OPINION

A flood of nonsense

How can a junta with dictatorial powers claim they have the foresight and wisdom to craft a 20-year Thailand 4.0 plan of governance while not having the capability to resolve issues with constant flooding?

How can any economic policies and models be relevant if one has to worry about their business or job literally drowning?

The statement by Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang that he has taken steps to solve the flooding problem to "the best of his abilities" is pathetic. This attitude is why nothing ever gets resolved here. Instead of demanding that we should suffer because he cannot solve the problem, he should have the courage to admit defeat and let someone that can resolve the issue take charge.

How about more focus from the junta on real-life matters rather than wasting resources on charging an 85-year-old professor with lese majeste because someone did not like his history lesson?

As a regular commuter on the BTS, I have always considered the high-volume audio/visual advertisements on trains to be rather annoying. Most commuters now prefer to wear headphones or speaker buds to block the incessant audio attack of the corporatocracy during the daily commute.

Over the past few weeks, many commuters have welcomed the temporary respite from these aggressive advertisements, as private audio/visual ads have been suspended on BTS trains during this time of national mourning.

Not to be outdone, one company stands out, and continues to air its audio advertisements on BTS trains -- by use of the public address (PA) system. Indeed, one might question why the Bangkok Mass Transport System PCL approves the use of the PA system aboard BTS trains to promote the private commercial interests of this online marketing company -- while other advertisers choose to silence their voices during this sombre period.

Re: "Discipline breach finding in Yingluck case", (BP, Oct 17), and so? So what? A slap on the wrist? A transfer to an inactive post?

This is a case of reporting the result of yet another joke involving either a high-ranking police or army officer. Does anyone truly expect anything else? Save it for the Sunday comics section -- Monty, perhaps.

Re: "Ex-UN chief urges Rohingya to go home, not camps", (BP, Oct 15).

So Kofi Annan is urging Myanmar "to make sure the half-million Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled in the past two months can go home, and not to camps".

He needs a reality check.

Most of the refugees have no homes to go back to. The tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) as part of its ethnic cleansing campaign has burnt whole villages to the ground. On top of that it has razed the Rohingya's crops and rounded up their livestock to sell to Myanmar Buddhists at bargain basement prices.

Even if their homes, crops and livestock had been left intact, does Mr Annan seriously think the Rohingya will return to Myanmar and put their trust in the tatmadaw after their experience as widely reported of its rape, torture and murder of so many of their family, friends and fellow villagers.

All because they are "different".

I can just see it now: Ripley's Believe It or Not! The Thai military are prosecuting an 85-year-old historian and social critic for questioning a Thai king's role in a battle with Burma 500 years ago!'

I seem to be reading a lot of stories lately about the pollution in Pattaya Bay and surrounding areas. This reminds me of the time I taught English to the first group of tourist police at Thammasat University back in 1982 there was only one thing that they thought was serious enough to warn me about: "Don't swim in Pattaya Bay. It is badly polluted."

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