POSTBAG
Regardless of the Forbes report citing His Majesty the King as one of the richest monarchs in the world, the Thai people have benefited time and again from His Majesty's unbounded generosity during times of need. Flood victims have the King's personal attention, the upcountry sick, and the hill tribes have received His Majesty's help. Thai foundations, charities, and the King's personally established schools and royal foundations receive generous amounts of money from His Majesty. What other country could boast a monarch with the heart and generosity of King Bumibol, and indeed, the rest of the royal family? Indeed, they represent an overflowing cornucopia of generosity toward the Thai citizens and the Thai nation.
JACK GILEAD
Prachin Buri
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Cold War diversion
"Populism Revisited" by Thomas Atwood (Perspective, Aug 24, 2008) addressed the issue of using populist policies to manipulate the Thai electorate, and we can look to the US for a brutal, unfolding example of such populism. The documentary "I.O.U.S.A." was recently simulcast in more than 350 US movie theatres, arguing the US will face economic disaster if the massive $53 trillion in US debt is not addressed immediately. It was produced and promoted by: Warren Buffett, the world's richest person according to Forbes magazine; Peter Peterson, a former chief executive of Lehman Brothers and former US secretary of commerce under US President Richard Nixon; and David Walker who, as comptroller general, ran US Congress' Government Accountability Office from 1998 until March 2008. Their detractors are politicians in Washington who do not want voters to know about the unpopular problem and who would rather rest on past glories than tackle impending doom.
US politicians would rather revive the Cold War than thaw out the US economic deep freeze and they want to divert attention from worldwide fiscal calamity through their talk of war. What a sad populist delusion to live in, and what a global economic catastrophe they are helping to create through thoroughly destructive populism. This need not happen in Thailand.
GUY BAKER
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Diatribes in eye of beholder
Catherine Chobley-Dickson's comments regarding diatribes by foreigners has some merit (Postbag Aug 24). However, what is a diatribe to one reader may not be to another. Diatribes are printed from disgruntled readers in almost every free language press worldwide. (There are exceptions such as Burma, China, etc). While attending Queens College in NYC during my younger years, Theodore Bikel, the famous actor, was a guest lecturer. He said that without colour, the world would be a dull place to live in. The same holds true for newspapers and diatribes. A Postbag section containing the same goody-goody opinions, the same cliches day after day, would make for dull reading. As long as a diatribe (personal or editorial), does not incite or reflect religious, racial, ethnic prejudice or inflammatory material, it should be printed along with the "rational" and "well meaning" letters to the editor. It is within the discretion of an editorial staff to decide which is which. To-date, the Bangkok Post editorial staff have done an excellent job.
YANKELEH
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Obsessive anti-Westernism
Having now read this Baker fellow's anti western sentiments for far too long, it has dawned on me that while he has given an English sounding name, I believe he is actually from a non English speaking country. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if he thinks it gives him creditability, but his hatred for anything western borders on obsession. Letter after letter of anti-American sentiments sure gives me reason to ponder. The fact that the Bangkok Post puts two of his letters in the same paper makes me wonder also. I've never seen a newspaper do this. Could it be he's a Post employee?
His anti-western values sure are consistent. First, defending the Chinese with their world renowned human right violations and then saying to Muqbil (Imtiaz, writer of Soul Searching)"they have lost their credibility (the westerners) and I plan to keep mine" is so hypocritical it is laughable. Then quoting a Russian source as saying the situation in Georgia was a Georgian plot, and believing this because it came from the pages of the IHT ? Give me a break.
CHRIS HOLDEN
Krabi
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Companions in the web of life
I read with great interest about wildlife conservationist Saksit Simcharoen's efforts to preserve Thailand's magnificent forests and wildlife ("Tiger Man", Perspective Aug 24, 2008).
Having visited Khao Yai National Park recently, I very much agree with Saksit's statement that "The forest and surrounding areas need to be left untouched, or less touched, by humans."
I do however have great reservations about his statement that: "We need to explain, and provide proof, that preserving wildlife has an economic justification for society."
It is surely this very mindset that everything has to provide an economic benefit which is the root cause of the whole problem of forest encroachment and degradation. By taking his statement at face value, it follows that the trees could be sold to Japan as woodchips and the animals to circuses or zoos if forests and wildlife fail to show an economic benefit, which would of course be absurd.
We should remember that these trees and animals were there long before humans arrived on the scene, and that we don't really own them, but have only been entrusted as their custodians. As pointed out elsewhere in the article, a right to existence regardless of their relationship to us humans, or more appropriately, because of their relationship to us humans: we are companions to each other in this web of life, and their loss would make us infinitely poorer.
I wish Saksit success with his difficult task and hope that the government gives him and others like him the support and the appreciation they deserve.
ERWIN ALBER
MIN BURI
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