Hidden in plain sight
Re: "'Don't blame army'", (BP, Feb 12)
A quick look on the internet gave me the following definition of sacred: "connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration". How this describes the Thai military is anyone's guess but I suppose its leaders need to believe great things of their institution.
Another quick search informed me that certain military leaders were involved in the 1932 overthrow of the absolute monarchy system which was then replaced by a constitution.
Nineteen of these have since been torn up as a result of further military involvement, not in warfare, but in politics which appears to be their main sphere of interest. The last war that I would describe as a full Thai affair was the Siam-Franco war of 1893.
History appears to show the real side they are on -- the military. It is doubtful that the Thai taxpayer considers the army to be of good value or essential but surely the time has come for a proper evaluation of their worth to the Thai nation.
Lungstib
Built on blood
Behold! A shiny new meme is born this day!
But when he proclaims in his wisdom the Thai army as a "sacred organisation", has the army chief been more honest than intended? Their shared etymology reveals the real gruesome truth: the sacred has a long history of demanding blood sacrifices; rather, the high priests, the sacerdos, lust for the blood of innocents.
Felix Qui
No planning skills
Re: "Lives come first", (PostBag, Feb 13).
Yes, Thailand does not pre-plan for any disaster or problem. The best upfront example is the current drought crisis affecting 21 provinces. This has been ongoing for more years than I can remember during my 23 years of living here. All we have ever hear is what the governments that were in office planned to do, not what they actually did to alleviate the situation.
Most of my Thai friends do not pre-plan, or for the laughable example, do not even pre-pack prior to travel, either in or out of Thailand. The morning before departure, it is, "Oh, where is my ticket?" or, "Where is my passport?" etc. It is tossed together clothes in a carry-all, hurried out the door and then a quick dash to the airport is made.
If a famine was to be suddenly announced and the people ordered to stockpile food a few weeks in advance, I'm sure most of my good friends and neighbours would wait until the night before or the morning of the disaster. So it goes, Mr Cox. We have learned to live with it and chuckle every time a disaster hits. It is easier than trying to figure out the how, what, why, when, where of situations. This is indeed, truly "Amazing Thailand".
General Ya'akov Golani
Hypocritical ways
Re: "Morality studies get thumbs up", (BP, Feb 13).
If children see, read and hear about adults engaged in corrupt activities which seem to be rampant in Thailand, I don't think any number of hours of morality studies will make any difference in their behaviour.
In my opinion, all they are going to learn is how hypocritical some adults are -- saying one thing, yet doing another.
A Reader
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