HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

What are the odds?

Beach Road traffic snarl up

Pension entitlements

Reply to Chuck

Round up the stray dogs

Boring marathon

“Rights” or wrong

Visa rules

What are the odds?

Dear Editor

If baht buses with even numbered number plates were to operate on one day and the ones with odd numbers were to operate on the other, it would halve the number of them on the road. They would still make the same amount of money a month; they would halve their fuel and maintenance costs, and give them every second day off to go fishing.

Good idea or am I missing something?
Col West (Jomtien)

Beach Road traffic snarl up

Dear Editor

Being a long term resident of Pattaya, I have seen first-hand the deterioration in traffic conditions along Beach Road since Central Festival opened. The log-jam of cars often extends well back past the Central Road intersection and often as far as Soi 4 or 5. Clearly, there is a major problem and thousands of people are inconvenienced and delayed every day.

Given how long this situation has been going on I fear that the management of Central Festival does not care about this problem and has no intention of fixing the problem. Clearly, they need to make some changes to the lanes and parking regulations at the front of the complex or this major inconvenience will continue indefinitely.

Beach Road is a major Pattaya thoroughfare and to have this problem continue would be unconscionable and irresponsible of Central Festival in the extreme. With the high season soon to be upon us there is not a moment to lose for action to be taken before Beach Road becomes nothing more than a car park. I have written a letter of complaint to the management, I hope others follow suit!

Peter Masters
(Soi 16 Naklua)

Pension entitlements

Dear Editor

I’m not going to beat up on Frank for what he wrote 23/07/10, because there are plenty of people who will from his own country given the chance. But not being a Brit but an American, we have plenty of ‘Franks’ in my country and they all seem to express the same point of view but lack the overall ‘Big’ picture!

As already mentioned by reader Michael Nightingale, the current pension battle has nothing to do with the “decline in our monetary unit.” Our leaders in countries like Britain and America for example started programs like Social Security with good intent but politicians of all parties in the past and present have gone way beyond the original intent and added programs that drain these monetary programs. But there is no other action greater, particularly in the U.S., where our government borrows money from our Social Security and put a worthless I.O.U. piece of paper to pay for two wars and I believe the Brits situation is very similar? Our countries bankrupt the programs.

Countries talk about the “Global Economy” but now in an effort to save money they want to cut the benefits increase to citizens who live overseas like they are the crooks, like they have a greater advantage since they might get more from the Pound or Dollar? The real crooks are those politicians and leaders who stole from the program and now are making decisions that discriminate against those who choose to live abroad for whatever reasons like they are the criminals. The politicians are the real problem.

Like many I didn’t have a choice, I was required to make contributions by my country and therefore I had a written contract (deductions each paycheck) and a promise by my country (USA) that at a certain age I would be able to collect a pension with benefits rules equal to every other contributor regardless of where they chose to live when they retired.

Many individuals like myself, and even you Mr. Frank, have other pension resources like 401K and I.R.A pension contributions made to companies or banks throughout our lives and when it comes time to exercise your rights to those contribution, if your company or bank told you that because you have chosen to live in Thailand your account will not receive the same interest rate as someone living in the UK or USA, or your contribution all these years is now regarded as an entitlement, will your response still be so negative towards those who are fighting against discrimination and being treated as second class citizens?

Now you are asking why is an American putting his nose into a Brit situation? Well I just have to chime in that there are many in my country who are pushing hard now to following the lead of the Brits. See I don’t consider making contributions into a program like Social Security and being promised this is what I can expect at a “Minimum” when it’s my turn to retire as something that is an “Entitlement or a Right.” Is there waste in the program, is our country broke and printing more money? Yes, Yes, but I didn’t cause this problem alone, therefore don’t expect me, because I chose to live outside my country, to dig us out alone!

Entitlement is getting something for free and that isn’t what the Brits battle is about. Politicians like to point fingers at everyone except themselves. They can’t run anything when they are part of the government who got us in this whole mess. They like to turn us all against each other so the fingers don’t point at them. The ‘Franks’ of this world don’t seem to understand the big picture; maybe getting it might mean they have to face the truth about their representatives and leaders of their country that they are the problem and not us!

Jeff Chunmici

Reply to Chuck

Editor

From the name, I presume that Chuck is, I am afraid to say, a fellow American. If he had even a little knowledge about the UK pension system he would have not made such ignorant remarks about it. Having asked my Brit friends why they have a complaint, I can fully sympathize with them.

Brits pay into a pension system through taxation and National Insurance and when they finally retire after 40 years they receive that pension, but due to the taxation system of personal allowances they then find they are taxed on their pensions … double jeopardy with a vengeance. But it does not stop there, for if they retire to Australia, Canada, South Africa and Thailand amongst others, they have their pension frozen from the day they leave. No increases ever! But the rest of their compatriots get the inflation increase in the UK, USA, plus the whole of Europe.

They also lose the right to their free health care even though again they have paid into it all their working life.

Compare this to the work shy immigrants who land on UK soil and start claiming for every benefit under the sun ... free housing, medical care, furniture, clothing, etc., and they have NEVER paid into the system at all. Try that in France or Germany and they get nowhere. As to the rest of your remarks, the days of America with its might is right policy are gone and your disparaging remarks only serve to lump all us “Yanks” into the same category as you.

Darrell

Round up the stray dogs

Editor;

We live in Cyprus and visit Thailand each year from January to March. We stay in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pattaya and love the country and the friendly people.

We also have stray dogs here in Cyprus but our local authorities periodically round them up and those that are in good condition and not too wild are sent to kennels for re-homing, the very wild and aggressive ones are put to sleep.

Stray cats are also dealt with in this way.

We did have a poison which locals used to get rid of the strays, but this was made illegal due to the suffering of pets which accidently ate it.

Surely the authorities in Thailand could round up the strays and, as in Cyprus, put the abandoned and non-aggressive ones for re-homing and humanely dispose of the others.

Anne Perry and Michalakis Matheou
(Cyprus)

Boring marathon

Dear Editor,

Of all of the events staged in Pattaya, the Pattaya Marathon is the most boring and does the least to attract visitors. The only people that come for the marathon are the few people that run and their friends that are crazy enough to stand around in the hottest part of low season. I doubt that many of the local businesses benefit from this group. If the city fathers are willing to close the roads for an event like this, why not stage a real road race involving motor vehicles? There are thousands of people who think they are motorbike racers in Pattaya already. Why not dedicate a day where they can show their skills on streets that are free of pedestrians? That would be entertainment and draw a real crowd!

Regards, Bill Turner
California
PS: Congratulations on a great 17 years!

“Rights” or wrong

Dear Editor

In response to my previous letter, John Arnone (July 30) argues that animals don’t have rights because they don’t respect the rights of humans. Does that mean if a human being (perhaps one who is severely retarded) lacks the ability to understand moral concepts or to respect others people’s rights, it would be morally acceptable to eat him or do painful research on him? Would there be any justification in harming him other than in self-defence? Does such a human being have rights?

If the answer to the first two questions is no and the answer to the third question is yes then the animal rights position is intellectually irrefutable.

Eric Bahrt
(Central Pattaya)

Visa rules

Dear Sir

It is understandable that Mr. Strap (30th July) is confused over Thai visa regulations. It is only necessary to enter the Kingdom on or before the last day before expiry. You may then remain for as long as you are stamped in for; including extensions granted by Immigration.

Long term resident

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
are also published here.