OPINION

Heads in the sand

Sad to hear that Thai industry execs still have their heads in the sand of 100 years ago, and are voting for coal-powered electricity in southern Thailand. I've visited the Krabi region every few years since 1979. Sure, it's gone downhill in some ways, but there are still bits of natural beauty. Two years ago, I saw a troop of wild monkeys in trees at the Hat Railey peninsula, and if a person is lucky, a monitor lizard can be seen.

There are workable ways to generate electricity from the sun, from wind ... even from rivers, waves and tides. Along a Krabi shoreline, I experienced first-hand the ability of sea waves to generate electricity. I strolled on a segmented floating jetty, and it was undulating 70cm up and 70cm down. Such undulations can be used to generate electricity. The technology already exists, particularly in Portugal and Scotland, but don't expect the varicosed-brained heads of Thailand's FTI or Egat to understand that. Maybe their kids or grandkids will understand, but by that time they'll have to buy the technology from more advanced Western countries.

With the scientific fact of climate change and the thousands of examples of air pollution making news the world over its hard to imagine how anyone could consider building new examples of this old technology. At a time when much of the world is considering removing its old generating equipment and going "green", Thailand is moving in the opposite direction.

Fine words spoken at the UN framework convention on climate change, where Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha suggested that "natural resources and environment belongs to us all, we have a collective responsibility to protect and conserve" seem to have been forgotten on return to home soil where certain business and money interests wish to preserve their profits.

Now the SRT plans to terminate 18 trains from its service, deemed non-profitable (Online, Feb 15). The SRT should be renamed "Shameful Rail Transport of Thailand". Of course the SRT is running at a constant loss. Years of free commuter services on dilapidated rolling stock are one major reason people seek other modes of transport.

The SRT needs competent business management executives with a mind on passengers, comfort, freight and profit. Those running the system now should be given a set of Lionel electric trains to play with in their offices. They probably couldn't cope with those either. Toot-toot.

The recent article on "fake degrees" among a Thai university faculty only touches the tip of the iceberg. I have been involved with various Thai universities since the early 1970s, mostly in a field in the arts, and have had several students who have or had posts in these institutions.

During this time I have seen the number of universities rise from fewer than a half dozen to nearly 150. Many of them aspired to offer graduate degrees, including the PhD, because this is prestigious. Virtually none had either the libraries to support the programmes or the faculty. But when the Ministry of Education began requiring people to have doctorates, Thai universities went to work to solve this matter. Faculties obtained PhDs from other countries, often with little or no study, bought degrees online, or "earned" them in newly minted, but insubstantial programmes at home. One prominent university began offering PhDs in my area while having no PhDs on the faculty. This they solved by enrolling their own faculty in their own programme and magically lifted all of them from MA level to PhD.

In recent years, Thai universities have produced a bumper crop of PhDs in my area, but virtually none of these degrees have any credibility beyond Thailand's borders. Indeed, Thai PhD graduates in my area usually cannot communicate in English and have no idea what serious research or scholarly writing looks like. Many dissertations have been written based on field work that was little more than brief tourism. Whether researched long term or not, these scholars have learned little of critical thinking, and would never violate the cultural rule prohibiting criticism of one's superiors and forebears. Dissertations, whether good, bad, or indifferent, remain untranslated.

The English-language articles required are usually either very basic or are written by a paid writer. Capping it all off, the ministry requires these articles to be published in international, peer-reviewed journals from a prescribed list, something that would be nearly impossible even for European and American students. As a result some of these unprepared students cannot graduate because of the publication rule, but some get around it through an acceptable but insubstantial journal. While the ministry makes noises about cracking down on standards, they seem to continue to approve new degree programmes. As long as this continues, Thailand's educational reputation is moribund.

Although I agree 100% with what Peem wrote, he failed to mention his own state of Connecticut, which deceived its own taxpayers.

When the lottery came out in the late 60s, the taxpayers were promised all proceeds would go to education. Fast forward and this is not true today. I suggest you straighten out your own backyard first before you criticise Thailand.

Has anybody noticed that there are several similarities between the US election and the UK Brexit referendum?

In both cases leading opinion polls showed a 10% majority for the opposite outcome, and both conclusions have resulted in disbelief around the world and a high degree of dissent and disapproval in both countries!

If one takes into account the abysmal voter turnouts (55% in the US and 70% in the UK) little more than one person in four in the US and one in three in the UK actually supported what really amounts to massive changes in the recognised status quo. It is my belief that there is a connection, and that the opinion polls, properly regulated, may actually provide a more accurate reflection of the majority persuasion by encompassing, as they do, broad sections of the population including the actual preferences of those who are unable (or sufficiently apathetic) to get to the polls on the day.

Unfortunately, the intended objective of a result that reflects the wishes of the majority of the people is demonstrably not being achieved, and the spoils effectively handed to those who feel strongly enough to get to the polls on the day and do not represent the will of the people -- a significant minority of extremists!

It goes without saying that both results will have a profound effect on the fortunes of both countries for years to come, including resentment and divisions among the people.

I feel that the problem in future can be addressed. I would suggest that a day off work specifically to enable people to vote, together with disincentives not to, would not go amiss. After all, the stakes are high!

As I am a fan of many sports, I have long been a subscriber to True TV. They still promote themselves as the best sports programmers in Thailand but I think not.

For many rugby fans in this area the Six Nations is extremely popular. True TV has always carried this series live until this year. Week one showed women's Six Nations rugby at the same time as the live broadcast of the men's series was being played. I don't have any issue with the women's league, and in fact their skills are quite high. What I do argue about is many of the games shown at the same time as the men's, are in fact replays, not live games, so there must be a more sinister reason.

I called True and waited and waited, pushed buttons, etc, and finally got through to a representative. She informed me, with great sorrow I may add, that True was unable to reach an agreement with the provider, which happens to be Setanta which was providing the women's series. On week two, much to my surprise the sports on TV listed two games on Saturday and one on Sunday.

The first game was played and shown and that was the end. No second game. The Saturday and Sunday games were replaced by women's rugby again.

I would suggest that the Bangkok Post stop free advertising for True until some agreement can be reached, that what they claim to be showing will in fact be shown.

What is most interesting is that True programmes listed on the TV network showed these games as being played. Not surprising, as most information on this channel is either wrong or "no further information available".

Who can buy programmes where even the provider has no idea what is being shown?

My point is True is getting worse by the day and the government will not or cannot do anything about it. They constantly ignore the advert time rules, especially on golf shows. They change or simply no longer carry programmes that are advertised as part of the level you purchased and offer nothing except lower quality at the same price. The worst part of it is an absolute refusal to apologise or even attempt to make excuses.

I just wanted to share my experience of a motorbike accident I had while on a push bike.

I was at the main traffic light junction in Cha-am -- this is the Bangkok-Hua Hin crossroads -- and I was heading across this junction towards Cha-am beach, the lights turned green, and I proceeded across, I got three-quarters of the way across, when a motorbike decided to ignore the red lights and tried to outrun the traffic crossing. The driver failed and he hit my side full force.

I cannot remember much apart from been carried to the curb and someone calling an ambulance. Once I came to my senses, and realised that I could not walk away from this, the women tending my open head wounds told me the motorcycle driver had done a runner.

I notice there were three policeman standing in the background, but not active, just part of the crowd.

I was taken to Cha-am Hospital, where I received excellent care, five stitches in my head, and was diagnosed with three broken ribs and two shoulder fractures and, after four hours, at my request, was released.

After a day or two, I realised that in a normal country, the police would have made contact with me, one to take my details, check I was OK, and update me on their investigation. However, nothing here. With at least 50 witnesses it should be easy to catch the culprit.

So I am trying to make sense of this non-active policy. Do they not want to police? Are they just encouraging everyone to do a runner. What are they all about? Maybe only police in name, and nothing else.

After about an hour into La La Land I walked out of the cinema. I didn't mean to insult the cinema or the movie producer. I was born in the 30s and throughout the 40s-50s and early 60s saw a great number of the Hollywood and Broadway musicals: There's No Business Like Show Business, An American in Paris, Singing in The Rain, Easter Parade, Top Hat, Cabaret, Chicago, to name a few. In La La Land, the music, Goslings and Stone's dance steps were not in the same league as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, or Ann Miller.

I don't mean to be rude, but you just can't compare a Lexus with a Rolls-Royce.

Having said that, I'll be very surprised and disappointed if it wins more than three Oscars.