OPINION

Elephant in the room

Re: ''5 dead jumbos found in Kanchanaburi sinkhole", (BP, May 7).

After the tragic death of five elephants that fell into a sinkhole in Kanchanaburi, officials are wanting to put up signs warning of the danger.

I think there is a flaw in their cunning plan -- unless the elephants are able to read these new warning signs, this may very well happen again!

Re: "Path to peace needs respect", (Opinion, May 5).

The op-ed about a peaceful resolution in southern Thailand relying on "respect" distorts the idea of respect and makes the goal impossible.

Nobody should be required to "respect" the beliefs of another, especially since we all are capable of holding crazy thoughts and ideas.

We do have to respect the right of another to have any belief they choose, but we should not be expected to support any specific belief of another through social conventions and niceties.

I would like to visit southern Thailand, but I do not travel there due to the constant threat of religious violence and safety concerns. A more serious and deeper dialogue has to occur beyond expecting misplaced "respect" as the solution when one side is duty-bound to be disrespectful.

I renewed my retirement visa extension yesterday at the Jomtien Immigration Office. Excellent service and was in and out in seven minutes. The information I gave them has not changed in the last 35 years. Together with the 90-day report, my repetitive paperwork must be filling a warehouse somewhere in Nakorn Nowhere, never to be read again. When will the Immigration Department and government offices move into this so-called high-tech age? And perhaps, revise their requirement for long term stayers.

Re: "Police prepare charges in abbot's sex scandal case", (BP, May 6, 2022).

Whilst the cynical reaction would be to ask why a monk, an abbot no less, was indulging in perfectly natural human desires for money and consenting sex, the headline making the case of the former Phra Kato and his devotees raises, yet again, the modern issue of recordings of naughtiness being often far more grave than a bit of sex in the temple.

Audio and video recordings are plainly powerful pillars for justice. Perhaps there should, therefore, be a campaign to get a lot more such revealing videos out into the public domain, rather than seeking to suppress them as usual. Should the Joe Ferrari video have been suppressed because it upset Joe and his fans? Should this monk's audio have been suppressed because it upset him and his devotees?

We see and hear of elections in almost every country now. But sadly, how many of these politicians genuinely work toward the good of the country?

It is the same story every time a new government is set up. Political parties start to negotiate (even before the government is set up) for different ministries. Most of them are not suitable for particular positions.

Come on. Work genuinely for the country and the people so everybody prospers and has a better life.

I think this is just a dream.

CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Fax: +02 6164000 email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th

All letter writers must provide full name and address.

All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.