OPINION

No home for Rohingya

Re: "Suu Kyi's silence deafening", (PostBag, Dec 4).

While I respect Mr Bourne's comments, I think he missed a broader point. The world screamed at Myanmar to become a democracy for years. But Myanmar is 89% Buddhist and Islam has worn out its welcome around the world. What did people think was going to happen?

Current affairs clearly show that UN dictates demanding we all live together are doomed to fail. The Rohingya need a home and it is not to be found in Myanmar. If the global community would really like to be useful, they would find and fully fund a new home for the Rohingya to live in peace.

Re: "Nation 'on cusp of new reform era'", (BP, Nov 4).

The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) seeks to balance the power of the judiciary, executive and legislative branches. But wait, there is an elephant in the room. Nobody wants to mention where the Thai military fits in here, perhaps because no means exist to impact this reality and it's a given.

There is no constitutional provision to prevent or criminalise the removal of a duly elected government but thankfully this prime minister is competent, popular and well-meaning.

Tony Blair says states controlled by the military are not democracies. They are dictatorships. The Thai army is configured and practiced at being the de facto government rather than a means to counter external military threats. Thais can and must work to resolve their class divisions, their tradition of patronage and corruption, and bolster weak civil institutions through peaceful political means. Is it not plain that no one has been inspired by the last 85 years of military coups? Nor is anyone convinced that Thailand can (also) be great again under a military regime.

If the military clings to power for its own sake and seeks to control the political process in the future by appointing officers to parliament and to powerful positions in the machinery of government, the people will see that they have no political power or effective representation. Therefore, any incentive for individuals or the masses to contribute to the whole will be lost.

Re: "North, West warned of quake danger", (BP, Dec 3).

It is always prudent for buildings of every type to be engineered to withstand earthquakes. Unfortunately the recent appeal by seismologist Pennung Warnitchai was clouded by irrational and inconsistent arguments that may have hurt his cause rather than furthering it.

Mr Pennung stated that although they cannot be detected, scientists believed there may be "blind" faults throughout the northern and western provinces and then referred to the prediction that 17 high-rise buildings will collapse if Bangkok experiences a strong tremor.

Anyone with a logical mind considering such an argument must discard it for lack of factual support. Where is the data? Where is the statistical analysis? A more rigorous scientific study is needed to verify these claims.

The latest accident last week in which a bus flipped by the road side and killed one passenger and injured 39 in Songkhla sheds light on poorly made roads in Thailand.

In the US, roads are strongest to the outside, actually getting thicker closer to the curb. On freeways and highways, the outside lane is much thicker and stronger than the inside lane, which is why trucks are restricted to the "slow" lane.

Here in Thailand, it is often the opposite -- the edge of the road can be incredibly thin -- as shown by the bus toppling from a stop.

Re: "Xenophobia thriving", (PostBag, Dec 3).

Following the publication of my letter, I received a phone call from Cigna confirming that the promotional travel insurance policy only applies to Thai citizens, but in my case Cigna would make an exception and issue a complimentary travel insurance policy.

Ah! The power of the press.

But it is a pity that they missed the real point of my letter.