Postbag
In the past couple of days the government issued figures pertaining to the small number of advertising offences committed by some liquor outlets, the number of motorists arrested for alcohol offences and the injury/death figures for the holiday period.
I cannot see any figures for injuries and deaths of young people riding motorcycles underage, those not wearing helmets, unlicensed drivers/riders, children standing unrestrained in motor vehicles, and so on.
Perhaps these figures aren't released because they will show that the police are not doing their jobs.
I travelled from Bangkok to Bua Lai in Nakhon Ratchasima on Dec 29. Traffic was bumper to bumper, and the only authorities I saw were a scattering of police.
Pre-holiday promises by the PM about curbing the road death toll over New Year were unfulfilled, with the toll going up by 20% on last year.
Then again, if the PM were to see the road training facilities here, she may have a better insight into why so many Thais are injured, maimed or killed on the roads.
BRIAN FORLONGE
Are we all safe now?
I read with interest your report last week regarding the so-called ''seven dangerous days of driving'' and the resultant numbers of deaths recorded. My question please: When did the seven days end?
SIR LANCE
Discrimination on BTS
An elderly friend of mine has asked me to write this letter for him.
When he arrived in Thailand in 2010, he went to the MRT ticket booth and was immediately granted a senior citizens' pass as he is here on a retirement visa.
Last week, he noticed a promotional poster advertising discounts for seniors on the BTS.
As he had his passport with him, he approached the ticket counter and asked for the senior pass. The ticket agent told him it was for Thai people only.
I have been informed that respect for elders is one of the cultural values instilled in Thai people and their culture. It appears that MRT management appreciates this, while the BTS wishes to squeeze every last baht it can out of farang seniors.
With the numbers of farang seniors increasing in Bangkok on a daily basis, this skytrain policy is just waiting to be exposed and changed.
I urge civil rights, legal and political groups tom take up this case to stop the erosion of Thai cultural values.
LINCOLN REDUX
Invest in education
I fully agree with the government's refusal to subsidise companies' wage bills after the introduction of the nationwide 300-baht minimum daily pay rate.
Our economy must become much more productive. We cannot play the low-cost labour card any more, when China can beat anybody in the world at that game. Boosting minimum wages will force firms to increase staff productivity, and loans and lowered corporate taxes will help ease the transition.
We have the lowest unemployment rate in the world, as shown by the masses of imported workers, and can easily afford even a doubling of the numbers of unemployed.
It is no surprise that our education system is exceedingly inadequate, as shown by Thai students being evaluated as ''poor'' in the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and with our students' scores steadily falling with each successive ranking.
As Olarn Chaipravat, adviser to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra noted: ''Our education system is all about one-way communication. Students have to memorise textbooks in order to pass exams, but they never learn how to think.''
I suggest, then, that all public schools at all levels be required to post their average Onet and other test scores on their websites, to guide students and their parents. Also, the top-scoring 10% of these institutions should be eligible for generous government loans and training grants.
BURIN KANTABUTRA
CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING
136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
Fax: +02 2403666 email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/01/09/road-stats-shame-cops/
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