Re: “Ex-park staffer ‘aided hunting group’,” (BP, Feb 10). Not only the defence on the 25 “borrowed” wristwatches worth 39.5 million baht (“NACC vows to wrap up Prawit probe”, BP, Feb 10) challenges common decency of logic but your latest news of the deputy police chief considering charging Wichien Chinnawong, chief of the Western Thungya Wildlife Sanctuary, for not having collected admission fees from the influential tycoon has given me a mixed feeling of either to laugh or cry.
Despite influence from all sides and an attempt at bribery, Wichien and his team must have been so disgusted with the carcasses of a 1.48-metre black panther, a kalij pheasant and a barking deer to forget his place of being a subordinate of someone in Thailand and did what a few officials dare to do by causing an uproar of disgust. (Seeing him in one of your photos standing and sleeping after two days without sleep and with a monthly reported pay of 9,000 baht delighted me regarding the man’s devotion.)
Yet, this deputy police chief after the event had the audacity to look into the whole case and tooth-combing of what Wichien could have done wrong.
Sir, that issue is immaterial! The fees as said on the televised interview amounted to 110 baht. Now, PM Prayut has come out and praised Wichien, which is most comforting and hopefully will silence that chief for good.
Songdej Praditsmanont
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Amidst this ongoing poach saga has anyone noticed the deafening silence among the politicians and business tycoons ? How come none comes out to utter even a single word ? I wonder why. Something must have changed hands. The CCO ( Chief Carnivore Officer ) was caught red-handed stuffing his fat belly with game meat in a no-go territory.
The guy has a love for blood and suffering.
The same will soon catch with him and his family.
Norman Sr
PERFECT PAIR
Generals Prayut and Dunford appear to have got on like a house on fire. With the former’s deep knowledge of his own country and the latter’s innate understanding of democratic principles, they complement each other perfectly.
Working together on the sidelines of Cobra Gold, they should in no time be able to come up with a “new model democracy” for Thailand which will be the envy of the civilised world.
Chris Jeffery
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The all too familiar cliche, “Those found guilty will be severely punished,” has long ago become ho-hum. The government should amend the cliche to read, “Those poor who are found guilty will be severely punished”.
When was the last time a rich or influential person who broke the law was, “severely punished”?
The tycoon caught poaching wild animals in a national park will either buy his way out of his dilemma or get off with a warning. Business as usual.
Poached Mango
GLOBAL LAUGHING STOCK
Thailand’s problems with its system of justice and law enforcement have been in the spotlight of the international news for some time now. Pineapples, bridge games, island murders, hit-and-run manslaughter, killing protected species for amusement, mushroom picking, watch collecting and the draconian Computer Crimes Act 2007 all make a mockery of Thailand in front of the world’s eyes. The world thinks “where there is smoke there is fire”. Thailand thinks we need a bigger fan!!!
Bob
DUBIOUS DISTINCTION
A report last week claims that Thais are No.1 worldwide for time spent on the internet and mobile devices. Thailand is also No.4 for time spent on social media, according to surveys from ‘We Are Social’ and Hootsuite social media sites. Bangkok has the highest number of active Facebook accounts.
Being top of the heap at internet usage is not something to be proud of, and here’s why -- prolonged internet usage is psychologically damaging -- particularly to youngsters. And it will have likely manifest in their later lives -- as problems with adjusting to the real world. The potential emotional time bombs are, in themselves, enough to write a book about.
Parents, if you want what’s best for your kids, encourage them to interact person-to-person with others. Encourage them to do things outdoors; commune with nature, go camping, engage in sports, do unusual and useful things (Take dried-leaf/flower samples of, and name every plant in your garden).
Three other examples -- help your child design and build a passive solar water heating tank or go on a 25km hike in nature, or make a large sculpture out of coloured clay (65 baht for a brick-sized chunk of coloured clay). There are going to be dire consequences (mental and physical) for people who stare at tiny digital screens for hours a day.
Larger screens for laptops, PCs and TVs aren’t much better. You only live one lifetime. Explore it -- not bent over a tiny screen, but in person. It’s a big beautiful (and troubled) world out there.
Ken Albertsen
SADLY NOT HOLLYWOOD
This Somyot case sounds like something out of a bad Hollywood movie -- the chief of police receives a large sum of money from a human trafficker and brothel owner, overlooking the fact that the pimp is getting rich off the bodies of exploited women.
Who would believe a national police chief could be so blind and ignorant? How is it possible that our country has such a police chief? Nobody would make a movie with characters as dumb as this.
Dumbfounded
NO THREAT OF REFORM
I was greatly amused by your editorial that suggested that retired police general Somyot was “in hot water”.
If he is, it’s probably a large bubble bath, being massaged by a few young ladies and free of charge.
He is just the latest in a long line of uniformed men with savings way beyond their pay scale who feel no threat from any reform in the way things work in their institution.
Lungstib
