Perspective News - Sunday December 16, 2007
POSTBAG
End ethnic discrimination
E-mail: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th / Snail mail: 136 Na Ranong Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Thailand has always prided itself on being a nation which welcomes socio-cultural ethnic minority diversity with mindful tolerance and compassionate understanding.
Short-sighted vindictive edicts imposed upon hapless migrant workers represent uncivil rights violations and unprincipled abuse of power restrictions.
The hard-working migrant workers, who came to Thailand with hopes of creating better lives and increasing future opportunities for themselves and their families, are instead confronted with distrust, disillusionment and discomforting hostility.
Unconscionable demands that pregnant labourers return to their native countries to give birth are heartlessly devoid of feeling.
Migrant workers share a simple common goal to be treated honestly and fairly, with dignity and respect.
DR CHANCHAI PRASERTSON
BANGKOK
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Superstore's response
We would like to respond to your Dec 9, 2007 article entitled "Crowding mom-and-pop."
In that article, there were many assertions about our company which were misleading and untrue. More importantly, the article provided readers with an incorrect understanding about the way we do business and the relationship that we have with suppliers and small shops.
First of all, on the matter of small shops, the article claims that an estimated 100,000 local retail stores have gone out of business because of superstores. And that these stores are a threat to mom-and-pop shops.
The truth is the contrary. According to latest estimates by an independent marketing research company, there are over 680,000 mom-and-pop shops in Thailand.
Approximately 15,000 new mom-and-pop shops are being set up annually.
Many of the new stores, especially in rural areas, came into being mainly because of superstores.
As recently as 15 years ago, village mom-and-pop stores had to rely on the middlemen or the wholesaler network to deliver household consumer products to them.
Whether or not the goods would be delivered to them would be up to the mercy of these middlemen and wholesalers.
Today, those who want to operate mom-and-pop shops either pool together to come buy the goods from superstores in the main provincial towns or individual owners would come and do their own shopping.
These mom-and-pop shops are now independent business owners liberated from the pressures from the middlemen and the traditional wholesaler network.
In large districts, there are approximately 150-170 villages. In each province, there can be around 15 to 20 districts. Multiply the numbers and we will get thousands of new mom-and-pop shops in each of Thailand's 76 provinces every year.
Secondly, in the case of working with farmers, we take pride in the fact that we directly contribute to the improvement of the livelihood of farmers and families through close cooperation with them.
At present, it is estimated that over 10,000 farming families across the country sell their produce to Tesco Lotus through the local farmers' co-op.
Last year alone, we bought over 247,000 tons of fruit and vegetables directly from farmers worth over 1 billion baht.
Aside from buying farm produce directly from farmers at a fair price, we also help provide them with a steady and predictable income. More importantly, we work with them in improving the quality and safety of their produce which, in turn, has raised the quality standards of their produce to export levels.
Tesco Lotus follows the best practice of its UK parent, and there is similar misunderstanding in this regard. In selling milk, for instance, Tesco UK has launched the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Project to improve dairy cow welfare, while ensuring farmers receive higher prices.
Tesco's regionally sourced "local choice" milk has been praised by industry experts for both sustaining smaller UK farmers and satisfying customers who want to see more local produce in stores.
"Food miles" are indeed a serious concern for the company.
Tesco UK is in the process of auditing the carbon footprint of every product on its shelves for the purpose of labelling, so that customers can make an informed choice about their purchases.
This project will soon be coming to Thailand.
Forbes magazine recently presented Tesco with a Good Governance Award for being Number 1 in the category of Corporate Social Responsibility.
We would hope this demonstrates that our commitment to all of our stakeholders, whether they are suppliers, local communities or customers, is indeed genuine.
DARMP SUKONTASAP
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
TESCO LOTUS
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Still waiting for the sunrise
I thank Imtiaz Muqbil for his heart-felt "Open Letter to George W Bush (Soul Searching, 9 Dec 2007)
President Bush is an abomination and at last the American people are realising it. There is an evil that has run the American government for a long time and George W. Bush serves this evil. When he goes, a militaristic America goes with him.
George W. Bush will be viewed as the darkness before the dawn.
An America of true goodwill is forthcoming.
America owes the world an apology and you shall have it.
ONE AMERICAN
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Letter has surprise ending
I read the letter from Imtiaz Muqbil in total agreement until I reached the last sentence: "Think, Mr President, think really, really carefully."
At that point I broke down in laughter.
Come on, Brother Imtiaz.
Can you really refer to President Bush and use the word "think" in the same sentence?
GUY BAKER
BANGKOK
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Perception is reality
The recent letters criticising an earlier letter from "Farang Who Knows Too Much" seem to miss his larger point. He admits that Thaksin's many schemes were of dubious long-term benefit to the poor of the North and the Northeast. What I took away from his letter was that it is the conditions of those areas that allow a man like Thaksin to take advantage of the situation and exploit it for his own benefit.
His description of Isan and its problems, of the daughters who feel it necessary to "retail their honour" in Bangkok, has to strike a chord with anyone who knows Thailand. It is the elites of Thai society and the military who perpetuate a situation where someone as clever, cynical and manipulative as Khun Thaksin can succeed.
STEVE RUBENSTEIN
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One-sided view presented
"The case for John McCain" (Perspective, Dec 9, 2007) reads as though it was written by his campaign manager.While the article extols all his claimed virtues, there is no mention of the fact that before the war in Iraq McCain was running his mouth about how Saddam Hussein posed a terrible threat to America and must be stopped.
And please don't tell me he was given faulty intelligence. He could have waited for Hans Blix to have finished his on-site inspections in Iraq before making any final judgments.
But he didn't.
I also don't buy into the media hype that McCain is so honest.
During the 2000 Republican presidential debate he said that as soon one inhales marajuana his body is immediately damaged.
Any educated man who would say something like that is quite simply a liar.
And then there was the Elliot Gonzales case, in which a six-year-old Cuban boy who wanted to stay in America was ordered by the courts to return to Cuba with his father.
McCain argued this was unfair because a Russian "boy"under similar circumstances was allowed to stay in America. He conveniently failed to point out that the Russian "boy"was originally ordered to return to Russia with his parents.
But because the "boy"turned l8 during the appeals he was allowed to stay in America.
For McCain to have not told the American people that he was equating the rights of an l8-year-old man to those of a six-year-old child shows he has no more integrity than your average run of the mill, two bit politician.
ERIC BAHRT
PATTAYA
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In support of Eric Bahrt
I am becoming increasingly upset with the endless bashing of Eric Bahrt in your Postbag.What makes me so mad is that I know for a fact many of Eric's supporters (including me) write letters defending him, but we're not getting published. Yet people can write anything they want against Eric and it seems to go right into the paper. Does this represent a bias in your paper against his point of view? It seems very unfair to me because the readers are not aware of how many of us support Eric but are not being heard. I have had a small percentge of my letters published, but I know other supporters of Eric who rarely get anything published. Could you please give some explanation?
Eric is also a good guest columnist and a courageous defender of animals.
STEVE GORDON
CALIFORNIA, USA
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