OPINION

Fort and lost

Re: "BMA's Mahakan mess", PostBag, Jan 21.

Thank you Khun Apiwat and the three academics. You have made plain the BMA's madness which is destroying part of Bangkok and Thailand's history, not to mention the lives of the long-term residents.

I could never understand the BMA's determination and ignorance of Thai/international expertise, the complete disregard for residents and for Thai heritage.

I have now come to some conclusions. It could be that some senior official is ignorant of all of the above and having made a stupid decision will simply see it through and demand those below him/her in the hierarchy toe the line.

Or it could be that someone is making money here which seems most likely. Follow the money trail. Who is contracted to develop this as a park? Then find the connection to BMA officials.

For a couple of days I have been unable to properly read The Guardian newspaper in the UK. The site freezes and makes it impossible to shift down the page or even change pages.

On taking my computer to the local engineer he had just a few words to sum up my problem. "Government -- single gateway." A simple explanation for why it was fine to read the Bangkok Post or other Thai publications but not the news from England.

Seems like there are enemies everywhere you look.

Re: "Trump is predictable", PostBag, Jan 21.

Mr Trump is certainly predictable on his norm of "unpredictable". One American writer said "he has been on both sides of almost every major issue -- from abortion to relations with Russia, from nuclear weapons to the Iraq war". Thus it gives an impression that he was right on all issues -- but, upon close examination, he was right only by half on all issues.

Lately, his policy reversals are rising. For example, Mr Trump previously stated he would abrogate Mr Obama's trumpeted Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free-trade agreement among nations that Thailand has missed. Recently, one of his nominees told Congress otherwise, that TPP would not be abolished but modified.

All of his rhetoric can now be taken as a means to achieve the end of winning, but subject to later modification and cancellation. However, this unpredictability is fresh air to world politics because if Hillary Clinton had won, predictability would be a norm and somewhat dull.

With Mr Trump's first day of candidacy, he has enlivened the whole world. And now we all hope that he will not be completely true to his word.

I am almost certain his word on issues that allow him to say "America First" will be quietly forgotten or diluted greatly.

Was his last statement before the inauguration serious, that of "expanding nuclear capability until the world comes to its senses"?

With his record of shiftiness, it is naïve for anyone to state that Mr Trump is predictable. He is the last man I would like to play poker with.

Robin Grant, in his Jan 21 letter "Censors at work again" should add to his list, the New York Post newspaper online, which is now censored with that black disk on the white background, proclaiming the digital something or another.

What has the New York Post done to deserve such treatment other than having reported a factual story and backing it up with a few pictures to prove what was reported?

Re: "Post lacking balance" (PostBag, Jan 20).

Matt Davies hits the mark with Mr Trump every time; his character portraits, like Oliphant, your previous cartoonist, are brilliant and instantly understood.

Mr Trump, like other inflated personalities, is there to be shot at. You either love him or despise him. Although Mr Trump doesn't believe it, America is bigger than him.

After all, America survived Nixon, Reagan, W and Clinton and it will eventually cast aside Trump too.