If coups are justified and are the right thing to do, Yingluck Shinawatra fleeing the country is also justified and is the right thing to do. Yes, two wrongs do make a right if the second wrong compensates for the first one.
Will she receive a fair trial? If the generals could kill the highest law of the land with a snap of the fingers, surely influencing the court is kids’ stuff. Furthermore, acquitting her would make the generals blush and squirm over claims they oversaw a “useless coup”.
I’m not a Shinawatra sympathiser. I believe it is wrong to break the law to catch a thief. Had Yingluck been indicted while she was in office, I would have rooted for a conviction because I believe she is guilty.
Somsak Pola
Morning-after myth
Your correspondent (re: “Morning-after day", PostBag, Feb 18) misses the point.
A "morning-after" pill does not protect against HIV/Aids, nor is it effective against any other sexually transmitted disease. Condoms are, and their widespread use should be seen as a matter of public health.
A Doctor Rites
Army above the law
Re: “Prayut rules himself out of unity talks”, (BP, Feb 18).
The prime minister is right when he says that in the past “attempts to violate the law had several motives, and some claimed they did it for democracy. So, what are the consequences? If democracy had gone well, the problem would no longer exist, and I would not have stepped in”.
But now the ball is in his court. The laws are being changed in the hope of resuscitating democracy. A new constitution is being written to stop politicians and bureaucrats from breaking or abusing the law.
And so far, it is evident the military remains above the law. Except for the CDC, no one really knows what the new laws will deliver. Anyway, as the saying goes, “laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”. Chinese philosopher Lao Tse put it well: "The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be."
Kuldeep Nagi
Bent copper paradise
By all means, Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang (re: “Politicians’ security escorts in police chief’s crosshairs'', BP, Feb 18) should make sure all is in line with department regulations.
But he should put first things first. The Royal Thai Police regularly tops the list of the most corrupt public agencies in consumer surveys. Surely the ex-Central Investigation Bureau chief and his gang weren’t the only rogue masterminds in the force?
Gen Prayut’s had absolute power for nine months now, and still hasn’t shown any sign of giving us the top-to-bottom reform the police need. He should boost compensation for the lower ranks and make precinct operations more autonomous, problem-focused, and community-oriented.
Burin Kantabutra
Gone off the coup
I have been a supporter of the May 22 coup, but after reading Sanitsuda Ekachai’s Feb 18 article, “Martial law a nightmare for the have-nots,” I am having second thoughts.
From what she says, and I value her insights greatly, this government is waging a war on the poor and in my opinion since, there are so many poor, that cannot help but end up badly for all of us. I hope the leaders of this government will have second thoughts about what they are doing and start showing more kindness, compassion and generosity toward people who weren’t born with the gifts they enjoy.
Just Now Waking Up
I was right on milk
Re: “Milk does a body good?”, (Life, Feb 11).
The article notes that in Asia, where people drink little or no milk, they also generally suffer few bone fractures. Yet in America, the more milk women drink the more likely they are to have bone fractures.
The article also noted that studies showed a link between drinking milk and increased risk of ovarian and prostate cancer. As some readers may recall I made those same points in a Guest Column (“The Myth About Milk”, July 1, 2007). As I expected I was vilified by numerous PostBag writers and called a crackpot. Yet everything I wrote was accurate.
What I’m asking from readers is to consider the possibility that just because I’m an unconventional, somewhat “radical” thinker doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
Eric Bahrt
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