Bangkokpost.com : Opinion

Unneeded flood tour

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra leaves this morning on a five-day national tour meant to focus on flood problems. She is taking 10 cabinet ministers to seven provinces which were badly hit in the deluge in the latter half of last year.

Doing time made easier by FaceTime

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

One of the funniest stories in the past week has got to be the protest by prisoners in Trang province who burned their beds and belongings, as well as that of their wardens because they wanted, among other things, to get rid of the chief warden because he was too strict.

Nothing to gain

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Since being in opposition, the Democrats have done an admirable job in checking the government's conduct.

Daily News Editorial

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Despite government assurances, critics are not convinced that all state agencies concerned will be able put all flood-prevention measures in place before the next rainy season arrives.

One small step for Yingluck

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

As far as the government is concerned, the 10-million baht cost of staging the "Love Thailand, Move Thailand Forward" gala dinner at Government House on Friday was worth the cost despite all the criticism of bad taste, waste of taxpayers' money, a PR stunt, etc from a host of critics.

Hard ball hovers

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

There's democracy and then there's Thai-style democracy. The former involves, at least in theory, human rights, freedom, equality and the rule of law. The latter means we like all that wonderful stuff well enough, but there are more important matters that define who we are.

With Dickens, it was the best of times

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

As a nipper in England, I often went for walks with my father. If rain was threatening he would say: ''We'd better take a 'gamp', and would pick up an umbrella in the doorway.''

Put a tax on sea polluters

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Today I went to the beach near my condo on Pratamnak Soi 5 in Pattaya. There was a strong wind blowing from the sea. This caused floating objects in the sea to be washed ashore.

The great English-language deficiency hype

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Ever since I arrived in Bangkok in 2011, I've being witnessing the amazing spread of English fever. At the national level, Thailand is wholeheartedly invested in the promise of English _ the idea that proficiency in English will make ''it'' happen for the country, be it more economic development, more participation in global spheres or a more 21st century cosmopolitan look to the international...

Dealers in high places

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

With the staggering amounts of money to be made it should not surprise anyone if some people who are supposed to on the side of drug suppression are in fact involved in feeding the drug trade, both in Myanmar and Thailand

From closet to cabinet

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Like words, fashion is a tricky tool. They are both a form of expression, the first is verbal, and the latter is visual. The similarity _ they can make or break a person.

Laid-back learning sacrifices objectivity

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

In 1986, Panasonic Corp made headlines by hiring four non-Japanese engineers. The number of foreign employees at this major Japanese electronics maker has steadily grown since then to reach 750 out of 1,250 newly employed in 2010.

The Cornell connection: sound the all-clear, please

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

At first glance, Cornell University is about as far away from Thailand as imaginable, given its commanding location on the crest of a wind-swept hill overlooking the rocky Ice Age contours of Ithaca, New York, surrounded by precipitous gorges, dairy farms, ancient forests, apple orchards, spectacular waterfalls and expansive lawns of grass.

Give nature time to heal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

A medical survey conducted recently among hard-driving, white-collar workers in China has reached a conclusion that should have been obvious from the start. Long hours spent sitting behind a desk with little activity and irregular eating habits will eventually generate a multitude of aches and pains. As stress builds up, workers become physically uncomfortable, irritable or depressed. After hours...

Having it their way

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The red shirts are back again. Jatuporn Prompan talks about an imminent coup and Nattawut Saikuar says that their struggle is to achieve democracy.

Think you know what's happening in the world around you?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:20:00 GMT

Well, Guru doesn't and we need your help! See if you can answer these amazingly difficult questions and win yourself the joy of being right!

The day of loony love

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:51:00 GMT

Every year around Valentine's, Thai officials get their conservative granny panties in a twist when they remember that some people might actually be using the so-called "Day of Love" to do far kinkier things with their panties.

Take a walk on the right side

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Everyone who can drive might take this rule to heart. You have to take the left lane when you slow down and use the right lane when you want to speed up. You do the same when you drive in certain countries such as Britain and do the opposite when you drive in the US. That is the rule, with a penalty if you break traffic law. You are risking your own _ and others' _ safety, having your driving...

Charging 30 baht won't improve healthcare

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Re: ''Rural doctors aren't helping'' (BP, Editorial, Feb 9).

Baan Muang Editorial

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Several experts in water management have warned that Bangkok and nearby provinces will be severely flooded again this year if no preventive measures are put in place before the rainy season arrives.

KR tribunal suffers crisis of funding

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

With unpaid salaries, demoralised staff and a catalogue of high-profile controversies, observers say Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Tribunal is in crisis.

Defining 'fake' before it kills

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Tolomeo Almonacin is suffering from prostate cancer. His fever symptoms did not die down in spite of having medication prescribed by the hospital. The doctor later found out the medicine was fake. The video then cut to a shot of police searching pharmacies as part of a process to stamp out the counterfeit drugs trade in Peru.

Veto allows what it sought to prevent: more deaths

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

In vetoing the United Nations Security Council's draft resolution on Syria, China claims that it has acted in the interests of the Syrian people, a position articulated in the People's Daily, the newspaper of the Communist Party's Central Committee, in a commentary appearing under the pen name Zhong Sheng. The characters for "Zhong Sheng" mean the sound of a bell, but they are phonetically the...

Plug the leaks in flood control

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Central control. Single command. Top-down management. This is what our prime minister believes will save the country from any recurrence of last year's inundation. But will it?

Water agencies just can't seem to communicate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:21:00 GMT

The conflicting statements from the various agencies about the current, unseasonal flooding in Sena district of Ayutthaya are as confusing as they are worrisome. They show that the agencies do not even communicate with one another, let alone cooperate.