Vulgar displays of wealth

The main story is about paying civil servant graduates the princely sum of Bt15,000, and there is ongoing debate about the Pheu Thai Party's election pledge to raise the minimum daily wage to the magnificently generous sum of Bt300 a day.

Then there are the stories about the disastrous flooding in many areas of Thailand, leaving already poor Thais homeless, shelterless and in some cases with nothing left of their life's meagre possessions. All very serious and heart-wrenching stuff.

But wait! There is relief from all this misery. On page 5A we learn from an advertisement for the Central International Watch Fair at Central Chidlom that you can buy a Piaget watch for a mere Bt32 million.

Or, Mr/Mrs/Ms Average Thai Citizen, if that is a tad beyond your budget, you can settle for a Franck Muller watch for Bt3,672,000, or going even further downmarket, a Maurice Lacroix for a miserly Bt370,700.

Oh, I almost forgot: Spend a minimum of Bt2 million to Bt3 million and you get a cash coupon of between Bt80,000-Bt130,000.

Am I the only one who finds this situation somewhat obscene?

David Brown

Rayong