OPINION

Wonders never cease

Re: "Wonder Woman grapples with modern foes", (BP, Dec 25).

I have long been a fan of Lynda Carter and the short feature and interview in the Bangkok Post Sunday People section only served to enhance my respect for her.

Such a pity that political correctness applauds females for their intelligence, courage, hard work and talent, but as soon as good looks enter the picture their positions as role models are questioned.

Shame on the United Nations for buckling to the pressures of over-zealous feminists in cancelling its campaign featuring Wonder Woman as a symbol of self-empowerment for girls and women.

Carter's intelligence shines through in the way she skewers the critics of Wonder Woman by asking why no one complains about Superman as a role model, despite his skin-tight outfits that leave little to the imagination. The feminists and the UN can say what they want; Lynda Carter is still a superhero to me!

Re: "Passenger traffic decelerates", (Business, Dec 28).

The reason for a slowdown in air passenger traffic may be simpler than some people think, and can be summarised in just two words: Airport immigration.

Recently a Taiwanese friend arriving on a long flight from the UK, had to queue nearly three hours for a visa on arrival. Another friend arriving from a short flight from Kuala Lumpur told me he waited two hours to be cleared by immigration due to unmanned desks and slow processing time. Furthermore, it was recently reported that the average time to clear immigration at Phuket's international airport was 2.5 hours!

This is nothing new and is a national disgrace. Those that I have talked to about this, all agree on one thing: They will not be visiting Thailand again any time soon.

Thailand's tourism, as a key industry, cannot expect growth unless and until it addresses this perennial problem and gives its visitors the respect, service and welcome they deserve.

Re: "TrueVisions Shamed", (Postbag Dec 27).

I fully endorse all that has been said about TrueVisions. Surely, the solution is simple: Drop our subscriptions and move to other providers. I did this after years of frustration and rather later than I should have done.

When I called TrueVisions to cancel my subscription, I was asked why and my answer was because I was dissatisfied with the service. I was promptly offered a 50% discount, which I politely declined. Further inducements were offered, at which point I said I would not watch TrueVisions if they paid me! They still didn't get it.

With my current provider, I now watch a huge range of channels, particularly sport, and more, for a mere 1,346 baht a month. I am now a very satisfied customer.

Re: "Unseen Buddhists", (PostBag, Dec 26).

There are people in every country who live a very simple life. Millions of them have nothing to do with any religion or faith. Can anyone cite me a line from any Buddhist scripture that says people should wear black to express their grief.

But when somebody at the top says "jump" every one in the country is ready to take a leap. This is one example of a strange contradiction of what Buddha's teachings are and what is actually practiced.

I have seen vendors selling caged birds, tiny fish and snakes in plastic bags and lottery tickets right outside temple gates in almost every province. Lots of things or goods are bought and sold for merit making. It is rare to witness detachment or ahinsa or das sila in Thai temples?

Of course, there are good monks and also sincere devotees but they are a minority. In this context, Thailand being a Buddhist nation or Nepal being a Hindu nation or the Middle East being an Islamic region means very little when people blindly follow a religion's precepts without fully understanding them.

postbag@bangkokpost.co.th