Hassles over hijabs
Re: "Time is up for hijab ban", (Editorial, May 21).
The director of Anubal Pattani School may have made the gravest mistake of his life by banning students under his charge from wearing the hijab. The Office of the Basic Education Commission has come out against the ban and cited the office's long-standing rule that female students can wear the hijab, subject only to dress-code regulations.
This incident has caused embarrassment to the Thai government, since Pattani is one of the predominantly Muslim provinces in the deep South. Hence, the government should make certain this foolish incident does not occur again, by legislating into law prohibiting bias and intimidation against all citizens of non-Buddhist religions.
Vint Chavala
Happy-go-lucky pills
I see the police/military lucked onto another 12 million methamphetamine pills found abandoned by the roadside after a wheel fell off the truck transporting them near Chiang Rai recently. By my count that makes 30 million pills seized in the last two weeks (mostly by luck). I would like to suggest after reading Soonruth Bunyamanee's excellent column on how very little of the wealth from the growth this government boasts about doesn't actually trickle down to the poor that the poorest 10 million adults be given these 30 million pills free of charge, so that they will at least experience three days of happiness in their lives. (Of course, the names of these pills should be changed from ya ba to ya khwam suk [happy medicine] by the government before hand).
Or maybe the police will get really lucky and accidentally stumble onto a couple of the 11 meth factories reported to be operating in the North, take them over, and start producing a steady supply of ya khwam suk for the poor, so they will never have to feel miserable again since it is pretty certain they aren't going to get much in the way of any other help from this government.
An Observer
Reporting under threat
Re: "The news is not fake. But we need to report it better", (Opinion, May 22).
Yes, in the age of social media the news reporting is under real threat. There is plenty of evidence pointing to the distortion of facts by the likes of Mr Trump. Mr Bruni is correct in his assessment that Mr Trump may bring down the country and media to his level -- a deadly combination of ugly style, ignorance and arrogance. The ongoing saga of the Mueller investigation combined with Mr Trump's scandals has also created an environment of confusion -- a crowded space of competing voices where volume, integrity and quality are often out of balance. This confusion has allowed those with power to obfuscate, especially when the weight of evidence is against them. Social media scholars are now digging into this vast digital terrain to examine the ill effect of fake news on our society. The American polity and media which was built on the foundation of trust, decency and civility is in grave danger.
It is quite possible that in coming years the USA may look like any other Third World country where politicians survive by engaging in gutter politics. And if social media companies only care about profit maximisation, they will also go rapidly into dystopia.
Kuldeep Nagi
Lies on White Helmets
Re: "Conspiracy theorist", (PostBag, May 18).
I think the only claim to fame of Vanessa Beeley is that she has met Bashar al-Assad, and that she has appeared on RT decrying the highly reputed paramedic group, the White Helmets, in Syria. RT formerly had a full-on campaign to ridicule them as Islamic State supporters.
Clara Holzer is obviously an avid watcher of Russia Today TV, as that is the only place you will see Vanessa. And this would explain pro-Putin comments recently from Clara who seems to have a penchant for dictators.
Watson
Targeting tourists?
An online story in Coconuts Thailand reports, "Airports officers allegedly target foreigners with fines for bringing alcohol into Thailand". Is the prime minister, who is so conscious about anything damaging the country's tourism industry, aware of this story? If so, what is he doing about it? Word travels fast, Gen Prayut. The longer you delay, the worse it becomes.
449900
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