Re: "1/4 of city's public vans to be retired", (BP, Sept 25).
I bet this stupid policy will never succeed in improving this secondary bus system. We all knew that their operators and drivers had poor service and safety records.
Replacing vans with minibuses will do nothing to improve the system.
RH Suga
Lamphun
ICC tribunals necessary
Debates on the effectiveness of investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on military and political crimes in Myanmar continue. Honest debate on pros and cons is needed. Why is John Bolton [US National Security Adviser] so vitriolic and threatening sanctions against judges and prosecutors of this very young court that is still proving itself?
An early predecessor of the ICC was the Russell Tribunal presided over by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in 1967. The private tribunal provided evidence of war crimes committed by the US in Vietnam and helped to end the war to the great relief of the Vietnamese population and American youth who protested conscription that made them fight against their will.
Nevertheless, the dirty war still continued until 1975 as hardliners could not give up their case. Constituting an international framework of justice and undertaking peacebuilding not only depend on nation states but as much on civil society, though it is often suppressed.
Private opinion tribunals like on the US war in Vietnam can be of great influence. That the US committed war crimes, and that Monsanto was complicit, has been much later confirmed in the "Monsanto Tribunal", The Hague, 2017. The tribunal also accepted evidence on contemporary violations of human rights by Monsanto.
The advisory opinions of the civil society tribunal did open venues for new cases in formal courts and the prevention of future damage to health, livelihoods and the environment.
Patient and pragmatic ICC investigations regarding Myanmar, Afghanistan (where Bolton was responsible) and the Philippines -- and a future mandate to investigate corporations -- will certainly gradually help to contain crimes against humanity and the earth.
Hans Van Willenswaard
Police not in control
A news story online in the British rag, The Sun: "MYSTERY DISAPPEARANCE Fears for Brit 'millionaire' and wife missing after family feud as cops find blood at Thai mansion", presents the traditional police cliché for a murder: "We are in control."
We have heard this so many times before, especially when the police have sought scapegoats, such as the Myanmar boys accused and convicted of murder in the infamous Koh Tao case. Yes, the police were "in control" there too. Somehow, "in control" means they are running around like headless chickens trying to come up with something plausible, case solved or not.
Mango In Control
US set for fireworks
Re: "US coup bid exposed", (PostBag, Sept 24).
Interesting and pertinent comments on behalf of Michael Setter. This matter has been simmering for a long time, this silent coup by the Deep State against President Trump.
"They" were not successful in stopping candidate Donald J Trump so everything has then shifted to taking him down and/or out by all means.
The same Rod Rosenstein who recommended to President Trump the removal of James Comey is also the one who appointed Robert Mueller as special investigator in the trumped-up collusion charges of Russia Gate, all a "Fata Morgana", no proof of any substance thus far.
These people are saboteurs. Or should we call them traitors, to President Trump and the American people, in particular those who voted in Mr Trump?
This "saga" will have spectacular fireworks coming. Watch out and fasten your seat belts.
HHB
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