Hope for forest folk
Re: "Community Forestry Bill passes NLA", (Online, Feb 17).
"Better late than never" might be the tagline for this story. After 30 years, it looks as if Thailand may actually legitimise communities that have existed in the country's forests for generations.
Of course, the old adage, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" is apt in this case. We will have to await the implementation, regulations and details of the new legislation before passing judgment. Will long-time forest dwellers get real rights and benefits or will they only be looked upon as unpaid forest guards? Will officials continue to harass forest residents for minor "infractions" such as collecting mushrooms and firewood? Will people living in the forest be allowed to cut trees they tend and sell them for income or will they be limited to harvesting forest products only for "personal use"?
Finally, will communities located in protected areas such as national parks and wildlife refuges (often going back long before formal government declaration of the protected areas) be allowed to stay on their ancestral homes, or will they continue to be pushed out by overzealous forest rangers and police?
Let's hope that the passage of the long-delayed Community Forestry Bill will signal a sensible new approach toward forest management in the country, with genuine collaboration between forest dwellers and forest authorities.
Samanea Saman
Defending Buddhism
Re: "Do as Buddha did", (PostBag, Feb 19).
Felix Qui regularly crafts well composed and intelligent letters; his recent comments about Thai Buddhism might bear some elaboration.
Buddhism has taken on many widely differing forms consistent with the geographical and cultural influences it encounters. The Thai religion business (and in this Buddhism is far from unique) is that which is corrupt and necessitates government intervention. That the vast majority of Buddhists are nominal adherents is not at all problematic. Their enthusiastic support allows a small minority of serious practitioners to lead lives of traditional renunciation and solitary meditation. What a profound blessing that is!
Few countries can match Thailand for providing such an auspicious opportunity in this era of digitised hypnosis and commercial esotericism.
Buddhism in its uncontaminated form has always been the province of the extremely few who ardently practise and it never avails to prod those disinclined to take up real practice.
The National Office of Buddhism is a necessary evil instituted to deal with matters authentic practitioners generally find profoundly distracting.
History reveals it is only when a practitioner reaches a high level of realisation that the ship of Buddhism is righted. All the rest is mere politics and we know how that goes.
Michael Setter
Rewriting history
Re: "PM axes Israel trip over Holocaust row", (World, Feb 19).
Yes, many Poles did collaborate with the Nazis to help round up and send Polish Jews to extermination centres. It is a well-known documented fact. Why is Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki so offended? Does he wish to rewrite history and change the facts to his version of what happened? Even Germany acknowledges its role in the Holocaust.
General Ya'akov Golani
Booze ban no cure
Re: "Songkran booze ban mulled", (BP, Feb 17).
So the Public Health Ministry is proposing to ban alcohol at Songkran to reduce drink-related road accidents. I suppose that's easier than educating drivers and getting the police to strictly enforce drunk driving laws, year round.
Phil Cox
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.
