Inconvenient evils

Re: "Manas case all too rare", (Editorial, July 21).

While it is indeed a healthy precedent for a Thai army general to be tried, found guilty, and imprisoned, it is also impossible to believe that this criminal's colleagues and superiors were entirely ignorant of his vile abuses of army power as he and his criminal accomplices in Thai officialdom went about their greed-driven business of creating human misery.

As the Bangkok Post suggests, we can only speculate how wide and how high up the evil, or at least knowledge of it, extended. Thankfully, foreigners are not so complacent or willing to turn a blind eye to such evil, but acted to force at least minimal action against the evil that Thai authorities had long ignored.

Nor can it surprise that the good man in the Royal Thai Police who had courageously done the right thing to expose the evil to justice, Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, was forced into foreign exile: An all too common event when experts dare to speak inconvenient truths about Thai history, Thai society or Thai politics.

Felix Qui

Cursed by the laws

 

Recent sentencing in human trafficking was a major step in the right direction, but sadly, perhaps a token offer to the world that represents a gesture rather than a commitment. For when honourable journalists expose such horrors, they are cursed by Thai laws that allow civil and criminal defamation allegations to be thrown at them right and left. Such laws protect only the abuser, not the abused. Repeal all criminal defamation laws.

Frank G Anderson
Graft wake-up call

Re: "Police in Red Bull scion case face probe", (BP, July 20).

The NACC appears to have woken up. A probe into possible police collusion in the Red Bull scion case has been announced. Suddenly conscious, perhaps the commission will now respond to a submission by Mahadlek Luang residents concerning corruption at the very highest levels.

Or will another period of slumber be necessary first?

John Shepherd
Found in translation

Re: "Extradited Thai monk arrives to face array of charges", why were there no "difficulties encountered during the translation" of the extradition document? Evidently, what's good for the goose is not the same as what's good for the gander.

Jingle Bell
Red Bull scion fiction?

Nearly four years after the fact, we read the headline, "Police in Red Bull scion case face probe". It is unbelievable, so totally beyond comprehension. For years the police have been on the take to stall, prevent, and obscure justice because a rich brat allegedly killed one of their own. If not for public pressure, there is no doubt that this corruption and bribery would continue.

Nothing happens in the Thai police force without those at the very top not knowing, or getting a piece of the cake eaten at the very bottom. And only now, the police involved are going to be investigated? Don't make me or anyone else laugh. The investigation itself will probably be stalled, stonewalled, for years to come. Now is the time for Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to become immediately involved, pass judgement and punishment and show that he cares, that justice is for everyone, including those in the military and the police.

Will it ever happen? Nah, not in the next century or so, perhaps never, even after that. The ultra-rich and the police have too much in common, one hand feeding the other.

David James Wong
A work in progress

Re: "List of jobs reserved for Thais to be revised", (Business, July 19).

While reviewing the list of jobs reserved for Thais, I do hope that the Ministry of Labour will also revise the outdated law requiring those with Thai permanent residence status to have a work permit. Those with Thai permanent residence status have already undergone a lengthy and rigorous vetting process by the Immigration Department and Ministry of Interior as lawful immigrants and therefore should be able to work freely without the need for a work permit.

PR Observer
Dictatorship idiocy

The army chief insists on a ban on all activities related to politics (InQuote, July 21). Somehow, the military regime does not realise that democratic governments work best when people openly disagree and openly work out their differences.

Such disagreements often include protests, parades, effigy burning and some violence, but eventually the mood swings to cooperation.

So, from a Western perspective, democracy was coming to terms in a very natural fashion, but the regime thought it was too incoherent, so destroyed it.

Now they subdue anyone for almost any reason, using the "military method", which works in war, but, never works against one's own citizens.

Likewise, the regime wants to control the academics who are often the ones who best support democracy.

By chastising dissent, the regime is becoming a stronger, but less intelligent dictatorship.

Michael Weldon

What's the big deal?

 

Re: "Much ado about coins" and "Regime hates Nate", (PostBag, July 20).

I fully agree with Brian Corrigan and Michael Weldon on the insignificance of the "My Mate Nate" story. What red-blooded teenage boy growing up in a rural area has not placed coins on a railroad track?

This is really making a mountain out of a molehill!

Samanea Saman
Go home, Nathan

Some weeks ago I read an article about this "My Mate Nate" guy, that he liked to see a cat and a scorpion fight -- cruel and against the law as well. Now I am reading again about this crazy guy. Again he is a wrongdoer.

Why is Thailand so patient with him -- extending a non-B visa? Waiting for a work permit. How come?

Please, Nathan book a flight to America asap and leave us alone. You do not provide art. It is just nonsense and not accepting of Thai culture at all.

Khun Kuki
Wise words of Thanat

Re: "Recalling Thanat as a diplomatic doyen", (Opinion, July 20).

This article by Kavi Chongkittavorn about one of the leading architects of Asean is very instructive for the younger generation. Therefore, it deserves to be further completed with some relevant ideas advanced by Thanat Khoman in the field of multilateral diplomacy and reflected in the book titled, Dr Thanat Khoman. The Wit and Wisdom of the Leading Asean Founder.

Referring to the United Nations (UN), the most important world institution, the great Thai diplomat asserted that "the United Nations is a kind of a balance of power. It is a place where differences, divergences, problems, conflicts are kept in a state of fluidity, with negotiations, with open statements of course whether vituperative or conciliatory :but it prevents the problems or the conflicts from erupting into a large-scale war".

Today, when we witness a dangerous decline of multilateralism, the wise words by Thanat have to be remembered and taken into account in the sphere of multilateral diplomacy in Asean area and beyond it.

Indeed, according to Thanat's opinion, as a diplomatic strategist, "By creating or by forging regional solidarity, regional cooperation among the nations of this area, we are serving the purposes and the principles of the UN and if all the nations in the world would be animated by the same motives and the same desires, I feel certain that in the years to come the UN will become much stronger than it is now."

The book dedicated to this great diplomat has to be largely circulated in Asia.

Ioan Voicu
It's a soi dog's life

As I understand it, mobile units from the BMA are sometimes sent out around the city to give free rabies shots. I wonder why they cannot offer a neutering service too. For example, they could start with the temples where there are large numbers of street dogs and while at the temple, announce to the public in that area that they will neuter the public's dogs too. If this is an expensive procedure, then they should ask for a nominal sum to pay for this service.

John Q Public
Ministries of silliness

About the current discussions in PostBag I believe we can draw some conclusions about the state of affairs of the present Western media. As in 1984 we have the two minutes of hate (more like continuous flow) every day in Western mainstream media spearheaded by CNN and BBC. So who is it going to be today?

President Donald Trump, the president of the US, is talking to the Russians. Oh my god, we might even see the end to the wars in Iraq and Syria if he goes on like this! Or even worse maybe see a solution to the wars in the four or five Arab/Muslim countries that we have successfully helped to destroy over the past 15 years in the name of democracy.

How are we going to make any money doing that? So the Ministry of Truth steps up its efforts to kick out an elected president to restore order. But it does not go fast enough so the Ministry of Love, which maintains law and order, is ordered to get involved and we have to see if they are strong enough to put an elected president in jail. We cannot have these type of presidents turning thing upside down for the elite so they better get things done or the Ministry of Peace which concerns itself with war has to step in.

Thank god that we have some other news outlets to these alternative suppression of facts news outlets. I include Fox and RT in these news outlets. But do not be too sure because Big Brother is likely sitting and watching with the CIA and Samsung behind the screens so you might end up behind bars if you even try to have a different thought than the official correct one.

1984 is probably the only book that I will not finish as it is too close and scary to where we are heading.

Dr Hansson

Teaching way forward

 

As a staunch supporter of education reform, I applaud the Teacher Council of Thailand's (TCT) decision to adopt the four-year bachelor of education model (BP, July 15). That's a 20% reduction from the current five-year programme.

Under the TCT's decision, all graduates will take a central examination to obtain a teaching licence, unlike previously where graduates received the licence upon graduation by default. This will benefit future teachers immensely. Not only will this reduce their financial burden, but they will master practical teaching skills in the market sooner, with quicker graduates turnover for universities. The devil is in the detail; however, some issues need clarification.

1. Questions and content in the central exam must be directly consistent with and reflect the materials learned from the four years, not some obscure materials.

2. What happens if students fail the central exam? Can they retake the exam after meeting certain conditions?

3. Why will only some and not all universities shorten the programme to four years? Let's not have a situation where students choose prestigious universities with the traditional five-year bachelor of education programme over other less distinguished universities with a four-year programme, paving the way for discrimination and inequality.

4. Shortening to four years is a good start. The next step is redesigning the curriculum, with the aim of making it effective and efficient in delivering the best teaching outcomes. Hint: Look at other countries.

5. To those resistant to the plan: Indeed, you will lose fifth-year revenue and other benefits. But what you lose is offset by society's overwhelming gains through more teachers, better teacher-student ratios, a more educated population -- it's called positive externality in economic parlance.

Edward Kitlertsirivatana
Wasteful ways

With the recent report on the amount of plastic polluting our oceans and earth leading to potential disaster, what steps are Thailand's leaders taking to reduce the amount of unnecessary plastic in everyday use, and recycling? In my area of Bangkok nice new rubbish bins have been supplied to households but it seems all the rubbish is placed in these bins with no efforts to recycle. It is our children who will suffer the results of our wasteful ways.

Actions must be taken now. Tomorrow will be too late.

Ron Martin
21 Jul 2017 21 Jul 2017
23 Jul 2017 23 Jul 2017

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