
outback Qld (Winton) when the farmers daughter returned home humming a tune
Banjo had never heard. Being an accomplished pianist she played the tune &
Banjo wrote some lyrics, “Waltz in Matilda was borne”.
The catchy tune turned out to be a Celtic folk song called, “The Craigielea
March” also known as “Down the woods of Craigielea”.
The German element again surfaced as the tramps Bed Roll is called a Matilda
as it is a German expression for a de-facto wife and as the tramp lived &
slept with his Matilda it caught on.
Even with these revelations I think we will still proud when we hear our
National Anthem.
BP
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An Open Letter to the Ambassadors of all Nations Represented in Thailand
Your Excellency,
As CEO of one of the largest companies in Thailand and more so as a
concerned citizen, I feel it is my duty to speak up on behalf of our 40,000
employees and those whose livelihoods depend directly and indirectly on
tourism - one of the vital drivers of the Thai economy.
Minor International and numerous other operators in the tourism sector have,
over many years, laid the foundation for what is considered the best tourism
infrastructure in Asia and in doing so it provides a livelihood for millions
throughout the country.
Although the ongoing demonstrations are limited to certain parts of Bangkok
the rest of the city and the overall country for that matter is safe to
visit, but the travel warnings and restrictions issued by some foreign
governments incorrectly dispel this fact. Tourists have never been a target
in the protests and to this end all airports in Thailand remain fully
operational and hotels and tourist attractions across the Kingdom continue
to welcome guests as usual. The people of Thailand are extremely welcoming
of tourists and I am certain that visitors are in far more danger of being
harmed in any major European or American city than they are here in Bangkok.
These unnecessarily severe travel advisories are now having a major impact
on the livelihoods of Thai people across the country. Thailand’s acting
Minister of Tourism and Sports forecasted that tourism arrivals in January
have dropped by one million from the same time last year. The Tourism
Council of Thailand quantified the revenue loss as BHT 22.5 billion. This
impact will not only be felt in the tourism sector, but also indirectly in
all fields from manufacturing to farming.
Thailand remains one of the most popular and desired destinations on the
planet. I know that tourists still want to travel here - I can see it in the
reservation enquiries that our hotels receive every day. But people are
naturally hesitant when their home country issues travel restrictions or
country warnings. Travel advisories play an important role in our overall
safety and security, but they can also have an unnecessary negative impact
on the livelihood of others when they are not completely based on reality.
Foreign Governments’ travel warnings and restrictions on their nationals to
visit Thailand are not based on the full reality of the situation for
visitors to the Kingdom. If there were demonstrations in Washington or
Paris, would tourists be advised not to visit the entire country? Would
travel warnings ever be issued?
I ask the members of the diplomatic community who are based in Thailand and
the Ministry for Tourism and Sports who have firsthand experience of the
non-impact of Thailand’s political woes on foreign tourists, to support the
cause to have foreign governments re-examine the severity of their travel
restrictions on the entire country and to revise their travel advisories to
focus only on the very limited pockets of Bangkok that are effected.
I have the utmost respect for the members of the diplomatic community who
play a very important role in representing their nation and their nation’s
interests across the globe. Yet, it is upsetting to see travel warnings such
as the “Black/Severe Threat for Thailand (Bangkok)” from the government of
Hong Kong. Specifically, nationals are “urged to avoid all travel to
Bangkok”, which I feel is severe and should only refer to specific areas of
the capital.
In the same vein, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the nations
who have not issued, or only issued limited travel warnings - your support
is greatly appreciated.
I would also ask that you and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports join with
me in lobbying with some of our friends in the media to honour a code of
ethics and provide a fair and factual overview of the political challenges
that we face. Dramatising and focusing on sensationalist headlines and
scenes is not a balanced view of the protests that we face in Bangkok. Such
reporting serves only to further fuel the fire of unnecessary scare tactics
and fear mongering. Bangkok is open for business and visitors are warmly
welcomed across the capital.
Thailand is one of the most welcoming countries in the world and I hope that
together we can continue to support this beautiful destination and its
people.
Yours sincerely,
William E. Heinecke
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Minor International Pcl
Bangkok, Thailand
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