OPINION

Puppets they aren't

With regard to Veera Prateepchaikul's March 29 article, "Puppet masters must leave shade", I would like to bring to the attention a clear and concise statement by Panusaya Sitthijirawattanakul.

The leading activist said on Sept 1: "If we used a teacher [university lecturer] as an adviser, he would not have allowed me to read the 10 demands. We did it without consulting anyone else [outsiders]. We have planned and thought carefully before taking action."

It's there in print for anyone who wishes to take two minutes to reference it.

A brief internet search will reveal Ms Mind made a statement to Reuters (Dec 18) in which she said: "We don't want to topple the monarchy but we want to talk about these problems. For too long no one has dared." This is her own words, not the vague description that "was allegedly given to her by someone believed to be an anti-monarchist", as written in the article.

We all understand opinion pieces have bias but to perpetuate lies and deceit with fantasies such as "clearly many students have been exploited" is going way too far. They know what they stand for and are proud of it and some of us are proud of them for their efforts. They, not Mr Veera, are the future.

Oust junta now

Re: "Global criticism after bloodiest day in Myanmar", (BP, March 29).

It is naive to think that influential members of Asean will do anything to stop the carnage in Myanmar. It is also futile to think that Russia or China will come forward to condemn the military and provide any help in restoring democracy. Except for India which remains a fragile democracy, there is no other country from the Middle East to Myanmar that has any moral ground or economic interest to intervene in Myanmar.

The only way to stop the coups in the region is to oust the coup-makers by a unified military strike coordinated by India, the EU, Australia, the USA and others willing to join the coalition.

As they say, old regimes die hard. Myanmar needs to be liberated from the clutches of the military just like Bangladesh was liberated from the tyranny of the military junta of Pakistan in 1971.

Diplomacy does not seem to stick with the rulers of the region. It is time that the military regimes in the region are imposed with severe economic sanctions and are given a taste of external military strikes and made to fear their own extinction.

Partying amid death

In the March 29 Bangkok Post report, the Myanmar military celebrated Armed Forces Day. Thailand attended, to hear junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing defend the coup and threaten that acts of "terrorism which can be harmful to state tranquillity and security" were unacceptable. With respect, Prime Minister, what were your representatives doing there, partying in tuxedos? You promised that you were no longer a military man, but a politician. I cannot see that any change has occurred in the principles you should follow as a Buddhist man. Where is the compassion for those innocents being shot, because they are "a threat to state tranquillity and security"?