OPINION

Land of intrigues

Under PM Prayut Chan-o-cha's leadership since 2014, there have been mysterious incidents that have led political junkies to rack their brains trying to solve them.

April 2017, the brass plaque commemorating the birth of democracy in the 1932 revolution that ended absolute monarchy rule, disappeared from the Royal Plaza and was replaced with a new one with a totally different inscription that inspires the love of family, religion and monarchy.

In December 2018, the historic Constitution Defence Monument at Laksi district that marked the government victory over a pro-monarchy rebellion in 1933 was removed, supposedly to make way for a new elevated train route. Nobody knows where it has gone.

In both cases, the authorities mimicked the role of Sgt Schultz in the sitcom Hogan's Heroes, "I-I know n-o-t-hing".

Who did it and why? What's next? The Democracy Monument?

And PM Prayut intrigued political junkies even more by altering the oath he cited before the King, deliberately leaving out a pledge to protect and obey the constitution. (He won't explain why. He could have at least said, "I can't tell you, not even on my deathbed".)

We should change our national motto to "Thailand, Land of Mysteries and Intrigues".

Charter disrespect

I have read that the prime minister carried around a folder that apparently contained the names of people suspected of sabotaging the nation. I hope his name is at the top of the list because after spending a large amount of time and money on writing a new constitution and then holding a referendum on it, his refusing to swear an oath to uphold it shows his disrespect for the constitutional monarchy and is tantamount to spitting on democracy.

In my opinion, not only should he resign, but he should be tried for treason.

5-star TM30 boycott

The obvious solution to the government's continued inaction regarding the TM30 debacle is, as another correspondent suggested, for foreigners and landlords to boycott the whole process as a protest and refuse to pay fines.

The authorities would be faced with clogging up the courts with legal actions against the protesters and arresting thousands of people en masse in order to mindlessly enforce the law. There are neither the court resources nor detention facilities to deal with the numbers involved.

All those empty hotel rooms due to Thailand's dwindling tourist arrivals could be utilised as temporary detention facilities. Foreigners could then come to Thailand just to get arrested, stay in a 5-star resort awaiting their day in court, all for the cost of a few thousand baht fine.

Surely this would be a boon for the tourism industry and the Thai economy. Over to you, Gen Prayut.

'Glistering' heritage

How wonderful to read the Sept 23 headline "Institute says all that glisters isn't gold".

Though most people think the word is "glitters", "glisters" is an accurate rendering from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. ("All that glisters is not gold / Often have you heard that told / Many a man his life hath sold / But my outside to behold / Gilded tombs do worms enfold.")

At a time of "dumbing down" in the media, it's good to know that there are a few scholars out there who cherish the English language and its poetic heritage.