THE WIND OF CHANGES-(THAILAND)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/301108_News/30Nov2008_news18.php

Six months ago I decided to visit the PAD protests in Bangkok. I took my 15-year-old daughter along because she showed a strong political and social interest in what was going on at the time. I thought it would be an interesting lesson for her on democracy and freedom of speech.


Scenes at the rally were friendly, safe and educated. The mob was outside _ represented in red T-shirts, clubs in their hands and drunk. The protesters in yellow (PAD) were all polite and sober.


Now my daughter asks me what happened to make the formerly peaceful PAD protests turn so disgusting and ugly. We both shake our heads in disbelief when we think of six months ago.


Now Thailand is wrecked, brought down by those who claim to love their nation and their King. My daughter has learned the lesson she had six months ago, and today we both ask the same question: When will Thailand become a peaceful country again, with 65 million smiles for every tourist and their King?

Armin Hermann


FOOD FOR THOUGHT


The PAD is damaging not only the government, economy and image of Thailand but also Thai families abroad and Thailand as a whole.


Exports of Thai vegetables and spices have been stopped to countries around the world. Thai restaurants around the world are very important to the Thai economy. Farmers, distributors and export companies benefit from the success of fine Thai food worldwide. Employees and owners at Thai restaurants around the world are often the first Thai people foreigners met, and we are the first channel to promote Thailand as a fantastic tourist destination, with great food and great tourist sights, superb Thai hotels and resorts. Now we have to tell our customers that we cannot serve Thai food with the original ingredients. Will they stay or choose another restaurant?


Protest is the right of everybody, but it should be done with common sense. Why not demonstrate around government sites? The PAD is looking for a conflict which will hurt Thai people in Thailand and all around the world for a very long time.


The tourists stranded in Bangkok will probably reconsider helping Thai people if there is another major disaster like the tsunami. In my country millions and millions of euros were collected to rebuild Thailand after the tsunami and help the survivors.


I feel really sorry for all the hard-working, nice and smiling people of Thailand, such as farmers, taxi drivers, hotel employees, waiters, shop owners, restaurant owners and many more people who make Thailand the place I love to visit. What a pity.



Sonny Buter


www.ThaiFood.nl



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THE BAD NEIGHBOUR


The mess that Thailand has brought upon itself is fundamentally a domestic problem. But the reckless and unacceptable seizure of the Suvarnabhumi airport is taking a number of neighbouring countries hostage.


Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma and the Chinese province of Yunnan all depend on Bangkok as the transport hub of the region. They all see their tourism arrivals dwindle due to a matter in which they have no part.


It is essential that Southeast Asia not depend on a single hub for all traffic, but rather spread the risk. Vietnam is an obvious potential rival; some more long-haul flights and simpler visa regulations would make it an attractive alternative to Bangkok. China should be able to connect Yunnan province to the rest of the world via its hubs. Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos can also easily be reached from KL and Singapore. Voila, the Thai monopoly is broken.


As long as the PAD is a factor in Thai politics we cannot consider Thailand a stable and reliable economic partner. The damage done is beyond repair.



Eskil Sorensen


Luang Prabang



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THE LAND OF HATRED


Today, an export customer cancelled orders worth in excess of 10 million baht over the next couple of months. Unfortunately this means that staff are not going to receive salaries unless we can find another customer to take over their air shipments. Does the PAD not realise they are hurting their Thai friends by not allowing the country to operate?


Vietnam is welcoming us with open arms; maybe it is time to change because the land of smiles has turned into the land of hatred and there doesn't seem any way of going back to the true values of Thailand!



Matt Christie



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LET'S RUMBLE!


Watching the Bangkok Post try to offer criticism of the increasingly criminal activities of the PAD without offending its readers, most of whom presumably support the PAD, is like watching a man trying to pluck up the courage to saw off his own leg.


Your editorial (Bangkok Post, Nov 26, ''PAD wrong to shut airport'') rightly criticises the PAD.


Unfortunately, however, the editorial stops short of calling on the government and the nation's security forces to take decisive action and restore order at the capital's two civilian airports.


The truth is that the government is unwilling to order the police to take action because it knows that this will lead to violence and that the media will then start to scream, untruthfully, that the government has lost the credibility to rule.


The result then will be that the army will then feel able to get away with another coup.


It is high time the media behaved responsibly and urge the government and the police to reclaim national property and to give it the backing to use as much force as necessary _ including the possibility of using firearms against those PAD people who could be seen on the BBC the other morning firing handguns.


The police should be made aware that the media expects access to any action they take and will be on the alert for any unwarranted violence. But they should also be aware that their primary duty is to restore order.



Dom Dunn