Re: "National strategy panel set up", (BP, June 16).
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will soon accept or reject the junta's 20-year strategic plan that will be legally binding on future governments, severely limiting our ability to adapt to fast-changing globalisation.
But if our military could see 20 years into the future, we would not have had 20 constitutions and a like number of coups d'etat.
We can learn much from the wisdom of our beloved late national father HM Rama IX. Faced with the major problem of hill tribes growing opium, he: (a) collected data first-hand from farmers and officials in direct contact with those farmers, (b) brainstormed solutions, both from the grassroots and experts, (c) tried out solutions, and showed which worked, so that farmers could voluntarily join or not join.
Our father's success, working from the bottom-up, emphasising voluntary participation, is legendary, for he introduced the cool climate crops we now enjoy and export in growing quantities.
The NLA should turn its thumbs down on the junta's plan, and follow the bottom-up, voluntary process our beloved national father showed us.
Burin Kantabutra
Cruel, mean, vindictive
I see the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is now looking for a way to sue those poor Karen villagers whose houses they burned down (including the house of a 100-year-old man) and who are probably responsible for the disappearance of young "Billy" who went to protest against this behaviour.
It is hard to imagine a crueler, meaner, more vindictive group of people than these people in this department looking to sue these poor Karen villagers who have apparently lived in that area since before it was a national park. I find it incredible that this department which has done such a poor job protecting our forests over the years from big time loggers want to inflict more pain on this small group of villagers.
I suggest Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha needs to use Section 44 to remove the leaders of this vindictive parks group and replace them with people who have at least a modicum of compassion.
I also think past parks chiefs should be investigated, some of whom seemed to become incredibly rich while big time illegal loggers raped our forests.
A Reader
It's beyond the pale
Re: "Let 'colourism' fade", (PostBag, June 16).
An obsession with white skin is ingrained in our culture for time immemorial. In Thai culture white is synonymous with beauty and divine.
All the images of Thai gods and goddesses who exist in tropical climate for all their immortal lives all show them to be white-skinned.
Moreover, we all know that Buddha was Indian and he should be dark-skinned. But in the culture obsessed with whiteness, all his images and pictures that we see around us all show him to be light-skinned.
Maybe the Ministry of Culture should launch a campaign "Brown is Beautiful", showing images of Thai gods, goddesses and Buddha to be browned-skin as they should be in reality. That may help.
Somsak Pola
Samut Prakan
Xi who must be obeyed
Re: "Me and mini-me", (PostBag, June 17).
Prasan Stianrapapongs assails US democracy (and the English language) in defence of the "great" Deng Xiaoping (infamous for ordering the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square) and modern China.
Yes, China is developing rapidly, however I would not exchange Shanghai's skyline for the right to express ones thoughts freely.
Historically China has always embraced extremely authoritarian and brutally repressive forms of governance.
Xi Jinping is the equivalent of a Chinese emperor with a slick PR department. But like in the fairy tale he has no clothes and everyone knows what he is about.
I am sorry to say this, but there will be more and more widespread protests and social unrest in China, inevitably accompanied by authoritarian brutality. The desire for freedom is innate in the human spirit.
To be an apologist for its repression is not worth the price of economic growth.
Michael Setter
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