Democracy to dictatorship

Re: "Even dictators can't monopolise a poll", (Opinion, Sept 22).

Elections, as Chaiyapong Samniang writes, are a right and not a privilege. But we need to add that democratic processes can create nasty authoritarianism.

Popular referendums in the 1930s produced massive support for Hitler's pre-war invasions. National elections have thrown up dictators as different as Mussolini in Italy and Baby Doc in Haiti. Violence, not ballot boxes, removed them.

Donald Trump won his election fair and square and is busy dismantling any and all safeguards against dictatorship. If he loses in 2020, will he go quietly into retirement or violently order his base to the barricades?

As the sage said, democracy is the worst of all political systems. Except all the others, of course.

Barry Kenyon
Killer dogs should be put down

Why are the three dogs that mauled the four year-old girl to death not already dead ("put down", for the squeamish)?

Ridiculous state of affairs.

Chris in CNX
Free enterprise, less reform

From "Energy reform plan ready for action" which was published in the Sept 22 edition we read, "Manoon Siriwan, an energy expert, said energy literacy campaigns should be carried out to educate people and companies on the importance of energy security and renewable power."

In truth, people should be educated so they can understand their power bills, and the government should be educated about the importance of authentic free enterprise and solar power.

If there were genuine free enterprise, these endless, ineffective and myopic "reform plans" would be unnecessary.

Michael Setter
Fines dependent on PM's whim

Re: "PM orders curbs on feeding pigeons", (BP, Sept 20).

Okay, I think I get it. Whatever irritates the PM, no matter how trivial it is, results in the biggest fine and lengthy jail time.

But crimes that don't involve those pesky pigeons, like speeding or reckless driving that can mean danger to the public, can be handled through the normal channels, where the fines are much less.

Do I have this right? Or more importantly, does he?

Dave Proulx
Stop feeding the birds

"Bird Lover" in his Sept 21 letter wants to know why people are told not to feed the pigeons. When pigeons are over-fed they over breed. Sometimes here in Chiang Mai where "everyone" feeds the pigeons I see very ill and dying pigeons who have trouble moving and are in obvious pain. I speculate that could be a symptom of overpopulation.

When there are too many pigeons the city sometimes decides to kill them. So if you really love the birds respect the city's effort to control the pigeon population.

Eric Bahrt
Keep Pic-a-Pet 4 Home Column

I write to request that you please keep the Pic-a-Pet 4 Home column in your magazine. I have volunteered for this charity many times and it is close to my heart. Khun Tharinee Wipuchanin is a brave woman with a heart of gold and I fully admire what she does for the animals of Bangkok. Every issue greatly enhances the chances of these animals to be adopted by introducing them to a wider audience.

You have already helped so many animals but if you stop now more innocent animals will spend their days in government shelters or at Pic-a-Pet 4 Home. Although Khun Tharinee cares for these animals with love and compassion, there's nothing like a real home and if you keep the column, you can make this happen.

Angelica Cosgrove
Thai women be warned

A 39-year-old Iranian man has been accused of abducting, imprisoning and raping a 21-year-old Thai woman in a condominium near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya (BP, Sept 22).

The Pattaya police do a poor job when it comes to crimes committed by Middle Eastern gangs. Thai women in foreign enclaves like Pattaya need to be warned about this danger. It is all too real.

Mr M
Don't blame the leaders

In his Sept 19 letter, "Winds of change", Eric Bahrt's logic is a bit difficult to follow.

He accuses President Trump of being a "psycho", attributing the hurricanes that crossed the United States to climate change because Trump left the Paris Accord. Does Mr Bahrt apply the same term to President Xi in China because hurricanes and typhoons plague China? How about Taiwan and Japan? Are their leaders psychos as well? The only other possible world leader with negative or other tendencies seems to be Duterte of the Philippines, but I hardly think Hurricane Mangkhut could be attributed to him for his personal problems.

Mr Bahrt, if crazy people ran Thailand, it would have long ago been blown off the face of the map. Give us a break.

David James Wong
Toxic herbicide policy

Re: "Toxic policies just as bad as toxic chemicals", (Opinion, Sept 8).

The writer mentioned in the article imports of paraquat "increased to 44,501 tonnes last year" and also asked how the government is proposing to monitor its use. After all, we know that the main problems with paraquat are over-use and misuse. Yet the government will allow use in six crops. In northern Thailand massive corn plantations use massive amounts of paraquat. Corn is mostly bought by Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group to make animal feed.

Thailand is the world's 5th biggest user of farm chemicals and the world's 5th biggest polluter of the ocean. At the same time CP Group is one of the conglomerates involved in aquaculture, which supports over-fishing and leads to environmental degradation. I wonder who the government consults in making its toxic policies.

Watson
Leave hyacinth for the herons

The state effort to remove, as shown recently in a Bangkok Post picture, water hyacinth from the Chao Phraya river will be pleasing to all river users except one. I refer to the white heron who use the floating plant as an island to hunt fish from. Their numbers have dropped dramatically. This has reduced my friends and I to frequenting riverside bars and singing Edith Piaf's classic song No Egrets.

D Pool
22 Sep 2018 22 Sep 2018
24 Sep 2018 24 Sep 2018

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