OPINION

Fuel for change

Re: "Ratch approves plan to acquire 2 plants from PE," (Business, Oct 23).

What electrifying news!

Ratch Group, in which the once fabled Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is the largest shareholder, recently decided to buy two large coal-fired power plants in Indonesia, with power purchase agreements running for the next 21 years!

Haven't Ratch and EGAT heard of stranded assets, and that nasty ogre, global warming?

Our prime minister is going to Glasgow to attend COP26, generally regarded as our last-ditch attempt to save our home from burning up.

While there, he will learn all he needs to know about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and probably be told in no uncertain terms that Thailand is among the world's worst performers when it comes to GHG reduction targets.

While COP26 aims to get all the countries of the world to agree to an aggregate 45% reduction by 2030 and to attain net zero by 2050, Thailand comes stumbling along with the lowest possible goals of a 20% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2065, or even 2070!

Does our prime minister not know that Thailand is one of Asia's most threatened countries, with regard to climate change? And that Bangkok is one of the world's 10 most seriously impacted large cities by sea levels rising?

As desperation accelerates through this decade, carbon pricing will become the norm and Thailand will face carbon border adjustment taxes on our exports as the industrialised world seeks to impose GHG limits on global supply chains.

As the UNEP report of 10 days ago said: " The research is clear: Global coal, oil and gas production must start declining immediately and steeply to be consistent with limiting long-term warming to 1.5C."

Actions to reduce GHG emissions must be front-end loaded, big cuts must be made in this decade.

Thailand's plan is the opposite.

According to TDRI we currently have 27 coal power plants operating here. Our electricity generating structure is massively over-supplied, meaning power reserves are at about 45% over peak demand, rather than the reasonable 15%.

Thailand must set new massively ambitious GHG reduction goals and grab all its solar energy potential now, otherwise the Big Mango will be under water by 2050.

Arresting questions

Re: "The power of a child's questioning mind," (Opinion, Oct 27).

The Thailand Development Research Institute's (TDRI) Phusima Pinyosinwat's article "The power of a child's questioning mind" was encouraging to read. The fatal sting for the frogs trapped beneath the coconut shell is in the concluding sentences: "Change is possible. All it takes is to allow students to ask questions."

Change threatens progress that could bring reason, honesty, transparency, even justice and other non-traditional values. That is why Thai law allied to alleged social norms harshly punishes, and in many cases criminalises, students asking questions.

How many intelligent, inquisitive, educated students have been arrested in the past weeks in merely for expressing opinions that pose thoughtful questions?

You cannot without self-contradiction agree with Ms Phusima's ideas and support law that enforces ignorance of social issues.

Anyone who cares for a decent education for Thai children will, therefore, oppose Thailand's undemocratically laws that set the opposite example that is called for if Thai youth is to be encouraged to understand local, regional, national, or international issues.

Does the current minister of education fail to see the contradiction between claiming to value informed opinion of worth, something that can come only from critical thinking, and Thai law backed by blinding tradition that enforces mindless ignorance?

Lifelong learning

Re: "College kids to see time limits eased," (BP, Oct 28).

The framing of the issue of extending time to complete a degree as a benefit to "College Kids" exposes a major weakness and problem with higher education in Thailand.

In my country, only 20% of the students are "traditional" (18-22 year-olds). Nearly 80% of the people striving to expand their minds and work skills are not labelled children, but instead are mature adults.

For Thailand to seriously expect that it can adapts to the technological reality of the 21st century and achieve some semblance of a "4.0 Society", education must be a commonality to all members.

As a university lecturer, I have not encountered a non-traditional Thai student in under-graduate courses. This is disheartening to someone that actualises the ideal of lifelong learning!

From a business sense, increasing the customer base of higher education by purposefully attracting adult learners is a "no-brainer".

The financial benefit of incorporating adult learners would also improve the delivery of education since paying mature grown-ups would not easily tolerate shoddy performance of both teachers and students.

Win-win all the way around.

What is holding back such a transition?

Jabs save lives

Re: "The perils of jabs," (PostBag, Oct 28).

Eric Bahrt misses the point of vaccinations by a country mile.

The objective is not to reduce the number of Covid-19 infections, per se, or to avoid symptoms.

It is to reduce the number of people dying or getting seriously ill.

Vaccinated people are far less likely to do either.

Also, they are less likely to be infected in the first place, and therefore the more people who are vaccinated, the fewer infected people will be spreading the virus.

Twisted logic

Re: "The perils of jabs," (PostBag, Oct 28).

Eric Bahrt seems to imply that when people are vaccinated they "will take no precautions to prevent spreading the virus". I was not aware that the vaccine contained a substance that rendered the recipient irresponsible.

We already know that people who have not received the vaccine can be asymptomatic.

There is no reason to assume that these people will take greater precautions, and will be less likely to transmit the virus.

Equally there is no reason to assume that vaccinated people will not continue to wear masks, wash their hands, and observe the general requirements that are required when out and about.

Pay the piper

I am flying to the US in mid-November and returning in mid-December. I have a Non Immigrant O (Retirement Visa) which expires in July 2022 (223 days from my return).

As rules and regulations change daily, I have been trying to get some of my anticipated costs in order. With the new one-day (non) quarantine and US$50,000 insurance, I was hoping to save a bit of money.

Finding a one-day room package near my apartment in Din Daeng was relatively simple. The insurance was another matter altogether.

Using the website of a insurance agent, I received a quote for $50,000 asymptomatic coverage for 43,500 baht. I was a little taken aback so I reentered the information and received the same quotation for 365 days of coverage.

This is the same exact quote I had gotten a few days earlier for $100,000 in coverage for a one-year period on the same website. Now I would think that a 50% cut in coverage might offer some relief to the original price, but the piper must be paid I suppose.

Just to let you know that I am 76 years of age, fully vaccinated, and have lived here for 12 years. I re-entered the information using an age of 75 and received quotes ranging from 15,000-31,000 baht.

Just a heads up for all you expats and elderly individuals clapping their hands in glee about the reduction in coverage. Sorry!

Human guinea pigs

One mouse asked another mouse: "Did you get your Covid-19 vaccine"?

The other mouse responded: "No way. Human experiments show that the vaccine is unsafe for mice."

Oh well, after having tortured billions of animals in research labs, I suppose it's karma that humans now know what it's like to be the guinea pig. (It generally takes ten years of investigation before a vaccine is considered safe enough to be put on the market).

Anonymous trolls

It's disappointing to see the Bangkok Post allowing letters signed with obvious pseudonyms, the content of which is often void of substance, increasingly mere slurs and insults.

We can get enough of that tripe commentary on the numerous Thai-based discussion forums with the usual cast of anonymous trolls. Please don't let them diminish PostBag, too.

Love him or hate him -- at least Eric Bahrt uses his real name and expresses meaningful opinions.

Kanye's name dig

Re: "It comes down to a matter of opinion," (PostScript, Oct 24).

My fellow Oldeys and I (Ye Olde Theologian/Pedagogue/Curmudgeon/Bloviator et al) understand that the rapper Kanye West has legally changed his name to "Ye".

This infringes upon our turf. All of us Oldeys have pen names that begin with "Ye".

Our question: Can we sue Mr Ye for plagiarising part of our pen names?

'No' to letter prizes

Re: "Prizes for letter writers", (PostBag, Oct 17) and "Keeping it brief," (PostBag, Oct 23).

No.