OPINION

Devil always wins

Re: "Suu Kyi's sedition trial set to begin", (BP, June 16).

Although I'm totally opposed to the trial of Aung Suu Kyi, let's not forget that she and many of her supporters defended the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Rohingya. Yet where did that get her and her people? Did they really believe the thugs who run the military in her country would appreciate their support and thus be nicer to everyone (except the Rohingya). Whenever you sell yourself out to the devil, the devil always wins.

Re: "Demonising critical race theory", (Opinion, June 16).

The New York Times article, "Demonising critical race theory", requires a strong rebuttal.

Critical race theory is a smokescreen to hide the real causes of social and economic inequality in America.

Principal among them are the large number of single parent families in the black community. Politicians and welfare workers have known for decades that single parenthood is a recipe for poverty. And yet, 70% of black families have single parents.

Blaming inequality on fictions like white privilege is just not acceptable.

Re: "Virus cover needed for long stays", (BP, June 16).

Are you not ashamed of this latest government decree? Picking on the farang is always good for a bit of jingoism.

Luckily I have that insurance! But how many foreigners here have had it?

Smoke and mirrors deflect the real truth of the shortage of Covid vaccines. I am 66, living in Pattaya and I cannot gain access to a Covid vaccine.

Where have all these vaccines gone? Did they ever really arrive?

In your reports on the government's vaccination programme, you regularly use the word "rollout".

In real terms, rollout is what you do to a rolled up carpet, or moving a plane into a position ready for flight. The common characteristics are deliberate action, running on predetermined lines, carefully plotted out for success.

So why are you using this word to describe what the government is doing?

Below is an email that I sent to the Thai embassy in Sweden today after I had tried to apply for a "certificate of entry to Thailand" in vain.

"Dear Royal Thai embassy,

This morning I visited your embassy in Stockholm to hand in my documents for a certificate of entry, for travel I had planned for the Phuket Sandbox. I have already booked a flight and a hotel in July.

You sent me home again, telling me I have to apply on the internet instead. This information is not given on your homepage, where it says "COE is applied at The Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm". I went for hours from my home in Sormland to Stockholm and back.

It was in vain. Now I have scanned and uploaded all necessary documents and filled in the application online. I had to do it three times. I have spent hours with the process. Every time when I completed the whole procedure there came a message about a failure in your system.

Now I give up. And I give up on Thailand. I say "Goodbye Thailand", I will go to Bali instead. One month's expenses will go to Indonesia."