OPINION

Back to dark ages

Re: "Legal threats need rethink", (Editorial, Nov 25).

The law is barbaric. And they know it is a disaster for Thailand's reputation internationally. That is why they have not used it in two years (they use sedition, seven years in jail). Trials are held in secret, journalists are forbidden to report trial details. No-one in a civilised society should be jailed for 15 years, for expressing their point of view. This takes Thailand back to the dark ages. Read any international newspaper and you will see who is the national embarrassment. And all the students are asking for is "transparency and accountability". Jail them all, until there are none of them left is their "final solution".

Insurance myths

David Brown (PostBag, Nov 25) is correct that there have been no changes in regard to health insurance requirements for people on retirement visas. In fact, my new retirement visa began on Oct 30 and no one said a word to me about any health insurance requirement.

I speculate that Bill Cymbalsky was upset that the hospital he went to would only do business with Thai health insurance companies. In fact, it's common practice for hospitals to tell you if you have foreign health insurance that you have to pay the hospital yourself and then get your insurance company to reimburse you later.

That is hospital policy (which I agree with since hospitals have no guarantee that a foreign insurance company will pay them) and it has nothing to do with immigration.

Lost in a haze

Re: "New national haze forecast site goes live", (BP, Nov 24).

Having a "gee-whiz" high-tech, satellite-based PM2.5 forecast system is essentially useless if authorities never take any actions to curtail emissions and haze pollution. What is the point of a predictive system when the forecast for the next three days is always the same: more lung-destroying, choking pollution!

Loving lockdowns

I just read with jaw-dropping disbelief the letter from one Mr Setter claiming that masks and lockdowns have actually led to a spike in Covid cases! Which right-wing cabal of loonies is this guy working with?

Why are Canada, the US, South America, the UK, Europe, Middle East, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and China itself imposing new lockdowns? Does Mr Setter know something the other 7 billion-plus people in the world don't?

Or has he just drunk too deep from the Trump fountain of Kool-Aid?

Profane protesters

I do not mind watching the student demonstrations in Bangkok, indeed feel sympathetic toward their cause. But they should toe the line regarding the T-shirts they wear with epitaphs of profanity printed across their chests: F-this, F-that, F-you, and so on.

It is plain cheap, disgusting, lacking in class and intelligent judgement. If they are trying to show contempt for others, they are only arousing contempt for themselves. Rather than show intelligence, they are displaying arrogance.

I attended a wedding locally. One youngster was quite inebriated. How he was permitted to drink alcohol was baffling. He wore a T-shirt proclaiming, "I am a wanker". I quietly explained the meaning of what he was advertising. He turned red, suddenly sobered up, peeled off the T-shirt, and ran home to get another. This kid's case was ignorance; the protesters' case is anything but.