Only the reds to blame

Only the reds to blame

Re: ''TRC report blames reds, army'' (BP, Sept 18).

In April/May 2010 Thailand was in a state of major unrest. As it was civil unrest, it was the responsibility of the police to control the situation, but they did not appear. In their absence, and considering some protestors were armed, the government had no alternative but to call in the military in the interests of the country and its people. It was no longer mere unrest but serious anarchy with the objective of bringing down a government with the use of violence.

The government had a duty to control the situation in the interests of over 60 million people whose interests were threatened by a minority.

The story ''Abhisit, Suthep at murder charge risk'' is unrealistic. Neither of them ordered the soldiers, who allegedly killed the taxi driver, to pull the trigger and kill the man. So the charge cannot be murder as neither of them was directly involved. Their indirect involvement of carrying out their duty could not even be seen as manslaughter.

The government and the military were not the aggressors. They acted in defence of Bangkok and the country as a whole and it was their duty to do so. Identifying individuals should include both sides and the individual who incited the armed anarchy in the first instance should be identified as the aggressor.

Had the rampaging and abuse in the capital not been controlled, the government would have failed in its duty. Citizens must be allowed to go about their lives freely without fear. Before embarking on this strategy of armed anarchy, the risks, that clearly would include loss of life, must have been considered, at least by those organising the action, but of course it would not have been their lives at risk. Therein lays the real blame.

Once again the credibility of Thai reasoning and justice, in the interests of appeasement, has been brought into question. Faced with armed anarchy, the government had no alternative. Neither did the military. But the rioters did; they should have dispersed as requested and avoided bloodshed.

J C WILCOX


Where were the cops?

From what I have been able to read so far, there appears to be a glaring omission in the TRC report _ that is, the role of the police during the 2010 red shirt protests. To put it bluntly, if the police had acted in a manner more befitting of their professional status and obligations, it is highly probable that the military would have remained in barracks for the duration of the protests.

JOHN SHEPHERD


Reya won me over

Re: ''All shine, no substance'' (Life, Sept 13).

I think Alongkorn went to a different show.

I have never watched the TV show nor read the book Dok Som Si Thong, but come on, the plot is easy to follow - it's a soap.

As a New Yorker, I grew up with Broadway and Reya The Musical has all the marks of great theatre. Tango, sex, jazz, harmony, adultery, saxophone.

What your reviewer really missed was that Reya is a real Thai matriarch's conception of a modern, empowered woman and how society treats her. We need more of this in Thailand and in outstanding couture like Reya!

I've waited 25 years to see such a professional performance in Bangkok. The mark of a really great show is when those songs get stuck in one's head. They're still ringing for me.

CJ HINKE


Truly considerate

Sept 16 came and went and we still can enjoy True's DMX music channels. So praise where praise is due - to the True management for listening to their subscribers' wishes.

PANSIRI BUNYAKETU


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