Humour humanises
Re: "Never forget Holocaust horrors," (Opinion, Jan 27).
Orna Sagiv, Israel's Ambassador-Designate to Thailand, rightly reminds us of the importance of not forgetting such horrors as the Nazi Holocaust, whereby a popular government acted in perfect accord with the law it had made up for the purpose of murdering six million people, mainly Jews, but also gays, gypsies and others dehumanised as "social filth" to be cleansed from society.
Ms Sagiv suggests only the regulation of social media to counter misinformation and hate speech. This is indeed helpful, but if countering misinformation and hate speech means banning peaceful speech that is merely false or vile, it is seriously wrong, and plays easily into the hands of haters and deniers of truth, who will use that very excuse to ban what they deem hateful or false.
A more positive antidote to the social conditions that lead to dehumanisation of groups in society to further ugly agendas in the name of sacred nationalism is readily available: laughter. This is why healthy democracies ensure solid legal protection for the mocking of every sacred cow, from revered institutions to national leaders, and every bit of sacredness in between. Humour is a great way to humanise nationalist myths that can so easily turn toxic. Ridicule is an effective tool to remind us that pretentious figures are, after all, merely human and subject to exactly the same silliness, pettiness and general humanity as ourselves and every socially maligned group. Their foibles should be publicly shown so that they can be laughed at as they deserve, however offended zealous loyalists might be.
Could Hitler and his jackbooted thugs taking themselves ever so seriously and dictating that everyone else take them ever so seriously under pain of draconian prison sentences have got away with such legalised murder were they regularly presented as comical figures on a daily basis? Could the absurd claims made against Jews, gays and others have been taken so seriously if heartily mocked on a daily basis? Might some healthy ridicule of the social mores that enabled the Holocaust have prompted the genuinely good people in society to have had second thoughts about their blind faith in social norms that fuelled the Holocaust?
FELIX QUI
Enforcement is key
Re: "More charges for cycle cop," (BP, Jan 24).
The Medical Council of Thailand calls for constructing pedestrian bridges or tunnels instead of crossways, but what a joke when it is the fault of those motorists who do not stop at zebra crossings. How is it that motorists in other countries stop at crosswalks? Are they more educated, or do they simply respect the rights of pedestrians? For years (!) I have fought with the police station in my district to enforce the stopping of cars and motorbikes, specifically speaking at a zebra crossing with a traffic light, in front of a hospital. I handed over letters to the traffic police section, with photos clearly showing cars crossing at a red light. I talked to police officers. I wrote a testimonial to the commander of the station. What happened? Nothing, absolutely nothing.
I use that zebra crossing four times a day but always with immense caution because evidently the drivers, including those in cars, see a red signal light as an opportunity to speed up, effectively ignoring any pedestrian rights -- because what even are pedestrian rights in Thailand, am I right? See for yourself: despite last year's establishment of a zebra crossing and traffic light right in front of the police station, the police literally witness all these ongoings but do nothing. They aren't part of the traffic department, so that obviously makes sense (amazing Thailand!). At this point I have given up. it is an apparent waste of time to request that police enforce traffic rules.
SANDMAN
No accidents here
Re: "More charges for cycle cop," (BP, Jan 24).
Is there a sure-fire way of stopping accidents on the pedestrian crossing where the lady doctor was struck? Yes -- do away with the crossing! Problem solved. If there is no pedestrian crossing, there cannot be any accidents on it. Amazing logic. Is this the new intelligence that the higher-ups have been trumpeting about coming into play? Why stop there? Do away with traffic lights. If they are not there no one can jump them. Another problem solved. I suppose having warning lights that work on the crossings and arresting those who ignore them would be too much of a strain on police resources.
RON MARTIN
Citibank sellout
Re: "UOB buys four Citibank retail arms," (Business, Jan 15).
Without consultation or participation from stakeholders, Citibank has decided to sell its Thai consumer banking division to one of its foreign competitors.
Citibank customers in Thailand entered into a contract with Citibank Thailand, not with a third party, so why should they accept or abide by the terms of any new arrangement?
More importantly, sensitive personal data including financial details, spending habits, travel and even addresses will be transferred to the new owners, again without consent.
Citibank customers are being treated like chattels and trafficked willy-nilly to suit the wishes of this giant American corporation. They must be stopped by whatever means necessary even if this means a class-action lawsuit in the American court system.
EXTREMELY CONCERNED CITIBANK CUSTOMER
Dyer situation
Re: "Western betrayal," (PostBag, Jan 22), and "Will Russia play the 'Cuban card'?," (Opinion, Jan 19).
I enjoyed Miro King's Czech view of Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border. I agree with Miro's remarks about Gwynne Dyer and Mother Russia. Dyer is very often openly, annoyingly biased and Russia is, and always has been since the time of the autocratic tsars, an uncompromising difficulty for European (and world) stability.
The invidious expansion of the European Union and the advance of Nato was seen by President Putin, even from the very start of his period of autocratic control, as a violation of previous agreements and an encroachment into Russia's sphere of influence. Miro's view of Russia as an unstoppable force may have been taken seriously a few decades ago, but not after Afghanistan. And remember we are talking about Putin here -- not ordinary Russians. I would think China's supreme autocrat would be looking on with glee at such an event. Putin has many other disruptive tools at his disposal without using bloody, costly and disruptive military endeavours. Perhaps Putin might and will take a bite of the nearest, easiest cherry. But Russian troops in Europe again? Hey, Milo. I'm old, at least wait until I've gone.
NICK NICHOLSON
Health over wealth
Re: "Hopes of luck, wealth and prosperity," (Life, Jan 27).
"Wealth" and "prosperity" are almost synonymous.
Were I of Chinese origin and believed in the powers of the gods, I would not be going to the temple to pray for "luck, wealth and prosperity," which would be wasting two of my three wishes on the same thing. I would be praying for "luck, health and prosperity".
As we enter the Year of the Tiger, the Covid pandemic rages unabated, and health should be everyone's priority over wealth.
After all, as the wise maxim says, "You can't take it with you." Or is that only an occidental concept?
DAVID BROWN
Cold comfort
Suppose there was a virus running rampant and causing billions of infections a year. Even if the symptoms were generally mild the World Health Organization would warn that with so many infections it would inevitably cause a certain number of hospitalisations and deaths. They would condemn countries that let down their guard and didn't have restrictions such as throwing millions of young healthy people out of work or school.
Well guess what? There already is such a virus and it's called the common cold!
ERIC BAHRT
Not disregarded
Re: "Refugee policy needs rethink," (Editorial, Jan 9).
I feel obliged to clarify certain misleading and unfair characterizations contained in the article.
Contrary to the article's claim, although Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, she has worked with the aforementioned organisations to provide aid to those in need based on strong humanitarian traditions and principles, for decades. To this day, Thailand continues to host approximately 90,000 displaced persons from Myanmar, in nine temporary shelters, who fled fighting decades ago, with the support of local and international aid agencies coordinating directly with the Ministry of Interior.
Other groups of displaced persons and asylum seekers are by no means "disregarded".
it must be categorically stated that forced repatriation has no place in Thai government policy. In the case of recent influxes from Myanmar along the border, the Prime Minister himself has given the assurance that any repatriation must be done solely on a voluntary basis, as Thailand is fully committed to non-refoulement. I hope these reflections are useful to your editorial team and look forward to more nuanced representations of this very important topic in the future.
TANEE SANGRATDIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION
CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110Fax: +02 6164000 email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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