Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana says no secret jails in Thailand were used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to detain and torture suspected members of al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups (BP, Dec 12).
“Whatever was mentioned in the report occurred many years back,” he said. Khun Suwaphan, yes indeed, it might have happened many years ago. But were you in a position at that time to know what was going on? If it comes to trusting Senator Diane Feinstein’s report on the CIA or what you’d like us to believe, I’d rather go with the American version. Why? Simple. The CIA lied about so much, but the US Senate has had the courage to report and publish it. Would you, the Thai Senate, or anyone else in government ever be man enough to admit any mistake as openly? I think not. The Americans are not concerned about “face”. For you Khun Suwaphan, “face” is a major issue.
Dead Mango
Torture is a crime
Former US vice-president Dick Cheney says the declassified Senate report on the controversial post-9/11 CIA interrogation programme (aka torture) is “full of crap”. This gentleman along with other apologists for “enhanced interrogation techniques” in the US Republican Party should be informed in no uncertain terms that torture is a crime prohibited under international law and the domestic laws of most civilised countries.
It is considered unacceptable by Article 5 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Signatories of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols 1 and 11 of June, 1977 officially agreed not to torture captured people in armed conflicts, whether international or internal (and certainly not victims of kidnapping and so-called rendition). Torture is also prohibited by the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which has been ratified by 156 civilised countries. Those who advocate, justify or practise any form of torture should be condemned and face prosecution.
Edward B Duhigg
US abuse laid bare
An online headline on Dec 10 read: “US tells North Korea rights abusers ‘you cannot hide any more’”. It should have said: “The world tells American rights abusers — you can’t hide anymore either.”
Bereleh
Blame the terrorists
Re: “US apologies needed”, (PostBag, Dec 12).
In case you are unaware, Diane Feinstein is one of the most radical politicians California has ever produced. You need a salt shaker on hand to take with all the trash she produces.
Should the US apologise to terrorists for using a little water to get someone to talk? I say yes, an apology might be an option, but only after al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorists apologise to the US, UK, and various other Western countries, for kidnapping, torturing, and lopping off the heads of innocent victims.
When public and written apologies are received from them, then the US could offer an apology in return, for wasting precious water on them. This is “blame the CIA day”, but the truth is that torture, or something like it, has been used in every major country in the world for centuries.
Can anyone tell me how many Westerners have been beheaded by terrorists? Then, can you tell me how many terrorists, or those being held at Guantanamo Bay, have been beheaded by Americans? I’ll bet the answer to the first question is that no one knows for sure. The answer to the second question is none. Any proof otherwise?
Charlie Brown
Going wrong on graft
KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) was a concept I embraced many years ago. The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) should concentrate their efforts on convincing people why changes are needed, then expound what the changes will aim to achieve and then reveal the path to achieving the targets.
Thailand has had two recent coups because the government was corrupt. The first coup did nothing at all to rectify the problem.
The CDC is now talking about reconciliation and elected cabinet ministers and anything else except for corruption. There is a drive to punish corruption within the police force, illegal vendors, taxis and motorcycle taxis, which may be laudable. But the corruption that brought about the coup is set to be forgiven and forgotten.
The big change needed in the handling of government corruption is to make sure the perpetrators are banished from politics forever and taught to live at the fiscal level of the people that elected them. This will require a heavy crank within the judicial system.
MPs should be required to consult their electorate on a regular basis and brought to book if they clearly misrepresent them. All of the government should be elected MPs and the House should choose the prime minister. The greatest danger in this approach is that the poor majority may end up running the country, which cannot be allowed in this capitalist world. How to manage that is the CDC’s greatest problem.
RICHARD BOWLER
Ditch the rubber gig
The government should help poor rubber farmers switch to other crops or other industries. At under 40 baht per kilogramme, market prices are less than half of what farmers want. Synthetic rubber is an almost perfect substitute for the natural product. Artificial rubber is made of oil, which is at its lowest price for more than a decade, and likely to stay low for at least a year.
Farmers could be taught how to grow crops that are in higher demand than rubber, with subsidised seeds and equipment; they could be trained in other occupations, or given education coupons to raise the long-term prospects of their children.
If the junta must buy rubber from farmers, it should do so at not more than 10% over market prices, to avoid repeating the fiasco when Yingluck bought rice without limits at 40% over the market.
Burin Kantabutra
A lesson from Malala
Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace laureate, gave a powerful and moving speech at the awards ceremony in Oslo.
May her words touch the hearts and minds of those who already attend school grudgingly; those who choose to waste their own time and ruin things for others; those who believe at an early age that society owes them a favour without hard work. May these youngsters come to appreciate how lucky they really are.
And may her message also reach out to those who dictate how and what our children are taught. May their curricula and teaching techniques produce creative and questioning students. Inappropriate schooling can all too easily straitjacket and demoralise. The world requires responsible plumbers just as much as ethical academics.
Malala’s message concerns the needs and rights of young people across the entire planet. Everyone deserves a decent and relevant education, including those already being “educated”.
John Shepherd
Oust self-serving MPs
Re: “True statesmen share power and avoid victor's justice”, (Opinion, Dec 10).
Songkran Grachangnetara's opinion piece accurately describes the failures of both the Thaksin incarnations and the nefarious Democrat Party. Both have exacerbated and exploited the class divisions within the country for their own ends. That’s the crux of the problem.
I lived in the United States for many years, and while people vehemently disagree with one party or the other, the majority can see those politicians are doing what they believe is for the good of the country, whether they agree with them or not.
The elephant in the room here in Thailand of course is that we don’t believe that for one second. Everyone thinks/knows that all of them are out for their own personal gain. So the electorate align themselves to whichever of the self-serving parties is promising more for them. Politics in this country needs a top down approach. Change the attitudes and aspirations of those who aspire to power, and maybe we can make progress.
Charanya Choemchaiyaphum
Love hate destination
I am sure others will have different lists but after a recent visit to Bangkok, here are mine.
The five things visitors most love about Thailand: The friendliness, happiness and spirituality of Thai people. Delicious Thai food. Revitalising Thai massage. Amazing shopping. Great affordability.
The five things visitors most dislike about Thailand: Taxi drivers who refuse to take you to where you want to go or do not use the meter. Motorcyclists driving on footpaths. Footpaths with holes, broken slabs and no room to walk because of obstacles. Trying to cross the street when drivers keep breaking the rules and the lights change in three seconds. Security guards who blow their whistles all day long.
Barbara O’Reilly
Festive music faux pas
I really hope the better quality malls tone down their loud Christmas music. The constant noise of carols makes chatting difficult and causes chaos for those wearing hearing aids.
The best Western department stores know that Christmas music should only be played for a maximum of 40% of the time and carols should take up one quarter of that time (10% in total). To be respectful of customers and show cultural sensitivity, most play things like Jingle Bells and White Christmas, and not religious songs such as Oh Come All Ye Faithful or Away In A Manger.
Considering the superior design and content of Bangkok’s better malls it is a surprise to see them miss the mark on this.
A Fan of the Country
Prioritise police purge
If the beloved leader’s government is only remembered for one thing, it could be the top to bottom purge of the police force. Thailand is not short of laws concerning traffic offences, gambling, prostitution, corruption and pollution, but it is totally lacking the instruments to enforce them.
In most democracies, the police would do the job. However, in Thailand, the police force is overstaffed, inefficient, inept, and widely regarded as corrupt. Without thorough reform of the police force there is no hope for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s dream of a just society in Thailand
Berni
It's all in the name
In response to Farang Observer’s suggestion to protect us from karma by not giving future typhoons names beginning with “Ha” (PostBag, Dec 11), I would like to go further and suggest we call the next ones Whimper, Breeze, and Pffff. That way we’ll be sure that no one will be hurt.
Matthew Szabo
Rat out inhumanity
I find it most discouraging that the Bangkok Post ran numerous letters and articles in support of the Animal Welfare Bill, then showed a total lack of regard for the thousands of rats being drowned by the health department in Trang (Spectrum, Dec 7).
If humans are so upset about rats then why don’t they throw away all their rubbish, which is what attracts them in the first place?
The threat of getting the usually non-fatal Leptospirosis (which can also be transmitted by other animals) is greatly exaggerated. As the article noted, in a period of 18 months there was not a single case of Leptospirosis in Trang.
If rats must be killed can’t it be done humanely? There is no moral difference between torturing a rat, a dog or a human. Torture is torture and pain is pain.
Eric Bahrt
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