I fully sympathise with those protesting against the junta's reneging on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's promise, made in a press release co-signed by US President Donald Trump, to hold free and fair elections this November. They have every right to peacefully protest within the law.
But Thais don't realise that in a democracy, the right to protest does not allow them to force themselves on others. For example, the red shirts had no legal or moral right to shut down the Rajaprasong intersection, any more than the PDRC had the right to shut down Bangkok. Protest all you want -- but you must allow non-protesters to live, work, go to school and so on, unhindered. A democracy requires that you respect the equal rights of others.
As an example of a protest which fully respected the rights of non-protesters and which was very effective, in the 1960s, I was fighting then-legal segregation in the US Deep South, picketing a restaurant which refused to serve people of colour. We worked hand-in-hand with local police to ensure all was peaceful and legal. We had at least 1.5m between pickets, so those who wished to dine and work could do so, unhindered. We marched in silence, so that nobody would be disturbed. We stayed entirely on public property. A single cop sufficed to keep the peace.
Our protest was very successful, generating lots of publicity state-wide, all favourable, and pressuring the restaurant to change its ways. By requiring that protesters respect the equal rights of all others, a democracy encourages opposing sides to seek to understand each other and find common ground, seeking win-win solutions and being willing to compromise -- for in a democracy, you cannot win by force. Respecting others' rights, dreams and goals helps you achieve sustainable solutions, with buy-in from all major factions.
Burin Kantabutra
Red light anarchy
I have seen here in Bangkok that motorcyclists are not adhering to traffic light regulations at all.
I live around the Sathon area and each time when crossing the road from Sathon Tai (South) to Sathon Nuea (North) and vice versa, even though the pedestrian crossing light is green, one needs to be extremely careful, as the motorcyclists are speeding along the motorcycle lane which endangers pedestrians crossing the road. Can the authorities enforce the rule that motorcyclists should also adhere to red lights like the car drivers?
Sai Wansai
Let's kill corruption
Re: "Theft by officials in aid for poor scheme widespread", (Online, Feb 19).
Let's face it. Corruption is so deeply ingrained that it will never, ever be eradicated in Thailand. Penalties are always a slap on the wrist for offenders who are caught. Perhaps it is high time the government invoke what the Chinese government is doing -- the death penalty for those caught, tried, and found guilty of corruption. It works in China, so it should work here too.
Prince Albert
Uni crisis systemic
Re: " Thai universities in drastic decline", (BP, Feb 19).
The crisis in Thai universities is similar to the issues of corruption in Thai society. It is a systemic problem. As mentioned by many reports and rankings, most Thai universities are bogged down by the bloated bureaucracy and red tape imposed upon them by Ohec, ONESQA, and other government agencies.
We need to learn why, year after year, private and autonomous universities in Australia, Europe, America and Singapore keep on dominating every ranking. The reasons are obvious. They are able to create a cutting-edge curriculum, hire the best academics and are able to quickly adapt and become key stakeholders in guiding new social and economic policies. They also have stringent standards for admission to various degree programmes. Their international rankings indicate that they do not waste time and resources following regulations or red tape.
The so-called feeder system to higher education or the Thai school education system is also in peril. All sorts of reports indicate that unless school education goes through major reform, it will be difficult to meet the goals of Thailand 4.0.
Kuldeep Nagi
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