OPINION

Plans down the drain

Michael Setter asks in his May 23 letter whether Thailand is willing to accept international assistance to set up urgently required innovative plans for infrastructure and water management.

Thailand has for many decades received plenty of international assistance from many countries, Japan in particular, to set up such innovative and suitable plans. The plans exist, but the problem in Thailand is that the plans are seldom implemented. A lot of good advice, time and money are wasted and the basic problems never solved.

There seems to be so much flak about what the American ambassador says or should not say, and how he meddles in Thailand's internal matters. Since the honourable ambassador is so concerned with human rights violations, why has he not uttered a word about the Koh Tao investigation, the sloppy police work, the questionable evidence?

Suddenly the cat gotcha tongue, eh? I suppose the ambassador's response would be that he does not of course meddle in Thailand's internal affairs and the Koh Tao murders and scapegoated victims who were sentenced to death are internal problems. The ambassador must be old enough to remember the old American westerns where Sitting Bull says, "White man speakum with forked tongue."

David Brown writes (PostBag, May 24) that Japan should follow Germany's example and apologise for the atrocities they committed during World War II.

Did America ever apologise for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan? And please don't tell me a million people would have died if the war had continued. America's two leading generals at the time, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower. Both said the bombings were completely unnecessary. Even the war-mongering Lieutenant General Curtis Lemay said the war would have been over in two weeks without dropping the bombs.

Did America ever apologise for the Vietnam War or the Iraq War which led to the rise of Islamic State? Whenever I speak out against Israel's atrocities other Jews call me a "self-loathing" and "odious" Jew.

Aside from Germany which countries have apologised for what they've done? So why is everyone always picking on Japan which is now a peaceful democracy?

Re: "Stuck in a Catch-22" (PostBag, May 24). I agree that a genuine Thai democracy appears to be as elusive as ever, but I don't believe anything will change in this respect until the Thai people in general emerge from their existing culture and attitudes, which in turn would come from good education and worldly experience, neither of which is currently prevalent.

Face it … there have already been decades of attempts at so-called democracy in Thailand which have clearly failed. The question to address is why has it failed? Wouldn't it be the biggest mistake to try to reinstate a form of democracy which has been proven over and over again to not work in Thai culture.

Amazing Thai society. So the bullies and some local big shots went to apologise and give the boy a hug and this would make things right. Where were the bullies' parents? Why were the bullies not expelled? The boy's family should file a lawsuit against the school, the principal and the parents.

Durian season is coming to a close … no smell, even in Chanthaburi. In my opinion, the more foul the smell the better the taste; just like the best cheeses.