OPINION

Courting reciprocity

Re: "ISPs told to take down 'hoax' sites," (BP, June 3). Our courts have ordered internet service providers to close or remove accounts of eight individuals alleged to have posted "fake news" on websites and social networks.

All eight persons are critics of our government and the establishment, and at least some are residing overseas. If the ISPs don't comply, they may be penalised by the courts.

Khun Sunai Pasuk of Human Rights Watch said that the court order is censorship that chokes our ability to express ourselves.

In its ruling on Capt Thamanat Prompow's eligibility to be a cabinet member, "the (Constitutional) court said (that) for a jail sentence to affect (him) as MP and cabinet member under the constitution, (the verdict) must be handed down by a Thai, not a foreign court" ("Thamanat fit to hold post: court", BP, May 6). In short, each country's laws can be enforced only within its borders, and a court verdict has no force in other countries.

All are equal under the law; critics of those whom we hold most dear must have the same rights as our standard bearers. Thus, I suggest that those residing overseas, using overseas servers, cannot have broken our laws, nor can our courts order operators of servers on foreign soil what to do.

Re: "Foreigners get jab next week," (BP, June 3).

Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, the Disease Control Department deputy director-general stated that foreigners who want to get vaccinated are required to register via the Thailandintervac.com. website.

However, a visit to the website informed me that the site is for "embassy staff, consulates, international organisations and their families only".

I have two questions. Why is Dr Sophon disseminating such confusing misinformation, and why didn't the Bangkok Post fact-check the information and issue follow-up questions to the Disease Control Department?

Re: "War not the answer," (PostBag, June 3).

Having first-hand experience of the horrors of war from my service in Vietnam, I am not an advocate of war.

However, we must face reality, and the reality is that Min Aung Hlaing and his henchmen declared war on the normally peace-loving citizens of Myanmar when it overthrew the democratically elected government on Feb 1.

Since then they have used the Tatmadaw to kill more than 800 unarmed civilians, including women and young children. In addition, they have rounded up and thrown into filthy, disease-ridden prisons thousands of citizens they perceive as a threat to their murderous regime.

Much of what L Dau Hkwang says about the effects of a civil war -- a wrecked economy, widespread unemployment, a massive educational hiatus -- are true.

But does he really expect Myanmar's people to calmly accept the brutality of this illegal junta, especially after they have tasted nascent democracy.

L Dau Hkwang advocates "for leaders from the civilian government and the military regime to talk in one room ... work on a compromise solution that promises a federal democratic future..."

This is nothing but a pipe dream. It is never going to happen, because it is the antithesis of Min Aung Hlaing's goals, which are the continued dominance and suppression of the civilian population by the Tatmadaw, and the enrichment of the generals.

If it takes a full-blown civil war to thwart the generals' aims, so be it.

Yes, the country will be reduced to ashes, but phoenix-like it can rebuild itself and Myanmar's citizens, or those that are left, can face a better, more secure and democratic future.

While Cambodia today is far from a model of democracy, look at what it has achieved since Pol Pot murdered something like two million of his own people and reduced the country to a dust bowl.

Re: "Youth deprivations," (PostBag, June 2).

Never one to understate his opinion, Jason Jellison returns to one of his favourite hobby-horses in decrying the damage done to children by the disruptions in their education by Covid-related school closures.

Mr Jellison previously referred to keeping children out of school as child abuse, and now frames this as something society has done to "our youth" which will rob us of a generation of skilled adults. Is " our youth" the children of the USA, Thailand, India, UK, etc, etc?

Why will it take 10 years for children to recover from intermittent disruptions to their schooling over the last 18 months. What evidence is there that this hiatus will rob kids of "dependable foundational skills and reliable socialisation"?

The push from the prime minister to eliminate corruption is generally centred on higher-level corruption pertaining to politicians and government officials. This needs to be a focus, but the proliferation of corruption is rampant throughout society from the bottom up.

Proportionally, there is far more corruption within the social structure base than at the apex just by simple math-more civilians than government officials. Every day, the Thai people and foreigners here have to contend with the reality and impact of a wide range of socially embedded and sanctioned corruptive practices.

These range from taxis not charging by meter, to street vendors paying "protection money" to be on the sidewalk, to parents paying tea money to a school for acceptance of their child, to traffic shakedowns by police, to songthaew and motorcycle taxi "mafias" establishing protected turfs, to jet-ski operator scams, and price gouging. The list is pretty much endless and it permeates all aspects of the socio-economic levels.

This corruption is generally accepted as "the way things are here" and most just capitulate to the extortion since they are powerless as an individual to generate or expect change from the status quo.

This heart of corruption needs to truly be exposed and discussed openly so that the soul of Thai society can be cleansed and shed of this conditioning. Then maybe, corruption becomes a rarity rather than the norm.

I know this is wishful thinking at this point, but one should still "dream" a positive one than a nightmare.

Re: "Covid perspective," (PostBag, June 2).

You removed a sentence in my June 2 letter. I noted that heart disease can usually be avoided or even reversed by going on a well-balanced vegan diet. Since according to the American CDC 94% of the people who "died from Covid 19" actually had other health problems such as heart disease, adopting a healthy lifestyle would do more to reduce the death rate from Covid-19 than all the lockdowns in the world will.

So I object to the fact that the problem of Covid-19 is taken out of context and every other health issue in the world is virtually being ignored.

I also believe using Covid-19 as an excuse to throw millions of young and healthy people out of work and school is barbaric. Once again I remind the readers that children are more likely to die of the flu than from Covid. But who cares, as long as they don't get Covid-19?

Thai Airways International (THAI) -- the once darling national flag carrier -- was forced into privatisation last year amid a net loss of 141 billion baht. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted governments around the world to impose lockdowns and travel restrictions.

These policies caused a massive blow not just to THAI but also to the entire airline industry, especially in Asia with big airline markets.

For example, Japan Airlines has recorded a net loss of US$2.6 billion, while Cathay Pacific posed negative US$2.8 billion as of last year. Most airline companies were either bankrupt or on the verge of bankruptcy.

But against all odds, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has managed to stay afloat. Despite accruing red ink of S$4.27 billion due to Covid-19, SIA has managed to retain its state-owned enterprise (SOE) status.

Like SIA, THAI was once an SOE. But the Covid-19 experience for both companies has been the opposite. While SIA has received fresh money to improve its cash flow, THAI has filed for bankruptcy.

What can THAI learn from SIA? Where has THAI failed that SIA succeeded in to weather the Covid-19 storm?

Firstly, SIA has diversified its business to generate sources of revenue. On Oct 6, 2020, then-Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung addressed parliament on SIA's consideration to offer "flights to nowhere" to passengers. This consideration was however eventually dropped because of the high cost of flying an airplane with few passengers. Instead, SIA would offer other services, including a dine-in inside a A380 double-decker superjumbo, tours of and flight simulation at the SIA Training Centre, and SIA@Home first and business class food delivery services.

Having conducted a comprehensive market study before rolling out "flights to nowhere" as a flight service, SIA has decided to cancel the plan due to the lack of financial viability. On the contrary, THAI has chosen to proceed with the same service for passengers that would fly over religious sites.

Hence, THAI's diversification worsened rather than improved its already-burning cash flows.

Questions for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA):

In the hope that Khun Natapanu Nopakun, MFA Deputy Spokesman, reads the Bangkok Post to monitor the pulse of farang sentiment and shares that information with relevant decision-makers:

1. Mr Anutin, are you aware that Hong Kong is considering disposing of millions of vials of unused Covid vaccines? While you have absolutely no credentials in healthcare, I understand you're a businessman (by inheritance). How have you been using your business acumen to get your hands on those vaccines for the benefit of Thais?

2. Gen Prayut, I would like to remind you that on 20 April the Bangkok Post reported that you were hoping to procure 5-10 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by July, less than 30 days from now. Amazingly, we've not heard a word about this initiative since then. How about an update about plans to meet the aircraft on arrival?

3. Gentlemen, many farang trapped in Thailand would be happy to pay for a reputable vaccine, out of their own pocket, without further delay -- if you would only give them a chance. This would also reduce the burden on the Thai healthcare system. You've had more than half a year to facilitate such a win-win endeavour, via private hospitals. Can you explain your dithering to the world, which is watching how well the Thai government is protecting its citizens (as well as potential money-generating tourists) from Covid?

Is it necessary to continuously inform us in your photo captions that people are wearing face masks? This is a good example of the Thai habit of stating the obvious.

In a similar vein (pun intended), is it wise to show people apparently experiencing pain while receiving jabs? Bit of a disincentive for the vast majority who are waiting in suspense for the much-touted vaccination roll-out.