OPINION

Silencing the youth

Well, let's see. This week we learned that the permafrost in the Arctic is thawing much faster than was anticipated which is going to lead to a faster rise of sea levels than we had anticipated.

And 16-year-old Greta Thunberg was named "Person of the Year" by Time Magazine for her activism against global warming.

And here in Thailand, the old men running our government are apparently doing everything they can to silence the young voices that will be most seriously affected by global warming.

Re: "Agency mulls car demolition perks", (BP, Dec 12).

I find it amusing that the Federation of Thai Industries, auto industry club and certain supporters in government are so certain that a quick cash handout is going to do anything to reduce Thailand's air pollution crisis.

They claim that newer cars emit fewer toxic fumes and that giving Thai motorists a 30,000 or 60,000-baht cash incentive to buy newer and less polluting cars will therefore lower Thailand's air pollution. They're dead wrong.

First of all, newer cars do pollute less, but they still run on gas and they still pollute. They also come with a dizzying array of never-ending electronic temptations that older cars didn't have such as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, rear-seat TVs, touchscreen climate controls, USB chargers, WiFi hotspots & all manners of gadgets which will increase the time which occupants spend in the vehicle... all the while with the motor running, spewing even more toxic gas into Thailand's smoggy skies.

Second, I would allege the chair of FTI auto industry club has some of his facts wrong when he claimed that old cars are subject to higher taxes and fees in the USA. I happen to own a 35-year-old vehicle in the USA. I pay the same sales tax, fees, tolls & price per litre of gas as anyone else. However, my insurance and repair costs are frequently not even 10% of a new car and I only paid 5% of what a comparable new Cadillac would cost; allowing me to save at least 1.5 million baht (US$55,000).

The leadership of the FTI auto industry club and certain sympathisers in the government seem to think that air pollution will be lowered when we take older cars off the road and dramatically escalate everyone's costs and debts, but I think they're wrong. Their policies are anti-poor and anti-middle class because they were spun in the ivory towers of researchers and government officials who routinely have high incomes that most people do not.

If the Federation of Thai Industries was really concerned with industry and jobs, it would generate an engine replacement system in old cars that would create more jobs here in Thailand from mechanics to engineers instead of allowing international automakers to be the sole beneficiaries.

The international community has paid much attention to China's Xinjiang affairs. I would like to clarify.

People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have suffered from extremism and terrorism in the past 20 years, with thousands of violent cases that have caused the loss of lives and damages to property, freedom of normal religious belief and other basic human rights of local people of all ethnic groups.

In recent years, Xinjiang has taken very clear-aimed measures to prevent extremism and terrorism from the root, which is not only in line with Chinese law, but also commensurate with the common ideas advocated by the international community.

The vocational skills education and training centres in Xinjiang are set up to help those who are "brainwashed" by violence, terrorism and extremism to get rid of the influence of extremist thoughts and terrorism while improving their vocational skills. It's not a concentration camp.

In recent years, Xinjiang has made remarkable achievements in counterterrorism and de-radicalisation. Facts speak louder than words. In the past three years, there has not been a case of violent terrorism, and the fundamental rights of people of all ethnic groups, such as the right to life, the right to health and the right to development, have been effectively guaranteed.

The people of Xinjiang have stopped living under the fear or influence of extreme terrorism and have begun to enjoy a life of peace, stability, prosperity and development. Last year, the number of tourists to Xinjiang increased by 40% and the GDP grew by more than 6%. People's religious freedom is fully guaranteed. There are more than 28,000 religious places and 30,000 religious staff in Xinjiang, with an average of one mosque for every 350 Muslims, a rate higher than that in many Muslim countries. These facts can't be erased by western media.

The affairs of Xinjiang are purely an internal matter of China. Some media has used despicable means to hype Xinjiang related issues and discredit Xinjiang's counterterrorism efforts. Some politicians openly met with the "East Turkistan" separatists and backed the movement of "East Turkistan" forces. The "fake news" they concocted has been repeatedly confronted by facts. They have completely lost their integrity and morality.

The so-called "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019" passed by the US House of Representatives deliberately smears the human rights condition in Xinjiang, slanders China's efforts in de-radicalisation and counter-terrorism and viciously attacks the Chinese government's Xinjiang policy. It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. China firmly opposes to it.

Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion, but about fighting violence, terrorism and separatism. We reiterate our position clearly to the US that Xinjiang is a part of China and that its affairs are purely domestic affairs which allows for no foreign interference. The aforementioned bill only reveals America's double standards on counter-terrorism and further exposes to the Chinese people its hypocrisy and malicious intentions. The Chinese government and people are determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. It is absolutely impossible for the US to use Xinjiang-related issues to instigate China's national relations, undermine Xinjiang's prosperity and stability, and curb China's development and growth. We urge the US to correct its mistakes at once, not develop this bill into law, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs. China will take further actions according to the development of the situation.

History has proved that some countries, manipulating with double standards and using counterterrorism as a means to grab geopolitical gains, not only caused more terrorism but even caused regional turbulence. China's new counterterrorism campaign aims to improve people's livelihood, addressing both the symptoms and root causes. Since the end of last year, more than 70 groups of foreign delegations have visited Xinjiang, witnessing the good situation of its stable and prosperous development. They praised Xinjiang's counterterrorism and de-radicalisation efforts and believed that they are worthy examples to other countries. People can tell right from wrong. Not long ago, more than 60 countries made a joint statement at the UN General Assembly in support of China's Xinjiang-related policies, opposing some western countries' practice of interfering in China's internal affairs in the name of "human rights" and politicising human rights. More than 30 of those countries are Islamic countries. This is a clear testament that the general public could make the right judgement on the issue of human rights.

Any plot to slander Xinjiang's counterterrorism and de-radicalisation efforts as well as to interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine Xinjiang's stable development is doomed to fail. China will continue to conduct its own affairs well, implement its own policy of governing Xinjiang and build a stable Xinjiang with a view to ethnic unity and social harmony.

Re: "Minor chief slams Airbnb training scheme", (BP, Dec 12).

Bill Heinecke appears to be somewhat selective in his concern for the Thai tourist industry. Hotels are generally specialist high-rise buildings where fire and safety regulations are necessary. Individual apartment blocks in Thailand should already comply with necessary fire regulations as residential buildings. Houses and villas do not require sprinkler systems etc. Therefore, the demands for hotel type regulations are inappropriate.

Mr Heinecke seems concerned that Airbnb may not pay tax on its commission. He seems less animated about the far greater commissions paid to companies like booking.com to fill Minor Group's 520 hotels. My friends use Airbnb to rent their villa and they pay tax on the income so contributing to the economy.

In European cities like Paris and Rome hoteliers have elevated the art of extortion to an art form, often offering tiny rooms with few facilities for 5-star prices.

That is not the case in Thailand where we are spoilt for high-quality affordable hotels. But we are predominantly a tourist destination and hotels do not meet everyone's needs. For example, Airbnb offers families and groups villas where they can holiday together without parents being confined to a hotel room once children are in bed. Few hotels offer that freedom.

Thai newspapers this week reported the sad death of 96-year-old Ven Phra Ajahn Tong Sirimangalo, the abbot of Wat Phra That Sri Chom Tong, Chiang Mai. This was a wonderful monk who devoted his life to teaching Buddhist meditation at Wat Muang Man, Chiang Mai, before going on to set up foreign meditation centres at Wat Ram Poeng and Wat Phra That Sri Chom Tong also in Chiang Mai. Not only that, but he also made countless trips to foreign countries such as the UK, Germany, and Mexico with the sole aim of teaching meditation.

In fact, in 1976 there was a book that was first published in the UK but later available in Thailand, titled A Meditator's Diary, in which the author reported that she had gone to Wat Muang Man to learn meditation from Luang Por Tong as he was the only abbot in Thailand who would allow a female meditator to stay overnight in a Buddhist temple.

Yet, the Bangkok Post made no mention of the death of this most highly respected yet most humble of monks.

I do not expect you to publish this letter, but believe it is important to make my point.

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.