OPINION

Crimes abroad

Re: "US drugs trio face charges at home too", (BP, April 11).

Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin wants help from the US Drug Enforcement Administration to prosecute three Thais under Thai law for suspected involvement in acquiring weapons for rebels in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The Thais were caught in New York.

But I thought that crimes committed abroad didn't count. In March 1994, Thamanat Prompow was sentenced to four years in prison; he'd confessed to smuggling heroin and was caught in Australia. Yet our Constitutional Court "ruled that a jail sentence which could lead to Mr Thamanat's being disqualified as an MP and a cabinet member under the constitution must be made by a court in Thailand, not a foreign court.

"The sentence handed down by a New South Wales court in Australia had no legally binding effect in Thailand," the Post reported on May 5, 2021. DPM Wissanu said the jurisdiction of Thai law ended at our boundaries. If our law ends at our border, why are we seeking to prosecute these Thais for buying weapons offshore? Our MP elections loom; dear reader, will your candidate stand for integrity -- or double standards -- in our courts?

To jab or not to jab?

Re: "Immunity of 4th shot studied", (BP, April 8).

The government's claim to be studying whether a fourth jab will be required shows once again the problem with political solutions versus scientific ones.

Truly assessing the hypothesis that a fourth jab is necessary would require a double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial for the sake of scientific validity.

Such an experiment would take over a year to complete. Using statistics instead of new experimentation can easily be distorted.

For example, to state that fewer people died after receiving a second dose could be because most that were going to die did so earlier, not that the booster actually had any affect.

Zombie sports

As a long-time subscriber of the True Cable TV Gold Package, I expect to enjoy live coverage of important international sports including ATP Tennis Masters tournaments. However, instead of live coverage, we are forced to repeatedly watch old WTA footage. We feel it's unfair to customers that True Cable TV broke its promises. Hope they will improve their services as promised.

School shenanigans

Re: "Under-reported", (PostBag, April 3).

While Jon Fernquest should be applauded for highlighting the shenanigans that foreign teachers have to face in "upcountry" parts of Thailand, it should be pointed out that things may not be much better in the capital area.

I previously worked for a top private school in Bangkok, and they put me, along with other prospective new employees, on a three-month probation period. This is illegal by Thai law. Anyone working here legally must first have a work permit. and not just a tourist visa.

Yet the majority of teacher agencies are headquartered in the capital, and they basically all follow this illegal procedure of putting new hires on a probationary period.

I knew this before applying to the school. Nonetheless, it was disappointing to say the least that a top private school would force expat teachers to work illegally.

Modi's moral dilemma

Re: "Biden to press Modi ahead of meeting", (BP, April 12).

Indian PM Narendra Modi should be advised that unless he condemns Vladimir Putin's brutal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, India will lose many of its Western admirers, including me.

No one left to speak

Re: "Thais abstain in UNHRC vote on Russia", (BP, April 9).

As I read the article on Thailand's abstention from the vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, I recalled the words of Rev Martin Niemöller, who after World War II expressed his regret for not opposing Nazi repression earlier:

"First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me."

Arms bonanza

Without getting into the reasons for the conflict, I can already see that Nato and the USA will fight the Russians right down to the last Ukrainian while their populace gets worked up watching this unnecessary drama unfold on TV. Armed conflicts are good for the defence industry. And which country is the biggest arms dealer in the world with over 50% market share?