Re: "Walls close in on free press", (Editorial, April 6).
Blasphemous? When hoary myths are elevated to forced ideology worthy of the most zealous cult of fanatics intent on protecting their sacred dogmas from generously perceived insult, they threaten both reason and good morals.
The Chiang Mai governor, like the terrorising law he uses to attack reasonable social use of their cultural heritage by citizens who are equally members of society, needs to grow up. If he dislikes healthy satire, he should not watch it. Better yet, he should respond in kind to correct what believes are misunderstandings or unjust uses of cultural relics.
But to be fair, it is precisely because the facts and reason often fail to support any such cheerful rebuttal that suppression absent reason must be resorted to.
To use the law to silence different opinions proves only that the law is profoundly anti-democratic in its moral corruption. But this has always been the way of self-anointing dictators, who cannot survive if their dubious myths are subject to honest truth seeking and speaking, and who must therefore suppress honest critical reasoning that might inconveniently expose naked truths to social awareness.
Its abuses consistent with the very etymology of the word show, however much it might pretend to care for good morals and reason, the ugly reality that the office of dictator is as morally corrupt in principle as it typically is in practice: it has never been otherwise.
FELIX QUI
It's just Thailand
Recent events involving the aberrant behaviour of many government officials have once again shown that the hierarchical, bureaucratic society of Thailand is not compatible with an equitable justice system.
High-ranking officials, top politicians and the very wealthy just don't get the same treatment as the common citizen. This inequality is built into a system that not only survived the 1932 coup but stayed firmly in place for the various successive coups and attempts at reform since.
Many countries decided that equality, liberty and justice was the proper way to approach a modern society but Thailand has so far refused that option. To many young Thais it is quite obvious that a certain general doesn't believe he should be judged and its also clear that the anti-corruption body isn't in a position to do so.
Several high-ranking ex-politicians have avoided judgement by running off with the public believing they had official help to do so. Even when caught red-handed, officials get such lenient treatment that it beggars belief, with inactive posts, transfers or dismissal with pension being laughably suggested as punishment.
With bureaucratic officials locked in this 19th-century mindset, I see no hope for the changes necessary for Thailand to join the modern, computerised, robotic world that we are headed for.
The very mention of a lawyer, who has discussed the need to reform lese majeste, being involved with a modern political party has already brought death threats and complaints from the well-entrenched dinosaurs who still think a senior position in the military is a lifelong guarantee of riches. Surely one day things have to change.
LUNGSTIB
Chiang Mai
Drugstore cowboys
Re: "Deaths not a fluke", (PostBag, April 6).
Peter from Kalasin writes about being taken to a private hospital in Khon Kaen to be treated for a liver fluke infection. One might say Khon Kaen is the epicentre of this problem in Thailand, with some villages having an infection rate of 94% or 100% in those over the age of 10!
While fortunate to receive a proper diagnosis, the price Peter paid for his medication, 13,000 baht, sounds like he was severely overcharged. Generally speaking, and if possible, it is advisable to obtain the prescription and then purchase the medications from a private pharmacy rather than the one in the hospital. This strategy can result in savings of up to 90%.
MICHAEL SETTER
Chon Buri
Maximum overdrive
Re: "Faster roads bid gets a green light", (BP, April 6).
In reality, most drivers on Thai highways exceed the existing limit of 90kph, for which law enforcement has got out of hand. I don't agree with raising the limit on highways because most of them have not been designed, constructed or maintained to handle these higher speeds, while the skills and manners of Thai drivers are not appropriate for high-speed driving.
This move seems to defend the the inability of traffic police to enforce the law. Moreover, I suggest setting a lower speed limit for smaller roads of around 30km/h.
RH SUGA
Lamphun
'Two legs bad'
What is it the Thai authorities and the general public have against pedestrians? It would seem that if you walk, you are some sort of lowlife not worthy of respect because you don't own a vehicle.
Even where there are pavements, usually in a poor state, they are mostly cluttered with permanent street furniture, rubbish bins, signs, stalls, bike taxi boys, etc. causing people to walk on the road.
Bike riders have no regard for pedestrians. Bikes are often parked on the pavement, as well as riding along it. They block entrances to shops even when parked on the road. They aggressively cut in front of folk when about to park or when pulling out.
None of this is news, but driven (pun intended!) home by a building site on the second road in Pattaya which has taken up the pavement. But instead of coning off an area for pedestrians to walk safely along, there is nothing. Cars park next to the site, forcing pedestrians to walk out into the busy traffic.
This lack of thought sums up the authorities' attitude to pedestrians, the lowest of the low!
MOTOGUZZIBOB
Smog exhaustion
I live near Klong Saen Saep in Bangkok. I use the boat service there quite often. What I lately realised, alerted by the bad air-quality warnings, is that the boats' diesel engines belch out enormous amounts of black toxic fumes. I think it's time that operators of these boats upgrade their exhaust systems. Maybe they could even get some funds from the city government.
KARL REICHSFETTER
Bubble of faith
Re: "No hell below us, above us only sky", (Opinion, April 5).
It is very true that those who grow up inside the bubble of faith will believe in whatever doctrines they are exposed to. It is just like being exposed to a contagious infection. Those pious men and women who believe there is something beyond the blue sky or something below the surface of the earth are missing out on the opportunity to fully enjoy their life in the most beautiful place we know -- the planet Earth.
Fortunately, we also know a lot about the geology of the Earth but we know very little about the cosmos. Buddha once said, "When the average ignorant person makes an assertion to the effect that there is a hell [patala] under the ocean, he is making a statement which is false and without basis. The word hell is a term for painful sensations. The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by God as heaven and hell is not acceptable as a concept."
Since we are living in a Buddhist country, we should appreciate the fact that we are already in heaven. So far, nobody has come back from hell or heaven to share their wisdom with us. In other words, hell and heaven are within our existence. As far as we know, the Earth is the only place with fauna and flora. The rest of the cosmos is made of freezing dark spaces, black holes, asteroids and burning infernos.
KULDEEP NAGI
To Russia with love
The White House claims that expelling 60 Russian diplomats at one time is the biggest feast in modern US history.
US President Donald Trump also claimed during a meeting with the heads of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the White House on Tuesday: "Nobody has been tougher on Russia than me."
However, observers are claiming President Trump has never once been tough on Russia -- especially its alleged attempt to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election. Mr Trump also failed to condemn Russia's alleged role in poisoning a former Russian spy in Britain recently.
In fact, former US presidents John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have been much tougher on Russia: When they visited Germany, both condemned Russia for building the Berlin Wall that divided Germany into two countries.
Both presidents offered hope and encouragement to the German people as well as challenged Russia to "tear down the Berlin Wall". Not long after their visits, the Berlin Wall was demolished.
Hence, JFK and Reagan have been true tough American Presidents on Russia -- while Mr Trump has done absolutely nothing of comparable dimension.
CHAVALIT WANNAWIJITR
Chiang Mai
Trump fans flames
It is an absolute lie for Robin Grant to say that the Palestinians refuse to negotiate with Israel (Postbag, April 2). But how can Mahboud Abbas, who even the Israelis admit is a moderate Palestinian leader, negotiate with the Israelis when they continue to spread the settlements in the occupied territory and thus steal the very land they're suppose to be negotiating over?
Grant suggests that the Israelis murdered these Palestinians in self-defence when one victim was an unarmed legless man in a wheelchair and another was praying at the time. These protests are a direct result of Donald Trump's announcement to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
Thus Mr Trump, as well as his apologists, are as responsible for these deaths as the soldiers who pulled the triggers.
ERIC BAHRT
Chiang Mai
Canada leader crisis
Canadian federal politics is providing no direction for ordinary citizens. PM Justin Trudeau, since his disastrous India tour, has been locked in a war of words with the opposition trying to salvage the dignity and reputation of his government, party and suspicious ministers and MPs with questionable connections with religious hardliners, convicted terrorists and other shady elements. Mr Trudeau is more concerned about himself and his party, not Canada.
On the other hand, his new National Democratic Party (NDP) contender for the 2019 election, Jagmeet Singh, seems to be deliberately mixing religion with politics to woo certain voters from the liberal camp for petty electoral gains. Unfortunately, he seems to be more focused on issues in India and the US than in Canada. He is repeatedly failing to demonstrate that he represents the whole of Canada and not just his ethnic community and the NDP Party.
Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer is a good orator but his ability to lead this great nation is rightly questioned. He often seems to be venturing into la la land with no definite objective. Words cannot win votes, but actions can.
Under these circumstances, as a proud Canadian I feel we are seriously suffering a credible leadership crisis from coast to coast as none of the big three in Canada seem to be thinking about Canada and Canadians while trapped in their personal, narrow voter-appeasement box.
SAIKAT KUMAR BASU
Canada
Sex sells, sadly
I have been shocked to see an increase in programmes promoting America's understanding of sex trafficking.
First, I photographed a billboard which simply said, "Stop Child Pornography" with logos for both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. There were also two logos for Thai government agencies. Of course, concern about child pornography might seem like a no-brainer but is there any reason to think there is a problem so big the US must get involved in Thailand's business?
Second, I was surprised to see a group at the entry to Asok MRT station handing out flyers and showing an inflammatory video to school children walking by.
These kind of "awareness programmes", begun in 2000 by former US President Bush, have been very well funded ever since, if not by Washington then by conservative moralists. In America, awareness programmes effectively spread fear and now Thai people are getting in on the action!
JOHN KANE
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