Showing 61 - 70 of 127
Mass testing best
News, Postbag, Published on 21/03/2020
» The most effective and cheapest way of controlling the Covid-19 pandemic will be to conduct mass testing of the population, as urged by eminent French infectious diseases expert Dr Didier Raoult. He has pointed out that cheaply mass produced testing equipment is already available and is being used effectively in South Korea. Countries, including Thailand, should build up this mass testing capability as fast as it can and test as many people as possible. That way it will be possible to isolate only those who test positive and it also makes it possible to treat those who start showing symptoms early which boosts the chance of a favourable outcome for them. This will be far more effective than locking down entire populations of people who are not infected and causing a massive economic dislocation in the process. In Thailand's case, it may cost US$325 million (10.5 billion baht) to test the entire population, but that would be a drop in the bucket compared to the $8 billion cost of a 5% decline in GDP.
FFP was singled out
Oped, Postbag, Published on 14/03/2020
» Re: "It's not just about FFP", (PostBag, March 12). Khun Piya Samyan defends the Constitutional Court dissolving the Future Forward Party, because "it did violate the law regarding acquisition of income". This is about the "rule of law that is equally applied to all". I fully agree with Khun Piya that the law must be applied without fear or favour -- for if not, the government would be weaponising the law to slay its enemies, so to speak.
Unfounded beliefs
News, Postbag, Published on 22/02/2020
» Re: "Historic ruling offers pro-choice hope", (Opinion, Feb 21).
Irrational sentence
News, Postbag, Published on 21/02/2020
» "A former abbot of Wat Sa Ket (Golden Mount) was sentenced to a suspended jail term of 36 months and fined 27,000 baht for embezzlement of 69.7 million baht in temple funds", read your online report concerning the politely termed "malfeasance" of a senior monk and a bunch of criminals from the National Office of Buddhism.
Constitutional perks
News, Postbag, Published on 04/02/2020
» The recent article re the ombudsmen's perks falls neatly into line with the similar perks granted to the judiciary which are perfectly explained in a very accurate assessment of recent Thai politics by the Cambridge University Press who articulated that "Meechai's constitution is designed to give more concrete power to an unelected elite minority -- the army, the judiciary and 'independent' organisations". It goes on to suggest that " the voters' electoral mandate will be less meaningful in deciding who should govern.
Silencing the youth
News, Postbag, Published on 14/12/2019
» Well, let's see. This week we learned that the permafrost in the Arctic is thawing much faster than was anticipated which is going to lead to a faster rise of sea levels than we had anticipated.
Thai tantrums
News, Postbag, Published on 01/11/2019
» I do not understand why many Thais are being hysterical about US President Donald Trump suspending trade preferences for Thailand under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).
Endless debt cycle
News, Postbag, Published on 05/10/2019
» Re: "Handouts not the solution", (Editorial, Oct 4).
Thank you, 'Mali San'
News, Postbag, Published on 24/08/2019
» We Thais owe many, many thanks to "Mali-San" or Ms Megumi Morimoto, 46, a freshman at Kasetsart University's Sakolnakorn campus. As shown by the clip on Facebook by Udomsak Nak-chang-in and on television, she's been blocking motorcyclists from illegally riding their bikes on the sidewalk at Rumsalee intersection, thus protecting pedestrians from being run over. She's done this over 100 times. Although local bikers have beaten her up four times, Thai onlookers have rescued her.
Enforcement first
News, Postbag, Published on 03/08/2019
» Re: "Need for speed will not help solve gridlock", (Opinion, Aug 2).