OPINION

Between the lines

Re: "Keeping democratic institutions weak", (Opinion, July 22).

I always enjoy reading the commentary of Prof Thitinan who, as usual, expresses his political opinion openly. If one reads his comments between the lines, even though he did not explicitly say the source of the "unwritten code" of Thai politics to hold a green light for Gen Prayut to govern the country, one just wonders who and what is the composition of the elite establishment he mentioned.

Over the past years, we have seen unprecedented access to digital media news and information. People, especially the newly risen young generation, are now more aware of our current political situation.

To turn the clock back to a past political atmosphere which condones the "unelected source of power" will not be easily realised.

Such an unconventional takeover of the authority to govern from the elected government by the "powers-to-be" and against the will of the people might lead Thailand into a civil uprising as is happening now in our neighbouring country.

No better, no worse

Re: "Thailand should legalise prostitution", (Opinion, July 20).

As with so many other bad laws, the criminal status of prostitution in Thailand reveals the hollow shallowness and echoing unreason of officially prescribed public morals and social norms that have too well characterised Thailand, among many similarly blighted nations, for many decades.

At best, the objections to prostitution are founded on nothing more substantive than dubious devotion to the mystical ideologies of some religion or other. Religion is an excellent reason for its true believers to follow the teachings claimed to have been handed down from their devotedly worshipped idols.

It is no reason whatsoever to impose those principles and precepts on others in society, who might rationally prefer other religious beliefs or none. Religion has never been a reliable guide either to objective reality or to moral right and wrong.

The Earth was never at the centre of the universe, nor did humankind ever come to exist save through nature's mindless evolution on Earth over the course of 3.5 or so billion years, merely because a sacred text insists it is so.

Burning witches or same-sex lovers was never morally right, however much some postulated god was said to condemn those human persons slaughtered in his or her name, nor was religiously endorsed slavery ever a morally right social institution merely because some god's sacred texts said it was so.

Religious belief is and should be a strictly personal matter, preferably indulged in private among consenting adults of like faith.

The Thailand Development Research Institute is right in its cogently argued call for Thailand to legalise prostitution. Humans choose their occupations according to their skills and demand. Paid-for sex is clearly in strong demand in Thai society, as are medical expertise, cooking skills, lawyering, teaching, cleaning, pop singing and computer engineering.

There is no obvious reason, save the mystical claims of religion, to support the claim that any of these work choices are morally better or worse than any other, so there can be no defensible grounds for criminalising any other them merely because of the personal objections of some part of the population, even were it a large majority. Nothing is ever made right or wrong merely because it has majority support.

Ideologues, intolerant fanatics, and bigots think their personal prejudices must be imposed on all.

Good people, in contrast, accept that others will and do hold different values and beliefs from them and that they will accordingly make different life choices. The latter makes for a healthy, flourishing society where all may freely, and confidently live honest, open, productive lives. The former inherently retard freedom, confidence, honesty, creativity and productivity, today's Thailand being evidence.

Land for foreigners

Re: "Exploring the land scheme for foreigners", (Business, July 20).

Those of us with long memories had a sense of deja vu at the government's announcement of impending land ownership rights for wealthy foreigners.

This is because the law already exists in the form of Section 96 bis of the Land Code, as amended by the Chuan Leekpai government in 1999.

The law was only passed after bitterly fought battles in parliament where Mr Chuan faced a revolt by his own backbench MPs who objected that the country would be overrun by rapacious foreign landowners, making Thais beggars in their own land.

As a result, the original bill was considerably watered down and controversial clauses including a provision giving foreigners with Thai spouses the right to buy a rai of land without any other investment were deleted.

In addition, the investment qualification was bumped up to 40 million baht, which in 1999 bought a lot more than it does today, and a requirement for ministerial approval for each transaction was included.

In the end, the Chuan government was unable to get the necessary enabling ministerial regulations out before it lost power. The subsequent Thaksin administration sabotaged the law by issuing ministerial regulations stipulating investment in new units of special economic recovery real estate funds that were never issued again after that date.

The Board of Investment declined to designate any alternative qualifying investments and so the law has remained unused for 23 years.

Luckily for the current government, the Chuan government did all the heavy lifting in parliament to get this law passed. All they need to do to activate the law is issue a one-page ministerial regulation specifying qualifying investments for the required 40-million-baht investment that are actually available at the present time.

Let's hope they get it right this time. It would be a shame to let this progressive law languish unutilised for another generation.

Lying politicians

Re: "Please vote properly", (PostBag, July 21).

I respect Khun Burin as probably the most balanced, considered, knowledgeable and thoughtful of all PostBag's contributors.

But I have a question for him.

He writes: "Voters should take their task seriously and vote only for those with integrity, vision and the ability to serve us."

Where, Khun Burin, do we find such men in Thailand, let alone the rest of the political world?

Diogenes spent his life in search of an honest man, never mind an honest politician.

I may be an old cynic, but I think that honesty and politics are oxymorons.

I'm reminded of that old chestnut: "How do you know when a politician is lying"?

Answer: "His lips are moving".

All opinions matter

Re: "Veg no vax", (PostBag, July 17).

Publishing endless letters that are nothing more than personal attacks against Eric Bahrt is absolutely abusive. Rarely do any of these "schoolyard bullies" debate the issues. They just want him banned from Postbag because they don't like his opinions.

It is obvious that these attacks against Eric are well organised and the same names pop up over and over again. If BP should ever yield to these dreadful people it'll be a sad day for press freedom.

I think I speak for most readers when I say we should hear all opinions, including those that differ from Ray Ban's.

Race against time

The human race is now racing against time for its survival. Humanity requires a team effort and, as such, it makes no difference which team member takes us all across the finish line.

Throughout its history, various team members have led the world in making technological progress and taking us closer to the finish line.

In the last few centuries, it's clear that the West has been leading the world and has taken us closer to the finish line. But we have not yet crossed it.

It should make no difference who takes us across. It's more important that we don't drop the baton and that we cross the finish line and save the human race.

For this to happen, cooperation is more important than which team member takes the baton across the finish line.

Free Bua Noi

I am writing to you as I would like to bring this situation to the people of Thailand and I feel by approaching a newspaper is the best way.

As we all know, the world we live in is in a terrible state. Mankind has made many mistakes and now we are all paying the price for them.

Wildlife, the oceans and the weather are all in a mess and we are losing so much on a daily basis that we may not recognise this planet as being our home very soon.

The reason I am writing to you is about one very lonely and sad member of a species so close to humans -- it's about Bua Noi, a gorilla held in prison in Thailand at the Pata Zoo.

I know the paper has done stories on Bua Noi, but we would like the Bangkok Post to keep her story alive and people up-to-date on the efforts being made to free her.

Please don't let this be a sad story. Let the world see that the Thai people care about the world and its wildlife.