“Northern mosque a test of tolerance” (Spectrum, Jan 25).
Of course the lifestyle of the people would be changed if a mosque was built in Buppharam, because tolerance and Islam are a contradiction in terms. In Islam there is only one way and that is their way.
If one considers what, according to Islam, should happen to thieves, breakers of Islamic law, gay people and adulterous women, you can see a 2,000 year gap with Western people. People of Buppharam stand your ground and ask if you can build a temple in Yemen.
Dutchie
Jomtien
Dusit Zoo gone to the dogs
After an absence of many years I recently returned to visit Dusit Zoo. In general I was impressed with the many improvements. However, I was deeply shocked and saddened to see a “dog show” at the end of the visit. This spoiled my visit and otherwise good impression of the zoo.
Painting a dog with stripes to make it look like a tiger and then forcing it to, while looking terrified, walk over bottles and a trapeze-style wire, should have no place in Dusit Zoo.
Such shows have no place in a modern zoo. Not only this; the shows are unquestionably cruel. I care for a lot of dogs and can say with some authority that dog shows are cruel. I have since urged the zoo director to put a stop to them. I travel a great deal and visit many zoos, but never before have I seen anything like these shows — they are dreadful.
I’m sure we can all agree a zoo should be a centre for conservation and education, and not place for entertainment. Both the zoo director and chief vet are aware of my concerns and I hope they will act upon them.
Sean Whyte
CEO, Nature Alert
US criticism shows they care
The recent comments by US officials regarding Thailand’s current political situation and the response by many Thais is unfortunate. The problem here, in my opinion, does not concern how Thailand chooses to govern itself. The problem is different cultural expectations.
If someone from the Thai government chooses to criticise or give advice to Americans or the American government, Americans would not be offended. Americans criticise and make suggestions about almost everything on a daily basis. Because criticism is so common in the US, no one gets too offended by it. In fact, in America your taking the time and effort to criticise me might be seen as positive; by taking the time and effort to criticise me, you are showing you care about me (in your own culturally-specific way).
Thai culture is not so comfortable with criticism and advice. Shame on Americans for not knowing and accepting this. Shame on Thais for not knowing and accepting that Americans often criticise as a way of showing concern. The reality is that 99.9% of Americans don’t care at all about how Thais choose to govern themselves. Diplomats get paid to say diplomatically correct things.
Alan Reeder-Camponi
THAI is no longer top-flight
Re: “THAI to axe three routes,” (BP, Jan 30).
The recent travails of Thai Airways International underscores just how far the country’s flag carrier has fallen. I first flew with them in 1980 and on dozens of subsequent flights in the 1980s and early 1990s, and genuinely considered THAI to be on par with the best airlines in the world.
Sadly, THAI is no longer close in quality to these airlines, and is even struggling to compete with mediocre carriers. Quality of service has declined dramatically in recent years. The standards for in-flight catering, snacks and amenities have been slashed. Ticket prices are no longer competitive. The average age of the airline’s fleet is one of the industry’s highest.
The Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer programme — once one of the best in the world — is now a cruel joke, as the cost of “free” award tickets, after adding outrageous taxes and fuel surcharges, now typically exceed half the price of regularly purchased tickets. Since they began tacking on these additional charges a few years ago, the airline’s so-called “free” award tickets are now often even more expensive than outright ticket purchases from competing carriers.
At a time when other airlines are realising significant profits, we see THAI continuing to post huge losses. It’s difficult to imagine Thailand allowing its proud flag carrier to fail. But, hopefully, the path to survival will come through dramatic improvements in management and not subsidies and bail-outs at taxpayer expense.
Samanea Saman
A waste of teaching skills
Approaching 30 years in Thailand, my wife and I, both Americans, have been retired in rural Isan for the past two years. Thanks to our long-adopted, extended Thai family, we have built our modest retirement home just outside a small northeastern village of maybe 500 people.
We enjoy life here very much and hope to stay in our adopted country indefinitely.
My wife has 44 years' teaching experience, 19 in America and 25 in what is arguably Thailand’s premier international school. She would like to hold informal English classes a few afternoons per week to a very small number of — no more than five — local youngsters.
She would offer these services for free, hoping to contribute a little something towards Thailand’s overall goal of improvement in English. Of course, she would also do this for the pure joy that she has always received from teaching.
How can there be anything wrong with this? What is the matter with a highly professional, experienced teacher trying to help a few upcountry kids learn a little English?
The problem is that the law would define her as “working”.
We wonder how many other retired native-English educators are living in Thailand and would like to volunteer their teaching skills, also for free, if it were legal. And then we wonder why Thailand has to shoot itself in the foot like this, crying for improvement in English but refusing to allow a qualified teacher to help in even a minor way. Is there not something wrong here?
Bobby D
CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING
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