OPINION

Penning inequality

In "What counts to us in development" (Opinion, Sept 18) we read, "...to achieve parity in development", and "equitable development", which are apparently among the UNDP's goals.

 One might well ask why. Has anyone ever observed, during the long history of mankind, anything resembling parity or equality? Doesn't the obvious absence of positive examples suggest that "equality" is not an achievable goal?

As long as the universal mode of existence for human beings is the separate self (the egoic model in other words), equitability will be inherently unattainable. This is fundamentally because selfishness is the prevailing tendency in men and women in our present evolutionary state and self transcendence remains merely an elusive and remote future possibility.

We will not cooperate fully and share resources equally until the ego is rooted out by intelligence and true human development. And I can assure readers the UNDP is not in the business of fostering self transcendence as a development goal, not while their bureaucrats sit in comfy offices collecting comfy salaries and penning self-serving opinion pieces.

The missile crisis in North Korea may make many people wonder why Pyongyang is so obsessed with bombing the US or its allies? There is one historical fact that most Americans and the rest of the world don't know. During 1950 to 1953, the US dropped 635,000 tonnes of explosives on North Korea, comprising 32,557 tonnes of napalm, an incendiary liquid that can clear forested areas and cause damaging burns to human skin, as Tom O'Connor wrote recently in Newsweek. The amount of bombs was more than what the US dropped in the Pacific Theatre during World War II which killed 3 million North Koreans. Why is this fact not part of the current news?

This wound still haunts North Korean people, and in developing nuclear weapons, they want to protect themselves from the US and to gain revenge. Now, they have come so close to their goal, do you still think diplomatic solutions or negotiations will work? Personally, I am not optimistic.

Re: "Let's get on the same track", (BP, Sept 17).

Whilst it is welcome news that 35 new trains are to be bought for the Blue Line, considering the major expansion plans now agreed for both the Blue Line and the Purple Line, there is a misconception in RH Suga's letter. The station at Tao Poon is a "vertical" station (in the manner of the Berlin's Hauptbahnhof) where two lines cross each other in a perpendicular alignment, with the Blue Line running East-West and the Purple Line running North-South. Connections between the two are made by lifts or escalators, so there is no possibility of one train completing the whole journey.

The so-called "missing link", now completed, was simply a one kilometre section of the already agreed Blue Line extension, connecting Bang Sue with Tao Poon. The westbound northern extension of the Blue Line from Tao Poon towards Tha Phra is already begun and can be seen from the platforms at Tao Poon. The southern extension (also begun, and also running westbound through tunnels towards Tha Phra, completing the circular section of the Blue Line) will run from Hua Lamphong towards Bang Wa with a possible westbound extension to Buddha Monthon Sai 4.

Meanwhile, the southbound extension of the Purple Line from Tao Poon via Wang Burapha (where it will connect once again with the Blue Line) has also recently been agreed.

On its inaugural day, I had the pleasure of travelling all the way on a single ticket from Klong Bang Pai station in Nonthaburi on the Purple Line to Phetchaburi station on the Blue Line, with a simple escalator/lift connection at Tao Poon. Substantial progress is now being made towards an integrated system for all Bangkok.

The Pessimists Society of Thailand would like to assure your readers we will continue to expect no success in the case of Vorayuth Yoovidhya, long after he enjoys the F1 festivities this weekend. The F1 is held in Singapore. However, the city-state and Thailand do not have an extradition treaty. We remain, optimistic that our pessimistic is well-founded.