OPINION

Egregious whistles

Re: "Keeping the noise down", (Opinion, Oct 12).

I was not surprised to read that noise complaints topped the list by members of the public. Sadly, it is possibly one of the easiest matters to resolve by simple education and enforcement of existing related regulations, but it is not.

A certain well-known school on Convent Road has on speech days amplifiers that deafen me, and I live over one kilometre away. What's that noise doing to the kids in that school?

But, for me, the most egregious noise, is that of ear-splitting whistles used by most security guards who think they are helping traffic. How difficult would it be to order them to stop?

Keep society civil

Re: "Keeping the noise down", (Opinion, Oct 12).

The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the highly respected Centers for Disease Control, has released a smartphone app which measures sound levels. The metropolitan area of Bangkok must have legal maximum noise levels. The police, properly equipped with such an application, should be able to quickly solve rampant noise pollution. Equal enforcement of the law is a pillar of the rule of law, something dear to the heart of our late King. Thus, tradition or no, everyone must be held to the same standard. This is how civil society works.

Suffering in silence

Two cases reported this week highlight the vindictiveness of those in power. One being the employee who was fired from her job for blowing the whistle on the Agriculture Ministry for its alleged misdemeanors. The other, when police began checking foreigners who occupy the condominium where one resident had the audacity to complain about the loud bell ringing in the local wat.

These are two good examples of why good people are loath to come forward and suffer in silence.

Saving heinous face

In an absolutely appalling display of the true nature of "Thainess" a group of older students violently abused a young autistic girl in their school. One of these sadists later issued a bold-faced lie on social media suggesting he was trying to help his victim with her hair. Subsequently, the parents tried to pay off the victims family to keep quiet about the crime.

So let's be clear, the assault upon a young helpless girl, the lying, and the hush money, all of it committed not individually but collectively, is "Thainess". It is a reflexive tendency to commit heinous acts and then do absolutely anything in the aftermath in order to save face.

The whole nation must learn from this incident, especially the government, for they do the exact same thing (in moral terms) on a daily basis.

Pay up for pets

Re: "Outcry forces govt to withdraw pet welfare bill", (BP, Oct 12).

In one form or another the registration of household pets is an excellent idea, not the least in that it would help differentiate between domestic pets and the seemingly endlessly increasing packs of feral dogs that plague Thailand.

If the charges for registration were put towards funding a concerted programme to reduce the numbers of these often sick, diseased and dangerous dogs, I, for one, would happily pay up.

Another point that the authorities might consider as they mull a reworked bill is that owners of unneutered pets should pay a higher rate than those who have had their dogs and cats sterilised. This again would help reduced the numbers of unwanted dogs that end up roaming the streets, lanes, parks and beaches throughout Thailand.

All smoked out

Yes, passengers do indeed flaunt the non-smoking laws on SRT trains. "Train passengers ignore smoking bans, survey shows". I take the train from Prachin Buri to Bangkok and back regularly. Railroad police, ticket collectors, maintenance men, all walk back and forth through the coaches totally ignoring smokers who either occupy the last seats or stand between coaches smoking.

The cigarette smoke is drawn into the coaches and can at times be overpowering, but no one gives a damn, as there is absolutely no enforcement. It is even more amusing to see the railroad police greet the smokers as if they knew them. I've written to the SRT management a number of times, but have never had the courtesy of a reply. Why bother to run the story at all. No one cares or will do anything to rectify the problem. It was, is and will be, without change.

Drug alert for 'Big Joke'

An open letter to the BMA:

I, and everyone else, in the area of Sukhumvit 13 realise that the problem of West African drug dealers touting in the area will probably never go away because it must be far too lucrative for the authorities, who allow them to continue their dirty work, to get rid of them.

I would, however, like to ask the BMA to make just one concession to the general public who have to tolerate those dreadful people. Is it possible to install a toilet for them so that we no longer have to witness them unashamedly urinating in Soi 13 alongside the recently refurbished 7-11 and then casually strutting back down the soi, still doing their trousers up, to re-join their mates as though it was the most normal thing in the world?

Surely this cannot be too much to ask?

Alternatively, arrangements could be made, I suppose, for "Big Joke", Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal, to pay them a visit. Do you have his phone number, BMA?

Enduring legacies

Re: "2 great kings to be feted this month", (BP, Oct 10).

King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, indisputably deserves the admiration accorded him for decades. Not least among his achievements that earned him the title "Great", are those reforms that helped to move the Thai nation firmly into the technologically and morally developing twentieth century. Not only did this great king willingly act to abolish the ancient tradition of slavery, as early as 1873 (Royal Gazette), he ended the feudal practice of prostration, arguing that such relics of a bygone era did not suit the modern nation he sought to forge for the Thai people. Like other great leaders, he welcomed ideas from outside to strengthen in all ways the nation he led, including the democratic values of the Enlightenment.

Who would not respect this great Thai reformer whose visionary mindset revised old ways to more fully respect the human dignity of all of his subjects?

Thailand is fortunate that this great king's example of modernisation has been followed by his successors, including such tireless advocates of progress as Prince Mahidol, who was instrumental in bringing modern medicine to the Thai nation, and the Prince's son, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose wisdom, as seen for example by his comments on Thailand's lese majeste laws made in his birthday speech of 2005, must earn the respect of those who value human rights and decency.

These descendants of King Chulalongkorn shared both Western education and their great ancestor's willingness to embrace ways of thinking beyond Thai tradition, thereby following in and confirming Rama V's enduring legacy to the modern Thai nation.

Plants have feelings too

Re: "Token vegetarians", (PostBag, Oct 10).

Many people who are honouring the current vegetarian cultural diet are constantly denigrated by boorish attitudes like those put forth by Norman Sr and labelled "tokens" or "hypocrites". Most vegetarians make false claims of moral superiority by stating that there is no pain or suffering from their dietary choices.

Nothing can be further from the truth though. Plants are sentient beings, just different than human beings. Research shows that plants communicate, problem solve, and are also evolving. Vegetarians make a delusional claim that they are morally superior because plants do not "scream" in a manner that our limited hearing sense can register. Killing any living thing is murder! Rationale and reasoning can be positioned for justification-but denial of this fact is delusional and an example of why much of our social dialogue is collapsing into irrelevance.

The only food that a plant "gives freely" without causing harm to the plant itself is fruits and nuts. If you are cutting one down or uprooting it, you are killing the plant. If you really believe that vegetarianism is more ecologically balanced, then you should encourage any choices that support this effort. But do not deride people and label them as murderers and killers because they do eat meat when vegans are also taking the lives of other life forms.

Re: "Token vegetarians", (PostBag, Oct 10).

I agree with Norman Sr that it seems hypocritical to be a vegetarian for a week during the Vegetarian Festival while continuing to eat animals the rest of the year.

On the other hand, if millions of people abstain from eating animals for just one week it may to some degree reduce the number of animals who are slaughtered and it does teach people that eating vegetarian food can be perfectly enjoyable. And that awareness might encourage some people to be vegetarians all year around. So the Vegetarian Festival is better than nothing.

'Death Island' appeal

As it was reported in a recent British online media with the headline "Holiday death riddle", Thailand's "death island" Koh Tao claims another victim as holidaymaker, 33, becomes the 11th person to die under mysterious circumstances. Wake up to reality, folks. Koh Tao is becoming more infamous worldwide every time a murder or rape occurs, however, the prime minister is concerned with Thailand's reputation. Yet tourists keep flocking to the place. What exactly is Koh Tao's appeal that other islands lack?

Having visited Koh Tao recently, I found absolutely nothing spectacular. But I did get a crick in my neck from looking over my shoulder, keeping my eye on my drink, on the person sitting next to me in a bar, and did not venture out after sunset. Some holiday, eh?

Useless UK embassy

It was recently announced that from Jan 1, 2019 the British Embassy in Bangkok will no longer provide a pension letter service required by Thai Immigration.

Some time ago the embassy stopped issuing and renewing passports; it also outsourced the provision of visas for those wishing to visit the UK. Registration of UK citizens visiting or residing here was disbanded, as was the warden system whereby British residents were appointed in key areas to inform UK citizens of important developments such as cases of national emergencies. I understand honorary consuls in major Thai cities were also terminated.

If it's not too much trouble, perhaps someone from the embassy can respond and advise us of exactly what services it can provide -- if any.

Celebration of change

There probably has not been a more controversial appointment to the Supreme Court in American history than that of Brett Kavanaugh. The conservatives applaud him as a model of consistency and freedom, while the liberals view him as a lying rapist.

However, what is lost in all the commotion is that the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of America can be viewed as a celebration of diversity. Instead of the typical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (Wasp) being elected to the upper American court, Donald Trump nominated someone who is a Catholic; and for that, the president should be given credit.

Let us not forget that by most accounts, the greatest president in American history, John F Kennedy, was a Catholic.

Now I am not comparing Brett Kavanaugh to Kennedy; nonetheless, it is refreshing that someone who came from a different background than normal was given a US Supreme Court post.

Many have said that someone such as Donald Trump is needed to "drain the swamp", so to speak. But it must be remembered that a person can be the president of America for at most eight years, while a Supreme Court judge is a lifetime appointment. So it is, in fact, a person such as Judge Kavanaugh who is more able to bring about real change in the US than can the president himself.

Strange business

Thai Smile Airways advertises promotional prices on their website, which are not available and cannot be booked for any date as I recently found out while searching for a flight to Chiang Mai. They also do not reply to customers' emails.

Strange way of doing business.