OPINION

Hunger a real threat

I refer to news reports on the ongoing debate in parliament of the 2021 national budget bill. As in the past, the military arm takes a large share of the total budget. The PM says the money is needed in case Thailand has to defend itself against its enemies.

There is an old saying: "Hunger makes a thief of any man".

With all due respect, Khun Prime Minister, it is time for you to wake up to the fact that the only enemy which Thailand has; today and tomorrow, is hunger.

Ms Zilli makes excellent points in her July 16 article Re: Hey -- teacher -- leave them kids alone". The century-old Victorian model of education based on respect, autonomy and self-discipline has been distorted and abused around the world. In the Thai context, the command, control, and "brainwashing" of innocent students is rooted in its history of military-led coups and authoritarian regimes. Those in charge of running the educational system under military rule have used Thai culture as a detergent to whitewash all the weaknesses of the system. The free-thinking and urge for the inquiry have been replaced by regimen, routines, dress code and hollow rituals. In addition, distorted implementation of Buddha's teachings combined with indoctrination have created a docile society. The results are obvious -- Thai students grow up with a cultural halo over their heads, never inquiring or challenging authority or the command and control exerted by the adults.

By the way, Thailand is not alone in its efforts to command and control the inquiring minds. Most of the Asian countries with militaristic and authoritarian regimes have used the educational system to suppress and create a subservient society. Salman Rushdie put it well: "The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible."

The letter from the Chinese embassy ("Clearing the waters," on July 16 is pure propaganda.

The Chinese embassy takes exception to basic factual statements made by the US ambassador to Thailand in his interview, "US turns focus to South China sea", on July 14. That story says "The ambassador said the US is now focusing attention on the South China Sea to make sure that Beijing does not illegally extend its control over the waterway."

China has already done this and almost every country has also opposed them. The Philippines' successful arbitration against China in the Hague, which despite citing international law it of course ignored, was supported by every country "in the region" except for Cambodia and Pakistan.

"Regional" country Pakistan is 4,862 kilometres from the South China Sea whereas the letter's "non-regional" "outsider" Guam is only 3,275 kilometres away.

Incapable of making a legal argument, the Chinese embassy says the US is an outsider and "mind your own business".

Contrary to the letter's statement that it is "a country outside the region", half of the US is on the Pacific rim and includes Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa.

Contradictorily, the embassy quotes "international law" and accuses the US of "abandoning its commitment of not taking sides on the issue of territorial sovereignty of the South China Sea". Actually, Mr DeSombre and the US were doing exactly the opposite, defending a smaller country's territory against China's aggression.

China's "peaceful" policies have consisted of taking over islands and ramming and sinking ships and are the opposite of freedom of navigation.

It also refers to UNCLOS which the US is not a party to.

The only true statement in China's letter is "China's position on the South China Sea issue has been consistent, clear-cut and firm". That "firm view" is that the whole sea is part of China.

President Trump has created a rare bipartisan consensus in the US against China due to its hostile acts. In the past, Mr DeSombre's predecessors have been notable for their public silence on anything controversial.

The US embassy represents the American people, not China's fake news. It is entitled to its own foreign policy without being lectured to or "warned" by China's unelected government. But even inconsequential comments were attacked by the "big boss" of the region, China, and its officious embassy people who oppress dissent.

Re: "Clearing the waters", (PostBag, July 16).

I'm a long-time American expat living in Thailand. I have no official status. The views expressed below are my own.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yang Yang tries to tell us why non-regional countries (like the US) should not interfere in China's activities in the South China Sea. "Mind your own business!" is a common cry from governments engaged in unsavoury activities. Such governments always invoke the principle of national sovereignty.

But that principle, left unfettered, would allow governments to imprison, brutalise, and even massacre segments of its own population with impunity. We saw it illustrated in the Holocaust, in which the Nazis massacred millions of Jews. We see it in the more recent Chinese oppression of the Tibetans and the imprisonment of the Uighurs. Such atrocities are unacceptable by civilised people. When they occur, the rest of the world should have the right to intervene.

We are all humans. Our common humanity should override narrower considerations of race, ethnicity, or ideology. The principle of ren, benevolence or humaneness, championed by the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius (Mengzi), ought to be paramount here. The worthy officials of the Chinese Embassy could profit from a perusal of the book that bears his name.

As I understand it, the objection to Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea is that its ultimate aim is to turn that sea into a Chinese lake. There, other countries will have no rights save those graciously granted by China. The artificial islands that China has been constructing constitute the chief evidence for this perception.

If China wants to convince the world that it has no imperialistic ambitions in the South China Sea, it can easily do so by dismantling and abandoning those artificial islands. Somehow I have a feeling that this won't happen.

I read PostBag every day as I am interested in the views of other people. But I don't like the lengthy submissions by the Chinese Embassy on July 16. This is not what PostBag is meant to be.

If the Chinese want to send their propaganda, let them BUY an advertisement in the Bangkok Post.

There is both good and bad news concerning the coronavirus situation here.

The good news is that few Thais have gotten ill or died from the virus.

The bad news is that a second wave is sure to hit the world, and if it lands in Thailand, many people could get ill, for the very simple reason that few Thais have developed immunity to it.

Even though many Americans have gotten ill or died during the pandemic, what the authorities there are finding out now is that the death rate is going down.

As one doctor told an American news reporter, "the best medicine against Covid 19 is herd immunity", and the evidence suggests that this is in fact what is happening in the land of the strong and free.

Hopefully, the virus will bypass Thailand if a second wave comes.

An Open Letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha:

First and foremost, thank you and the Kingdom of Thailand for allowing foreigners to remain in safe haven during this terrible virus crisis.

Secondly, there is a group of foreigners in Thailand now who need assistance that will not have a financial cost, and with no charity or welfare involved whatsoever.

There are literally thousands of healthy, Covid-free foreign teachers in Thailand that have signed contracts to work and cannot get work permits. We are somewhat the forgotten group. The Ministry of Education announced earlier in the year there was already a 10,000 teacher shortage (and that situation has worsened considerably). We who are in Thailand and are healthy, qualified, able and willing to work are asking for regulatory assistance.

Please let us process our Non-O Visas inside the kingdom, with all the usual fees and requirements. We want to work. We are able to work. We are healthy, and wish to remain healthy, too.

Please consider this.

Now that the Immigration Bureau has gone some three months without requiring long-term foreign residents to file their TM47 forms and numerous supporting documents every 90 days, perhaps officials have also noted, somewhat shockingly, that the sky has not fallen during this period. Nor has there been a noticeable uptick in the level of crime or terrorist acts perpetrated by long-term foreign residents. Armed with such experience, now would be a great time for the Immigration Bureau to eliminate this needless 90-day reporting exercise once and for all.

While they are at it, immigration officials may wish to consult with the country's economic team to be reminded that, with international tourism dead in its tracks for the foreseeable future, one of the few reliable sources of foreign currency these days is the cohort of foreigners living in Thailand on long-term visas. It may be prudent to simplify renewal of such visas and signal to long-term foreign residents that they are truly welcome and appreciated.

After reading your headline that Thailand is aiming to be the digital hub of Asean I could not help but laugh out loud.

Have you ever tried to do 90-day reporting to immigration online. Only very few are lucky enough to be able to.

Keep on dreaming, get the basics right first.

So Thai telcos are optimistic that 5G infrastructure will give rise to substantial social change in this country and beyond (BP, 17 July). Well no it won't, not of any real value anyway. It will probably usher in a lot of gimmicky stuff that helps telcos and mobile manufacturers sell their products. As long as the Thai people are not allowed to talk about the issues that matter to them on social media, as long as there is a Computer Crime Act and other draconian laws preventing people from expressing themselves, 5G will bring nothing of substantive social change to Thailand.