Left in the mud
Re: "Hotel occupancy rate in Chiang Mai down 30%", (Business, Oct 8).
Chiang Mai is Thailand's second-largest city, yet despite desperate efforts to get tourism back on track, the government has not considered it necessary to bring in the army to help the locals clear up the mud left by the extreme flooding.
If left too long, this mud/silt will only bake under the sun, making it even more difficult to remove and causing further damage to the road surfaces.
PM's flood denial
Re: "State caught asleep at wheel", (Editorial, Oct 6).
This editorial article is apt.
A few days ago, we were assured by the PM that there would be no flooding in Bangkok.
Today, the Bangkok Post alerted us to the aforesaid threat due to runoff from the North and high tides, which are all too predictable annually.
Except for those up there who can't see the forest for the trees.
But as trees are being chopped down en masse, I suppose we have to accept that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing due to narcolepsy.
Getting some wellies before they treble in price.
CO2 isn't the enemy
Re: "Exploring Thai efforts to cut carbon", (Business, Oct 5).
Unfortunately, this article is based entirely upon a false presumption -- namely, that it is a good idea to "cut carbon." Since the earth is a closed system, carbon, an element, cannot be removed from it. The UN's malign vilification of carbon is fraudulent and extremely costly.
There is no reason to support curtailing carbon emissions. Our food supply depends upon a minimum level of CO2 in the atmosphere, a minimum which the earth barely exceeds compared to historical levels.
What is clear, however, is that we must limit the production of harmful chemicals, poisonous pharmaceuticals, dangerous plastics, particulates, pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, GMOs, etc., which are destroying all of the earth's living systems.
Although doing so will severely limit certain multinational corporations' extraordinary profits, it will preserve the planet's living beings' right to life and cost the world's population far less than the required capital spending on physical assets for energy and land-use systems in the proposed "net-zero" transition between 2021 and 2050.
A win for big brands
Re: "House rejects People's Party liquor liberalisation bill", (BP, Oct 3).
Once again, the elite rich have worked overtime to protect their own by rejecting legislation allowing small brewers and distillers to enter the craft beer and spirits market.
I fully agree that rigid standards, safeguards, and monitoring are needed when producing strong alcohol for distribution, as improper distilling can result in a dangerous concoction that can be fatal to humans. There is no similar risk for craft beer, which is produced by brewing, not distilling. If beer is brewed poorly, imbibers will likely suffer nothing worse than an unpleasant hangover.
By continuing to restrict the craft beer industry and fencing off the duopoly of big beer manufacturers in the country, Thai legislators are unfortunately subjecting consumers in Thailand to continued high prices for notoriously low-quality beer.