LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Following the international money trail could break open corruption investigations
This government is comprised of good people but where is the competence? Bangkok doesn't need CCTV everywhere - all officials need to do is follow the money trail. Thaksin Shinawatra is dealing with the same banks and you can figure out where the money is coming from and where it is going.
This is what the authorities in the West do. It is well known what banks he deals with and uses and his nominees. So far, the government has not gone to court all over the world ordering the banks to disclose this information. If you check the period before his democratic election "victory", you will find big financial transactions. The Assets Examination Committee must stop making excuses and start doing its job. So far despite being presented with well-known instances of corruption, it hasn't done a thing. This has given people time to hide their assets. The nominees are known. This is true of dozens and dozens of publicly listed companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. All the Thai government needs to do is write to these custody banks and disclose the names of the beneficial owners. If they refuse, the Thai government can apply to the courts or law enforcement agencies in the countries concerned. Does the AEC not know this? If not, get some lawyers in who know how to do this work. I suggest they hire forensic accountants at a global accounting firm to do this. Also the AEC is now trying to say that the Airports Authority of Thailand etc need to file complaints in order for them to act. Why doesn't the government just give plenary power to the AEC? There is no reason why the AEC cannot have full power. They should stop making excuses and do their jobs. Mr Goldman Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Western countries also strive to protect domestic industries
Re: " 'We could withdraw our investments' ", Business, January 9. Foreigners who are venting their fury at Thailand's new ownership rules are surely familiar with the "owned and controlled" criterion for foreign ownership as it is widely used even by their own governments. For example, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) enforces a rule that domestic airlines must be 75 per cent owned and controlled by US citizens. Recently a new firm called Virgin America was denied a permit to operate a domestic airline because the DOT contended that although the firm was 75 per cent owned by American citizens it was not controlled by them. Cha-am Jamal Phetchaburi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Act amendments an attack on foreign direct investment
Re: "Nominees will be forbidden", News, January 10. The capital controls were like using a sledgehammer to crush a nut and were totally inappropriate for the situation. It also makes Thailand seem hostile to foreign investment and increases the cost of capital to Thai companies significantly. The Foreign Business Act amendments are an even more insane way of turning away foreign direct investment in order to score a cheap nationalistic political point regarding Kularb Kaew, even though the Commerce Ministry had already determined that this company was in breach of existing laws. The act is hugely outdated and was in need of urgent liberalisation to bring it more into line with more liberal laws in the rest of Asia, including communist countries. Foreign investors bring a lot of capital and technology into Thailand, provide a lot of jobs and train up a lot of management level Thais who go on to work in local companies and make them more competitive. They are simply not interested in being in Thailand if they can't own and control their own businesses in the same way that they can in most other countries in the world that they invest in. It is not worth the management time and risk to their reputations. Portman Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ownership limits help vested interests line their pockets
Re: "Nominees will be forbidden", News, January 10. Ownership restrictions belong to the past. In the modern and developed world markets are free. That benefits primarily strong competition. However, people with vested interests here in Thailand are now pushing their own agenda to fatten their own pockets at the expense of the Thai people. Opening up the markets here would be a big win for consumers. Thailand needs more efficiency, not less. I hope the foreign investment community will react strongly against these actions by the junta. Neutral Observer Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Self-sacrificing citizens like Khru Juling an example for all
Re: "A prayer of admiration and thanks for Khru Juling", Opinion, January 10. It is with great sadness that I read of the passing of this dedicated teacher whose selfless thoughts were only for the future of her country and the children she taught. She was just as brave, if not more so, than any general to volunteer to go to an area she knew to be dangerous for little reward in an effort to improve the lives of those little ones entrusted to her care. That she was taken by corrupt cowards shames all those responsible and those who continue in that path. Thailand needs many more like Juling and to rid itself of those such as her tormentors. My thoughts and prayers are with Juling and her family. Sad Farang Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thailand runs its Children's Day better than most
Re: "Writer sickened by 'twisted' letter about Children's Day", Letters, January 10. Other than her usual rant labelling all western men as drunks at the bar, though she did manage to get that in, Sunida makes some very valid points. Most countries have a Children's Day but few actually do much to further the development of children on that day. Thailand does. It is taken seriously and leading personalities actually participate instead of merely issuing a statement. Major Mark A Smith Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Writer had a point about youngsters hogging BTS seats
Re: "Writer sickened by 'twisted' letter about Children's Day", Letters, January 10. Sir, I enjoyed Sunida's anti-rant tirade and presume her mastery of English would allow her to grasp the following words: "smacks" and "racism". "Beer-sodden", boozy expats are we? Let's not forget Thailand's ranking in the alcohol consumption statistics. As for calling into doubt Paul Bradley's sensory perception ("A modest proposal to do away with Children's Day for the moral well-being of the nation", Letters, January 9), I would suggest she take a ride on the BTS Skytrain and watch as adults leap, as if poked with a cattle prod, to allow people with seven-year-old knees to be seated. As for Children's Day, I supported it fully, but having taken the BTS Skytrain from Mo Chit to On Nut station I might begin to reconsider. Mr T Total Bangkok ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Succession of power in Burma could mean hope for peace
About a year ago, reliable information was received from a confidential source that Than Shwe's medical team expected him to die within one year due to multi-organ failure. A negotiated political settlement was not possible with Than Shwe because of his involvement in the May 30 Massacre. Over one hundred Burmese democracy activists were mass-murdered including elderly ladies who were beaten to death with bamboo sticks. If a free press is restored and all political prisoners are released, a negotiated political settlement is possible with General Maung Aye. Unlike Than Shwe, General Maung Aye comes from an educated family. His brother-in-law was the Rector of Mandalay Medical College in the 1980s. Myint Thein Senior Advisor to the Burmese Resistance Dallas, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ McCain's Iraq stance mere shilling for a presidential run
Re: "Success in Iraq means a substantial and sustained deployment of troops", Opinion, January 9. The view in this article is the policy of US neo-cons Fred Kagan and retired general Jack Kane and President George W Bush. It is probably a preview of what Bush is going to unfold in his own address [yesterday]. As we know this is not the thinking of most senior American generals, outgoing commanders in Iraq and the Middle East, the Iraq study group and of course the majority of the American people. Senator John McCain, by attaching his authorship to this article, creates an occasion for everyone to know he is behind both this policy and Bush. Senator McCain first and foremost, wants the Republican nomination for president in 2008. In 2004 he become a shill for Bush in an attempt to prove that he really is a member of the George W Bush branch of the Republican Party, in hope of their support in 2008. It is a cleverly calculated move by McCain. If there are minor temporary successes in Bush's plan, McCain can say he was on the correct side. If not he can say, "I told you it was too late". It is a matter of how to find a way to bring this disaster to some sort of slow resolution that looks as though it is a respectable and decent outcome. The goal is to find a resolution that makes it seem like it wasn't a horrendous mistake in the first place and saves their credibility and reputations. Even remotely being a part of putting "Humpty Dumpty back together again" -could go a long way toward catching that nomination. Mr Bill Bangkok Send us your views in an instant E-mail your opinion, with 'Letters to the Editor' in the subject box, to: letters@nationgroup.com
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