Features

Report condemns Thai driving

Editor;
Now it’s official from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute that Thailand is the second most dangerous country in the world to drive in. < http://global.umich.edu/2014/02/thai-roads-ranked-no-2-for-traffic-deaths/ >. (The report claims that “the only country with roads deadlier than Thailand’s was Namibia”.)
Now are the transport police going to get their act together and do proper policing to improve the situation or are they just going to carry on stopping a few people to top up the police kitty?
It seems at the moment they don’t care about small children riding in the front of motorbikes with the driver on the mobile oblivious to other drivers and young children driving at breakneck speeds on motorbikes with two or three on the bike who can’t have a license because they’re too young and don’t have any road sense.
The police go to the scene of an accident to check who is in the right or wrong, but shouldn’t they be trying to stop and educate these crazy drivers about road sense before the accidents happen? The police need more zero tolerance to keep these people off the roads.
We read in the papers or see on TV what’s going to happen but it never materializes. It’s the old seven day wonder. If they don’t start soon Thailand will be number ONE next year.
U.K. Ian

Not considered child abuse?!

Editor;
Re: Father warned for allegedly locking up, beating children (PM Friday, 14 March 2014) - Not considered child abuse! Does he have to kill them to be charged! Only in Thailand would the police not do something to help these poor and endangered children.
Sabai Sabai

Re: American taxpayers renouncing liabilities in great numbers

Editor,
The article in the title from the 7 March Pattaya Mail provides just shocking numbers. I laid awake all night wringing my hands in anguish over who would continue paying in to US entitlement programs so I could continue to live here in Pattaya during my senior years. If the fertility rate were neutral (no increase no decrease) then at that rate of 3000 renunciations per year there would be no people left in the US in a 100,000 years.
After a sleepless night I thought maybe there is another side to this story so I consulted the US (Department of Homeland Security) website. As it turns out the number of renunciations is only a fraction of one percent of the new naturalizations each year; not as great a relative number as the author would have us believe. For the period 2008 thru 2012 the INS reports the following numbers of naturalizations.
2008...1,046,539
2009... 743,715
2010... 619,913
2011... 694,193
2012... 757,434
This does not include a large number of illegal immigrants in the US who would willingly become US citizens if the law permitted it.
The article then goes on to describe the requirements for Americans to disclose their non US financial holdings. What the author fails to disclose is that for US citizens living overseas for at least 330 of 365 days in a calendar year the reporting requirement is less onerous.
Following is the link for the immigration statistics.
http://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics-2012-naturalizations
Table 20 contains the data for annual US naturalizations from 1907 to 2012
Regards,
Bill R.
 

Fraud proof Thai passport?

Editor;
Re: Foreign Ministry gives assurances on fraud proof Thai passport (PM Friday, 14 March 2014) - Really? My Ex who is Thai told the Thai passport office she lost her passport and then used her new one when with me as she kept her lost one hidden all the time and was using that one to hide her travels. What would they call that?
John R

Fireworks

Editor
Since early January Jomtien has had fireworks go of every night till 3 o’clock in the morning. The police can not find who are letting the fireworks off. My family have lived in Jomtien for nine years and have never experienced anything like this.
Will it ever stop?
P. and M. Ward
Jomtien

Funding choices

Dear Editor,
I was surprised to read in this week’s Pattaya Mail (March 14) of the disparity between: ‘Funding shortfall blocks move to bury utility cables on Third Road’ and ‘Shamrocks ready for St Patrick’s Day parade March 17'. The surprise is that the parade is being funded by City Hall to the tune of 2 million baht, and yet there’s no money to pay for this vital work on Third Road.
Is the parade likely to generate lots of tourist-generated income (I know I won’t be there waving my little green flag) from people eating and drinking more than usual?
Also, City Hall could save money if all street lights were turned off at 6 a.m. If I, as a severely sight impaired person, can see to find my way around at first light without help from street lights, then surely fully sighted people can do the same? Street lights were still burning on Jomtien’s Soi 11 up to 7 a.m. today.
Philip Fletcher

Report condemns Thai driving

Not considered child abuse?!

Re: American taxpayers renouncing liabilities in great numbers

Fraud proof Thai passport?

Fireworks

Funding choices