Asean must use power

Re: "Asean must walk the walk," (Editorial, June 26).

Asean countries should be interconnected by train. Trade should be made as easy as possible. A single visa would encourage travellers to move around Asean. As a group, these countries have a lot of economic power.

China is strangling their water supply. Water is a basic human right. They should have their privilege checked.

Konajake

Villains smile too

Re: "Popular life coach sparks anger after endorsing Prawit", (BP, June 26).

The response by young Thais to "social media influencer" Sean Buranahiran is encouraging. His followers show a healthy independence in thinking and speaking their own minds, valuable qualities for society. Mr Sean appears not to realise that the worst do strive to be charismatic, to seem reasonable, and selfless, and "kind of sweet". How else, to take a non-political example, would paedophile priests, monks, teachers, scout leaders and other socially respected family friends get what they are after if they did not seem "kind of sweet" to trusting parents and their children? Fraud, of course, succeeds best when the wicked present as friendly and trustworthy. And then there is that long list of charismatic politicians, for whom being "kind of sweet" mixed with socially populist authoritarianism proves a useful tool on their road map to deeds not so sweet.

Is Sean so more easily swayed than many of his followers as to think the image projected in private or in public a more reliable to guide people's true natures than what they are known to have actually done? Has he yet to learn, as Shakespeare has Hamlet put it, "That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain."

Felix Qui

History's dark side

If public schools were doing a better job of educating us about the dark side of famous people like Columbus, I could feel at least a little sympathetic about seeing their statues being torn down. Maybe schools are doing a better job of teaching about the dark side of some of these people now, but when I was a student I didn't even know most of them had a dark side until I got into university.

No Longer Blissfully Ignorant

Highways to hell

Yes, roads to nowhere indeed. On a recent visit to the kingdom, prior to the lockdown, I noticed construction going on for three-lane highways in both directions everywhere. It might be okay to build new roadways, highways and bridges, but that will only increase road deaths. Thai drivers do not understand "give right of way", "do not tailgate", "do not speed excessively", "do not drink and drive". It is only a matter of time before drivers will kill themselves off, thus paving way for the next generations to follow with the same results. As for shoddy construction, yes to that too. Newly laid cement or asphalt crumbles about a month or two after a highway opens, causing sectional closures for … more shoddy patchwork and road repair.

David James Wong

Concrete action

"The Mind Boggles. I believe that one of our recent governments had made a commitment to the world that it will take some concrete action to reduce carbon emissions in Thailand or was I just dreaming about that?" Pun intended I suppose?

Ron Martin

Happy to be Canadian

In front of every provincial parliament building in Canada, there sits on a large pedestal, a statue of her former Britannic Majesty, Queen Victoria. These statues are identical to the one that was at the entrance of the former British embassy compound in Bangkok. I wonder how long these monuments to a glorious past will last if Canadians are infected by the same hysteria, ignorance and stupidity as their neighbours across the vast border. Somehow, I'm thankful to be Canadian and not American. At least Canadians are a bit more rational, a conservative nation whose citizenry are taught to think and evaluate … so far anyway.

Many of us look at our neighbours across the border as boors, rednecks and yobs who are easily led and incited to hysteria by every idiot who decides to raise an issue.

Ontarian

Tourists in situ

There is a class of foreigners that appears to have been overlooked per your front-page article today: foreigners currently in Thailand whose visas will expire on July 31. There must be millions of such foreigners who have been locked down here for months and thus are virus free. Many if not most would be delighted to leave and come right back in to "Trusted Thailand".

The alternative is to have a mass exodus of tourists (and their money) on July 31. Seems like some provision should be made for this group.

Randy Hurlburt

THAI, Qantas merger

With Thai Airways on the brink and airlines like Qantas weighed down as well it is time for some new cooperative plans and thinking. A mighty airline in the region would be an attractive prospect. Perhaps Qantas and THAI should explore joining the international arms of the two airlines and become a strong competitor with the Middle East Airlines on routes. The two together would be an attractive popular choice and have perfect hubs for travel.

It would be a good link for the two nations in our region.

Stuart DavieAustralia

Forgotten foreigners

I've read a lot of articles about reopening borders to foreigners and it's always about tourists or those with work permits and now medical tourists. I've seen nothing regarding those who are on non-O and O-A visas and extensions of stay who are out of country waiting to come home to their friends and family.

Are we even included in the many meetings of government officials of relative departments?

Ken

Immigration success

My wife and I went to Chaengwatthana on Thursday for our 12th visa extension.

I must confess that being 64 years old, I was a bit concerned at being in a crowd, as the early photos in the shutdown showed.

Much to my relief, nothing to worry about.

Social distancing was well organised, even us, who arrived after the queue numbers were exhausted, were allowed in sequentially.

The only suggestion I'd make, my wife's idea actually, since distancing means a much-reduced seating capacity in the immediate area, opening the side door where people were seated in the first queue would increase seating capacity.

I didn't want to go out in case we missed our turn, but a speaker outside plus the open door would solve that problem.

All said, well done!

David Surin

The end of patriotism

Most people are familiar with the popular timeline, a cartoon depicting mankind's evolution from quadruped to biped, shown in a series of man's rising postures.

We presently live in an age of scientific and academic achievements, medical achievements, the rudiments of space exploration. It seems that instead of continuing to evolve, at least mentally, to a higher standard of understanding and enlightenment, segments of the world population seem to be regressing, succumbing to hysteria, greed, complacency, self-aggrandisement. We are not willing to stand up for our countries, the ideals that made our countries great, the wars we fought or the blood and lives sacrificed to maintain that which we now take for granted to protect our rights and freedoms. The patriotism that our former generations once displayed seems to have been dissipated. Segments of many populations want to rewrite their national histories to suit individual purposes, misguided in thought that the eradication of the past will heal the present. Many have become sheep-like, permitting this to happen. What a pity, not only for the United States, but for all other countries where this is being permitted to happen. The verb is simply, "to placate", and hope all ills will disappear on their own. A pity, a true and sorrowful pity.

General Ya'akov Golani

No flights to Turkey

Re: "Turkey in safe tourism push to Thais", (BP, June 25).

How to get there? No direct flights from Bangkok!

Turkish Airlines stopped months ago!

Reinald Lueke

Student visa woes

I am a new student at Bangkok University. I had started the application process in March. Under normal circumstances, I would have gone back to my country after admission and got a student visa from the Thai consulate over there. Then the Covid-19 crisis started. International travel has been banned since then.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to change my tourist visa to a student visa, according to government regulation. With the semester starting soon and no real possibility of international travel to my country, where the situation is getting worse, I appeal to the government to relax this rule, so that I can change my type of visa right here, in Thailand, and start studying.

Confused Student

All lives matter

It now appears that the adjective "white" is considered to be "racist" by the chairman of Burnley FC and Chief Superintendent Russ proctor of the Lancashire Police has launched an investigation into the "offence" caused by the term.

I am a male, Caucasian, born several years ago in an English county and I am proud to tell both of these gentlemen that old, white, male, English lives matter -- just as much as the lives of the 7+ billion other lives on the planet.

Neither "all" nor "black" are exclusive adjectives in this context.

John Herbert
26 Jun 2020 26 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 28 Jun 2020

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