OPINION

Taking down the West

Re: "Media microphones", (Postbag, Feb 3).

A Johnsen waxes lyrical about a website called Landdestroyer, claiming that it offers broader and more in depth reporting than the Thai media, including the Bangkok Post. However, what Mr Johnsen does not tell us is that this is one of a group of interlinked websites based in Moscow, and it is clear from the content of their articles and reports, which are replete with conspiracy theories, half truths, lies, omissions and distortions, that they are all active participants in the current Kremlin drive to besmirch Western governments, organisations and interests by disseminating misinformation and propaganda via a network of online sites.

A favourite tactic of these websites, as Mr Johnsen has discovered, is to make allegations about the funding of organisations and individuals seeking to promote the noble ideals of democracy, freedom of speech and respect for human rights, yet they fail to divulge the source of their own funding. Mr Johnsen might like to reflect upon that, and upon something else:

The Bangkok Post published Mr Johnsen's letter, even though it was critical of the newspaper's reporting. Would Landdestroyer publish a similarly critical letter from one of its readers? No, not a chance. I would advise anyone wanting to read their output to do so with caution, and with a considerable degree of scepticism.

Happy Salmon offering dietary advice (4 Feb 2018) is clearly a fish swimming up the wrong stream. Where the minimum wage is around 300 baht he recommends one half of a day's pay be spent on a slice of imported salmon and the other half on grass-fed beef, an unsustainable product for a tropical wet and dry country like Thailand. Just frozen fish from Alaska and Aussie grass-fed beef, which if reared on a large scale for meat production here would result in vast environmental destruction in addition to skyhigh prices.

The human genome and microbiome is diverse and complex and in need of varying nutrients. Best advice for most is eat real and unprocessed food which is as natural as possible. This might include oily fish which has the beneficial omega 3s. While we are on the subject, we should congratulate the Thai government's efforts in regulating fishing and extending spawning seasons and aquatic conservation zones, which has led to an increase in the mackerel catch in the South of Thailand.

More of this forward thinking, please.

At the weekend I thought it would be relaxing to have an evening in front of the TV.

From my online streaming site I selected a programme which l thought was called "Watchfinder General", which l assumed would be a documentary about my favourite Thai politician, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.

Instead it turned out to be a film-drama starring Vincent Price about a sly and sadistic officer given licence to roam the countryside randomly arresting, imprisoning and torturing those accused on trumped-up charges of heresy.

I was at least 30 minutes into the programme before I realised my mistake.

Despite most jobs in today's world requiring relevant qualifications, the job of government leadership appears to require no such thing, as shown by the rise of a game show host-cum-property developer to president in the US.

Here in Thailand the top job has been put in the hands of a lawyer, a cook, a policeman/telecom tycoon, construction magnate and a businesswoman. All of them, however, are overshadowed by the continuing line of generals that deem themselves sufficiently skilled to administer the country.

It would seem that running the country is a job that needs no special diploma or training, just the ability to convince the people that you are the right man (or woman) for the job and love being seen on TV every night. In my long stay in Thailand, one man stands out as being better than the rest, which is no surprise because Anand Panyarachun had a proper political training. Getting the right man is not so hard if you look in the right place.

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