Postbag: Govt flaunts law

Postbag: Govt flaunts law

Re: ''PM calls for army to help quell protest,'' (BP, Jan 2).

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is quoted as saying: ''It seems the country is in a state of lawlessness. People can do what they want''.

Yes Prime Minister. They are using your government as role models.

FANTIA


Can the military 'help'?

Re: ''EC struggling for alternative sign-up venues,'' (BP, Dec 31).

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul seems to think that help from the military _ as opposed to a coup _ would be better than some kind of government led by Suthep Thaugsuban 'and his followers'? How bizarre.

By my way of thinking, if the military decides to 'help' the government, lethal force may become an issue.

The previous prime minister (now accused of murder) came to power following military 'help'.

Doesn't Mr Surapong realise that if someone dies amidst more military 'help', then current leaders also risk being accused of murder?

And in view of the military's political leanings, how likely is it that they will 'help' the Thaksin government anyway?

Perhaps Mr Surapong needs to think again.

MICHAEL DAWKES


End political cliches

Somehow we have all become fixated with the word, elite, or elites as the Brits would say. It seems to be a blanket term for anyone with a college education, living in Bangkok. It seems to be associated with those moneyed groups or individuals who are supposedly trying to control and run the country.

I'm sure most people in Bangkok, educated or not, are not as susceptible to the use of these terms as one would think.

Bung Kan Bernie in his Dec 2 letter, ''Democracy's real benefits,'' extols what Yingluck did for the Northeast. This is not democracy at work. It is just political savvy, shoring up one's voter base, and it is practiced all over the world. Keep your supporters happy and they'll vote for you. Don't confuse genuine desire to help constituents with the need to retain political power.

As for the use of terms like ''minority elites fascism,'' etc _ I think we can leave those infantile, overused expressions to those impressed with them. We tend to use the same old tired terminology in describing the USSR during the Cold War. I think we should dispense with their use. Most people today are not impressed. The days of McCarthyism are long gone.

ELITE FASCIST MANGO


Save the gaurs

It seems the gaurs in Kui Buri were poisoned just to get trophy heads or to lure tigers seeking a carcass.

There is still a black market for gaur heads and tiger bones, while the middlemen and end users are tough to catch.

The simple village folk (the scapegoats) are lured into this illegal activity by middlemen with cash bonuses paid for these items. This evil trade persists and steps need to be taken to enforce the law.

It is well known that ranger patrols are so slow due to a flawed Department of National Parks (DNP) system that the long-term survival of Kui Buri's forest and others is at risk.

Why is information on the gaur deaths so slow in coming out?

The biggest worry is if 'foot and mouth' or anthrax infects the herd which would be deadly and could wipe out these majestic herbivores, especially after all the work and money that went into improving the grasslands in Kui Buri for gaurs and elephants. Villagers continue to push cattle (possibly diseased) into the protected area to find lush vegetation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the DNP should improve the situation before it is too late.

BOB GAURUS


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