OPINION

Disagree, you get mutilated

Re: “Free speech still illegal”, (PostBag, Dec 13).

Eric Bahrt is right to challenge Country Dweller’s absurd claim that people in Thailand are not arrested for expressing their opinions. However, a much worse fate than imprisonment or a session of “attitude adjustment” can befall those whose opinions offend powerful forces.

For example, in December last year the mutilated bodies of two, or maybe three, exiled political dissidents were found on the Thai side of the Mekong. As far as I am aware, there has been no serious attempt by authorities to investigate these murders and bring the culprits to justice. There are also reports that other political dissidents have disappeared without trace.

Reporters Without Borders places Thailand at 136 out of 180 countries assessed for levels of press freedom, down from 65 in 2004. That says it all.

Robin Grant

No matter what transpires in coming days, this government’s attempt to sideline the Future Forward Party is going to go down in Thai history as one of the monumental miscalculations of all time.

It seems to me that if this government hopes to be seen at all kindly by future generations, it had better take a long hard look at what its place in Thai history is going to be like five or 10 years from now if it stays on its present course. Because from what I see now, it is headed straight for the infamy of the Suchinda government or possibly even worse.

Historian

Re: “Xinjiang China’s Affair”, (PostBag, Dec 14).

Chinese Ambassador Lyu Jian’s letter makes interesting reading. We are all entitled to our opinions. I spread the same stuff under my trees and plants every few weeks, only it has another name. Myanmar’s Suu Kyi is caught in the same web. “See the situation as I see it, not as the rest of the world sees it.”

Jack Gilead

Is Mr Bahrt, in his interpretation of the Nida poll in his Dec 12 letter counting apples and oranges, adding it up as one unit?

The Bangkok Post extract of the Nida poll is not clear. As I read it they refer to three variables, overall performance, performance in various fields and ideology. On overall performance 33.7% of the respondents said Gen Prayut has fared poorly and 39% said he performed very well and fairly well.

The report also said that 25.9% had stated Gen Prayut’s performance was not satisfactory in “various fields”.

But isn’t it meaningless to add up numbers of “overall performance” with “performance in various fields”, just as hopeless as comparing apples and oranges?

Am I mistaken or is the poll extract unclear?

Why not let us readers judge by ourselves by publishing the whole report?

A Johnsen

It’s extremely disrespectful to the Thais for S Tsow to say that making noise and waking up the entire neighbourhood is part of Thai culture (PostBag, Dec 12).

Generally the Thais who make that kind of noise are young ill-mannered louts who don’t represent the majority of Thais.

Just the other night a waitress in a Chiang Mai bar told me that an elderly Thai man who lived next door had asked the bar to turn down their music so he could get some sleep. Or what about Thai children who have to go to school the next day and need their sleep?

I reject the view that Thais are so uncivilised that they regard any request to show some common courtesy as an assault against their culture. The Thais are better than that.

(Incidentally earplugs are totally useless and if they’re made out of wax they could do harm to your ears).

Eric Bahrt

As the year comes to an end Santa reappears and visits shopping centres for photos and pleas from thousands of children lying about how well they have behaved this year. Situation normal.

The Santa seat was in the middle of the shopping centre ready for his arrival but there was a sign saying he wouldn’t be there on Friday the 13th. I doubt that Santa is superstitious or out on the town, so he must have gone north to update the naughty-nice lists. Situation a bit odd.

Another sign states: “This Santa Set is under constant video surveillance”, presumably to stop any unauthorised late night stolen photo opportunities. Situation a bit sad.

It’s just a small shopping centre filled mostly with seniors drinking coffee slowly and little else. The spirit of Christmas is attached to the walls and halls although the Santa Set signs diminish it.

There is a time for coming together and celebrating the best life brings to everyone around the world but the signs are not good. Let’s work on it or Santa might have to take this season off.

Dennis Fitzgerald