OPINION

No cup coverage?

Re: "Mad about rugby", (PostBag, May 14).

As a football fan, I agree with CH regarding the coverage of European sports. This coming Thursday is the final of the UEFA cup between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. The Bangkok Post has yet to mention its existence!

Re: "India: Top court suspends sedition law", (BP, May 13).

India's sedition law has been often misused to suppress government critics -- much like our S112. The Indian court found that "The rigours of (the law in question) are not in tune with the current social milieu" -- precisely the way that Thai governments have applied S112 (our S112 can stay on the books, but those in power use it mainly to protect personal interests).

Our Supreme Court should take its Indian counterpart as a model and refuse to advance cases based on S112.

By so doing, we will be following our beloved national father's advice that using les majeste laws "ultimately harms the monarchy".

Re: "Draconian School Rules", (BP, May 13).

In his comments on dictatorial Thai schools pushing some serious patriotism via the draconian methods approved by traditional Thainess, Pornchai Sereemongkol might bear in mind that nothing beats a solid marble pillar, perhaps with some pretty gilding, to serve as a millstone anchoring an otherwise active, inquiring, critical and creative young child's mind in the murky depths that are deemed its proper place by authoritarian disciplinarians claiming to be benevolent, righteous and even nurturing educators.

Re: "The West has got its Russian sanctions all wrong", (Opinion, May 14).

Thanks for this timely analysis of the tug of war between the West and Russia. It is now proven that unjustified sanctions on countries only lead to more hostilities.

It also damages the reputation of the West and sanctions on Iran, North Korea, China and Russia have only created resentment.

The same thing happened in the 1990s when the USA sanctioned India for testing nuclear weapons.

They did not work against India, Pakistan, Iran or North Korea, nor will they deter China or Russia.

Pouring money and weapons into Ukraine will only lead to more deaths and destruction. The West should make all diplomatic efforts for Russia to give up rather than keep fighting.

While millions of innocent people were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, no country shouted about taking the USA to the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes.

Neither Hamid Karzai nor Saddam Hussain was given TV time on Western media to explain their stance.

Hence, all the noise about atrocities in Ukraine and war crimes against Russia further erodes the respect for Western nations and their media.

This blatant hypocrisy has further eroded faith in Western democratic principles and human rights. Sadly, the ongoing Western sanctions have made diplomacy more ineffective.