Heady days of 2006
Re: "Thaksin, 16 years on: Coup was a stab in the back", (BP, Sept 19).
Looking at the photograph of the seriously armed young lads on their tank parked in the street on those heady days of 2006, I wonder what the young soldier conscripts think when they are ordered to move against the Thai people whom they should know it is their duty to protect from such armed assault? Has any study been done where they are interviewed at periods after the event to discover the truths lurking in those dark places?
How were they led to follow such orders? What sacred ideology led them so far astray from their duty to protect the Thai people from armed attack? How did they feel at the time? What did they think of their acts against the Thai people and their popular form of democratic government thereafter?
Felix Qui
Incendiary remarks
Re: ''Some private universities even encourage their students not to pay back their debts", (InQuote, Sept 20).
For House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to state [the above] and not include "proof" of such an inflammatory statement does not help things. Then to spread it in the news without reporters questioning the veracity further compounds the issue.
Being a lecturer at a private university, I've never come across an administration encouraging students to not pay their loans. Having four degrees and attended over a dozen institutes as a student, it was never suggested to shirk student loan obligations.
Educating the citizenry of a country should be an investment that all governments need to participate in to transition into the technological era of the 21st century.
Instead of burdening students with financial debt because of university degrees, the money should be provided without interest. Since the government cannot "afford" investing in the minds of the people (but submarines are justified), it should at least not try to profit off the efforts of those trying to better themselves.
What about dropping all interest and fees associated with student loans? Would this reduce the rate of loan defaults?
Darius Hober
Media Covid spin
Re: ''Infections falling but will 'spike again in early 2023'," (BP, Sept 20).
That headline is another example of how the media has to always put a negative spin on anything related to Covid. Instead of the headline emphasising that the Covid rate is going down, now we must be terrified because it might go up later.
The whole purpose of this insanity is to make more money for the vaccine industries despite the fact that vaccines don't prevent transmission (Google: "Increase in Covid infections unrelated to levels of vaccinations, European Journal of Epidemiology") and have no proven benefits for healthy people.
Eric Bahrt
Fresh focus needed
Re: "CCSA mulls ways to lure tourists as threat wanes", (BP, Sept 21).
With 774 new cases reported, around 200 hospitalised and 10-15 deaths, out of a 67 million population -- why are Covid figures continuing to be published daily when many more deaths and hospitalisation by other diseases and road deaths far exceed those figures?
Perhaps if those other causes were published daily the government might be goaded into taking steps to reduce them.
Ron Martin
