Not even ranked
Re: "Macron factor raises tourism hope", (BP, Nov 22).
The Lonely Planet, the well-known and respected travel organisation famous for its unique tourist guides, has just released its 2023 compilation of the 30 best-suggested destinations on our planet. The ranking has been elaborated with five main topics in mind: Eat, Journey, Unwind, Learn and Connect.
Is it a surprise that we find Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, or Turkey some of the winners? No.
What is a surprise is that Thailand is nowhere to be found in the ranking. Even my own country of origin, Canada, not the most famous attracting worldwide tourists, is listed in the "Journey" section (Nova Scotia).
Maybe some big wigs in power shall take note and adapt their advertisements worldwide, not just focusing on wealthy expats that will now not have access to buy a piece of land as was promised earlier, but on regular tourists that may want to enjoy a hassle-free few weeks visit without the usual double pricing, scams, cheats and fake jewellery stores.
Michel Barre
Kids and Covid
Re: "Think of the children", (PostBag, Nov 21) and "Covid risks to kids", (PostBag, Nov 18).
The precautionary principle states that in a situation of uncertainty, it is wise to be over-cautious rather than not and come to regret it later. Parents have a duty of care to their children; this includes protecting them from novel viruses like Covid, which science increasingly shows is anything but mild in terms of the long-term damage it causes. Yet Eric Barht is dangerously advocating that we act like Covid is harmless.
What does the science show? That even in "mild" infections, children are left with vascular damage, increased risk of diabetes, and risk of severe complications like MIS-C, neurological complications, and brain infections. It shows that children can suffer from long Covid at the same rate as adults (currently around 5% of infections), with each reinfection increasing the risk of severe outcomes. It shows that Covid is deadlier than flu and that reinfection doesn't build immunity but rather damages your immunity. It shows that Covid increases your risk of heart attack and stroke for at least a year after infection. All of this is confirmed in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
On vaccination, while teenage boys, in particular, are more susceptible to myocarditis, in the vast majority, this resolves itself, and the balance of evidence means the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. Covid infection itself is more likely to have worse outcomes on the heart.
I urge fellow parents to ignore Covid minimising anti-vaxxers like Eric. Instead, continue to be cautious and protect your children (and yourselves) from infection and reinfection with masking, ventilation, air purifiers and vaccination.
Diane Archer
Whose interest?
Re: "Protest lodged over match allocations", (BP, Nov 22).
I agree completely with Sports Authority of Thailand Governor Kongsak Yodmanee that "the main sponsor of the World Cup matches deserves priority". But the main sponsor was the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission -- not True Corp. (B600m vs. B300m spent). So the NBTC -- not True -- should have been given first choice of matches to sponsor. Governor Kongsak, you're doing the exact opposite of what you advocate.
SAT may say that True topped other private sponsors. But that'll make things worse for SAT, since if provenance is relevant, then the interests of the public as a whole -- as represented by the NBTC -- must take precedence over those of a single body, such as True.
SAT, walk the walk, not just talk it.
Burin Kantabutra
