OPINION

Global warning

I heard some Thai youth were due to protest older people's inaction in this country on global warming yesterday in Bangkok. Given the horrors that await them if little or nothing is done by our leaders, I hope they are successful in getting some action from people who seem totally oblivious to the problem, or are too old or inflexible to care.

During the Vietnam War, teach-ins were held at some US schools to educate young people about the true reasons for that war. These teach-ins led many students to protest the Vietnam War, which helped bring an end to it. I would like to suggest that there be teach-ins in schools here to educate as many young people as possible as soon as possible about the unpleasant and shortened life that awaits them if nothing serious is done by their elders about global warming now.

The curriculum for the teach-ins could be "The Uninhabitable Earth" which should be required reading in every high school and university in Thailand now.

Re: "Court suspends Thanathorn from MP", (BP, May 23).

A large number of Thai political observers, upon reading the news of Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit being suspended by the Constitutional Court from his MP duty, pending investigation -- together with the picture of him and FFP secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul trying the uniforms of political officials ahead of the opening of parliament -- described the situation as boon mee, tae kam bung.

Translation: "Despite a great fortune coming one's way, one however blew one's chance (either by one's action, or lack of it)".

Recent polls suggested political discontent amongst youth. The main concern seems that their happiness is destroyed. Would someone tell us how happiness was destroyed? Mobiles work, tablets work, there is no revolution or destruction anywhere, universities function, traffic is still jammed, air is still polluted, all the traditional norms are in place, the rainy season is set to commence, yet young people are not happy. What constitutes happiness for youth in Thailand or any other country?

Re: "Coups not the answer", (PostBag).

Felix Qui should remember that newspaper readers prefer brevity. Say what you have to say in the fewest words, not going on and on. Most of us took Philosophy 101 and Government 101 at one time or another as undergrads. We had to put up with endless lectures for grades, but not anymore. Spare us, Mr Qui, spare us your wit and wisdom. You are soon to be talking to the wall.

Does having 80 different political parties participating in the last election make any sense? We read about people who were encouraged to establish parties by some forces with promises of later financial support, but faced reality by winding up with huge debts. So why all these new parties?

I heard talks about political ideology in Thai politics, like within Pheu Thai, which I haven't got a grasp of. So what about when you hear about the previous 35 political parties? Can you perceive all the differences? And now an astonishing 80 parties in the last election? With 80 different platforms, ideologies or point of views? Or was it about people going into politics with different motives? Or were the new parties just an undemocratic trick again, a trick by the same forces many of the regular letter writers hold as a guarantee of democracy in Thailand, and who earlier tried to trick Thailand with nighttime voting and a princess? If it was a trick, who benefited from all the votes spread out among 80 parties, diluting the political power making Thailand an impotent democracy?

One of the biggest parties has its historic and well-established voting base in concentrated areas of Thailand, while the opposing newcomer party had to catch votes from all over the country without it's own established voting base, and also had to compete with many of the 45 new parties in the same areas. So guess which party lost most votes to the 45 new parties? Could it be the new PPRP? And Pheu Thai gained from the swarm of new parties, parties not operating in its heartland but stealing votes from PPRP in the rest of the country? Was it another smart trick with some of the 45 new parties by some established forces trying to suck the blood out of the new non-established challenger? Or what was it?

I enjoy reading articles in the Bangkok Post even though I do not share all the same sentiments. You say the anti-coup politicians are the pro-democracy parties, and I find it strange that you think a party that has a fugitive who picks its candidates, and decides who its ministers are from another country, is democratic. A man who declared a war on drugs that killed over 2,000 people who were mainly addicts, or family members killed extrajudicially, and many of the so-called democratic party were members of that government, not to mention the Tak Bai massacre -- they were all done by a democracy-loving party and its offshoots.

Just an opinion of an Australian who still remembers, even though many have forgotten.

As an American Jew, I have long argued that America's one-sided support of Israel is not only immoral but doesn't serve America's interest. If you read Osama Bin Laden's propaganda, you'll know that America's pro-Israeli policies were a factor in what led to the 9/11 attack.

The American-Israeli lobby also lobbied for America to go to war in Iraq, because that's what Israel wanted. And Israel is now trying to get America into a war with Iran that would make the Iraq war look like a Sunday picnic by contrast.

I regard the American-Israeli lobby as being extremely unpatriotic, because they represent the interests of a foreign country. (Although it's difficult to get an exact number, there are tens of thousands of Jews who are simultaneously American and Israeli citizens) And what really upsets me is that the media makes it appear as if those Zionists represent most American Jews when they clearly don't.

For a long time I have been having trouble with the apparent contradictions shown by our military towards the Chinese. A few months back, the new army leader gave us his opinion on just how he felt about communists by reviving the military song known in English as Scum of the Earth. He was rather emotional in his descriptions and opinions about any serious changes in governmental style with socialist opinions. Meanwhile, the regime and its military leadership were involved in several deals and negotiations for Chinese arms, high-speed trains and other trade arrangements worth many billions of baht. So just how do they hold these two vastly contradicting opinions, or is it all just show? Thailand's military has not changed its nature in 80 years, the Chinese are still under the same government they were during the 60s and 70s, but somehow it's all forgotten if the price is right.

True Visions has for the past two to three months been censoring CNN and BBC news with a none too subtle blank screen, with the words "Normal Programming Will Resume Shortly". Much of the censored content regards democracy, or the lack of it, and politics and elections coverage. Now they are using a new technique, which also lacks subtlety by delaying the start of the two news programmes by five minutes. One can only assume it is to enable cutting parts out before they are shown and that no one will notice, but you can't help but notice because they then fill the gaps with inane advertising.

The majority of the Thai population do not watch these two news programmes, so what is the point? I have lived here for 37 years. I know what is going on. Does True Visions think that hiding the reality is good for democracy in Thailand, and that they have the right to dictate what we can see? If they continue to edit and cut content then they should give a discount on the monthly subscription cost because we are not able see the full programme. And they should be open that they are censoring paid news content to their subscribers.

Re: "Tariffs a boon for US garlic growers" and "Nike, Adidas call tax 'catastrophic'", (BP, May 22).

Trade wars generate some interesting short-term "winners" and "losers" within the corporate world. The two articles effectively illustrate how some companies may benefit from trade wars -- perhaps in unintended ways (or, as economists would say, "perversely") -- while others lose out.

Like their US cousins, some Thai companies may benefit from the ongoing trade dispute between the world's super economies, while many others will struggle. Those supplying raw materials and components to Chinese companies used in manufacturing items for sale in the US are likely to suffer. Those companies selling directly to the US market may get an opportunity to increase sales, perhaps even at higher prices, in the near term.

One thing is certain. While individual companies may gain or lose in a trade war, consumers will definitely lose. Consumers pay for all the added costs of tariffs, production inefficiencies and market instability by way of higher prices for the products they buy.

If Jack Gilead watches the 6pm national anthem slot more carefully, he will notice a suited Westerner lurking in the background of one scene. Painfully and significantly, he is the only one who is not participating in the singing, although I know that such vocalisation can be sourced.