OPINION

Media circus back

Re: "Suspect re-enacts murder of woman", (BP, June 20).

Many of us applauded when, a couple of years ago, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called a halt to the ridiculous charade of having alleged criminals "re-enact" their supposed crimes. It now seems this ludicrous practice is making a comeback in defiance of the prime minister, with several such media circuses orchestrated just this past week.

Please, Mr Prime Minister, nip this farcical absurdity in the bud before it once again becomes standard operating procedure for the Royal Thai Police. These silly re-enactments serve no purpose other than to bring ridicule to the country and feed the egos of police mugging to get in the newspaper or on TV.

Economic prosperity in our country now is only enjoyed by those in the uppermost section of society and not by the grassroots and the middle class.

One reason is due to the very low prices of commodities like rubber, rice, palm oil fruits and others. The government is seen improving in terms of tax collection and exports of Thai products but these do not trickle down to the majority because the people who benefit from them are the corporations and the upper class. There are also changing global economic trends that affect common folk. The rich at this time are reluctant to invest in local projects which could bring quick benefit to the public due to the government's diligent intervention into the details of everything.

I see the government behaving like a bull in a China shop. They tend to overdo everything you see happening in our country on a daily basis.

When they see something wrong, they should go and discuss with the parties concerned and try to amend the situation. But what they do is go and close the whole operation and then have a talk. This just increases the people's suffering due to the loss of jobs and income.

I believe the present government means well and wants to do the right thing. But this is Thailand, a country that has not reached the proper level of civic awareness regarding the proper regulations in terms of operating businesses. We all need more time. I write this especially for the attention of our PM and I wish him every success in taking our country forward.

The world community should do something to protest against the US government's recent separation of 2,000-plus immigrant families at the US-Mexico border. This seems to be one of the most serious cases of human-rights violations that has ever happened in the world.

In a developing country such as Thailand, there has never been a single case where the government has snatched children or babies from the arms of their loving immigrant parents.

We all know how heart-wrenching it is for the migrants to have their children yanked away in such a manner, without knowing when, or if, they will be returned.

Re: "Livestock belongs on the table, if we eat meat or not", (Opinion, June 25).

The article claims that 86% of the food livestock eats is not fit for human consumption. The writer deliberately misses the point, which is that the land used to grow food for livestock could be used to grow food that is fit for human consumption. Besides, the food that is used to feed even 14% of livestock could be fed to tens of millions of people.

And what about the fact that over half the water consumed in the US is used for livestock production? That's water that could be used to grow food for humans.

A Moroccan fellow from Chumphon said in his June 25 letter the Muslim way of slaughtering animals is the most "humane" in the world.

Whilst halal slaughter may seem less cruel if carried out in the prescribed manner, undercover footage shot in a halal abattoir in the UK shows workers hacking and sawing at the animals' throats with blunt knives. Animals could see others being killed and were strung up by a leg while fully conscious. There's no such thing as "humane" slaughter in any slaughterhouse, anywhere.

Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th

All letter writers must provide full name and address.

All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.