Letters To The Editor

I am starting to feel a little sorry for the poor editor here. What has become of the Gazette’s letter page?

All we ever see in the letters page these days are moans and complaints about this and that, oppressed small-bodied (but large-breasted) women having a pop at us tubby fellas with our poor little deprived Thai wives, big nasty SUV drivers taking over the roads, noisy neighbors and much, much more!

Why so many complaints when we are living on a beautiful island full of interesting and diverse things to do?

I for one am very happy with the lifestyle I have chosen to live. No sleet or snow on my horizons, no freezing cold mornings lying tucked up in bed wishing I could be back in sunny paradise for me. (Unless I left the AC on 18 degrees all night.)

No, I made the choice to have this beautiful island in Thailand as my home and have very little to complain about. The weather is fantastic, the views are magnificent and most local people are a pleasure to deal with.

But of course there is an answer to all that ails perennial moaners: sod off back home and stop slagging off such a wonderful life and land. It might leave more room on the roads for our SUVs and it certainly would make it easier for me to park my truck outside the bank when I go in to count my money. ( I don’t go in really… I have Internet banking for that.)

I have an idea, dear editor: maybe you should change the name of the letters page to “Whiners Corner” or even make a section called “The Female Dog”, because all people do here is bitch!

Get over yourselves and enjoy life, I know I am!

No need to get hot under the collar

The letter to the editor entitled “Island marina plan is ecological madness” [Gazette, issue of June 2] is typical of eco-zealots around the world. It gives “global warming” as a reason to deny the building of the island Zoran – and then gives no evidence to say how or why the project would affect “global warming”.

Unfortunately, the as yet unproven theory of global warming has become more of a religion than a matter of scientific inquiry. People now ask only if you “believe”.

By the way, what kind of cars were people driving and what were they doing that caused the melting of the ice bridge between Asia and America some 12,000 years ago? Global warming has happened in natural cycles for millions of years. No need to panic folks.

Name withheld Rawai

Whoa, wait a minute here. Thailand is ranked the third-most overworked nation in the whole world? I just read on the Internet that Thailand has ranked third in the list of countries where people work the most hours each week [see Around the Nation, p 7].

For all of Phuket’s excesses, apparently spare time is hard to find. I know that I may be preaching to the already-relaxed choir, but for the over-worked among us, it’s time to take a look around. Is the money really worth it?

That sinking feeling

Just letting you, the marine safety and tourism interests know that news of the incompetence of those involved (except one take-charge passenger) in the ferry fire and sinking off the Phi Phi Islands was big news fodder not only here [in Thailand] and in Australia but also in Germany, France, New Zealand and the US.

Another nail in the coffin for Phuket tourism?

Capt Ottokar Ao Chalong.

A switched on idea

Kudos to the powers that be who installed the guard rail along the east side of Chao Fa West Rd, just south of the junction with Kwang Rd. It is one of the very few road safety features in the south of the island, and I applaud the forethought that might actually save lives.

Now all we need is some lights on that very dark stretch of road and drivers might even be able to see it.

Spending a few satang on painting a center line might help somewhat, too. Night and day one can see vehicles swerve out of each others’ way in a last ditch effort to avoid a head-on collision.

In the dark Chalong.

Letters conveying views and suggestions are published here. Those seeking comment from government officials and/or business owners are published in Issues & Answers.