OPINION

More than 'a handful'

Re: "Atthaya the toast of Thai athletes" (BP, Dec 27).

The full-page annual round-up sports article starts by saying that "Only a handful of Thai athletes were successful on the international stage in 2022."

Well, actually there are many more, who if not ignored will add to the mentioned names to make the full list, not just "a handful".

During the year, the achievements of those shining stars were regularly reported in the media, including the Bangkok Post.

The following are some examples:

On "Prayad Marksaeng" in golf: "Prodigious Prayad takes 6th straight title in Japan" (BP, Nov 5).

On "Thongchai Jaidee" in golf: "Thongchai Jaidee going strong on Senior Tour" (BP, Aug 23). Note that he became the first Thai to win a PGA title. He won one title and had seven top-10 finishes on the US PGA Senior Tour this year.

On "Enzo Tarnvanichkul" in motorsport: Teenage karting ace Enzo Tarnvanichkul has taken a step towards F1 stardom after becoming the first Thai to join Red Bull's Junior Team driver development programme.

In September, the Thai teenager beat 109 other young racers from 40 different countries to win the FIA World Karting Championship. He is Thailand's first karting world champion. Enzo was competing in the OK Junior class (12–14 age group) at the 2022 FIA Karting World Championship at the Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy.

On "Panipak Wongpattanakit" in taekwondo: "Thai star Panipak a cut above the rest" (BP, May 20).

Note that on Sept 2 Olympic champion Panipak "Tennis" Wongpattanakit added another medal to her trophy cabinet with gold at the 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

Competing in Paris at the second of four Grand Prix events this year, Panipak won through to the 49kg final on Friday. She faced a daunting challenge in the showdown, going up against 2022 European Champion Merve Dinçel. However, the in-form Thai made short work of her Turkish opponent, winning the final 2-0 with a score of 6-0 and 11-6.

On the Thai women's volleyball team: "Thai women advance at volleyball worlds. Second round slot assured after straight-sets win over South Korea." (BP, Sep 29), and "Thai women topple Dominican wall (BP, Oct 1), and Thai women go down fighting against USA; Five-set match against defending Olympic champs concludes impressive run at world volleyball championship (BP, Oct 8). Those athletes deserve their place in the annual round-ups.

And, last but not least, in the LPGA there is not only Atthaya but also seven more golfing ladies who did so well this year that they have all retained their tour cards going into 2023.

In addition, in the Q-Series which just ended in early December, five more young ladies qualified for 2023 tour cards thus making Thailand one of the leading forces in the world of ladies' golf with as many as 13 LPGA participants.

Illegitimate junta

Re: "Alarm raised after junta meeting," (BP, Dec 25).

Our junta-spawned leaders badly erred by inviting only the Tatmadaw to meet ministers from other Asean countries "to find pathways towards a return to normalcy".

Yes, the Myanmar military was only following in Prayut/Prawit's footsteps when it staged its coup, and the pot does not call the kettle black.

But the Tatmadaw is beyond the pale, for it brazenly stole the country from the rightful owners, who are all the citizens of Myanmar.

They cannot be invited to any formal or informal meeting as if they represented those from whom they stole.

The remnants of the lawfully elected government -- the NUG -- must always be involved in deciding how to return Myanmar to normalcy.

Aid multilateralism

Re: "Global, regional, local trends for 2023," (Opinion, Dec 23).

From the perspective of international relations, a genuine revival of multilateralism is most urgently needed in 2023, as we look forward to the new year.

The current dangerous decline of multilateral diplomacy should be stopped.

If this century is nearly unanimously defined as the Asian Century, Asia should have the duty to offer a highly-needed example of effective action.

In this regard, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, with its 62 members and associate members must be helped to let it play a leading role by demonstrating more visibility in promoting multilateral cooperation.

It is the largest inter-regional body of the UN system and the only one in which all five permanent members of the UN Security Council are full members.

For that purpose, a more dynamic involvement of Asean under the chairmanship of Indonesia in 2023 might give a new impetus to inter-regional diplomacy in all fields.

Conscript clarification

Re: "Liberty of speech," (PostBag, Dec 27).

I must thank Samuel Wright for his considered response to my last letter, "Different systems" responding to his own.

For its greater similarities to Thailand, the South Korean experience of military reform to strengthen democratic principles and practice is more relevant than the Swiss and others.

I am also pleased to note that Mr Wright concurs that reforming Thailand's traditional conscription system in the direction of a universal system that exists in flourishing democracies would be a very good thing.

But having reread both of Mr Wright's previous letters on this issue, I confess that I'm unclear as to what other reform he has proposed which he thinks I oppose.

I may have misunderstood, but got the impression that Mr Wright favoured keeping the existing conscription system, which he argues would thereby allow increasingly democracy-minded conscripts to be forced into the military as usual, where they would share their democratic ideas with other conscripts and ask pertinent questions that deserve answers.

That is not reform. It is leaving things as they are and hoping that change will somehow occur spontaneously. As noted by myself and others, Thailand's historical record contradicts such optimism.

If Mr Wright could specify a little more clearly exactly what reforms he in fact has in mind other than the South Korean and like models of universal military conscription on which we already agree, I might be better able to do those proposals for reform of Thailand's existing conscription system the justice he believes I have denied them.

We gave and gave

Re: "What would you do," (PostBag, Dec 26).

Dear Ken Albertsen. In my heavily redacted letter, including the "Milking" headline, I was alluding to the fact that my small nation, the Czech Republic, cannot afford much more generosity than it has already given and is still giving to Ukraine.

We have fully equipped at least one Ukrainian motorised brigade. What with 50 tanks, 50 armoured personnel carriers, 30 self-propelled howitzers, 25 surface to air multiple rocket launchers and above all, five MI-24 helicopters -- very mean killing machines indeed. Add to it supporting equipment such as lorries, jeeps, SPGs, Kalashnikovs, ammunition, clothing and even boots.

We have therefore exposed our army to serious shortages of arms IN CASE OF AN INVASION!, thus endangering our national security. We are also sending other strategic materials such as generators, pumps, medicines etc.

Furthermore, under US diktat, the Czechs stopped the flow of Russian gas and oil and instead are buying it at four times the price from the already rich Americans. We have 20% inflation and 50% deflation of our stomachs!

No wonder the Czechs are at the end of their tether and financial strength. If this generosity does not stop, or is not curtailed, there will soon be riots.

So, dear Ken, what would you do indeed? Stop lecturing me on invasions. I know all about them, I am a refugee too, and in each and every case nobody ever lifted a finger to help us.

As the Fiddler on the Roof sings: "If I was a rich man, yada dada dada dada da...(In Czech, Dat means to give)."

Wear a helmet

Re: "Moving to Chiang Rai," (PostBag, Dec 25).

Sorry, many ordinary motorcyclists do not use helmets in Hua Hin, Pattaya or elsewhere. What the letter writer saw from his cafe window on Sukhumvit Road 1 was professional delivery drivers forced by their company to use a helmet or professional motorbike taxi drivers who have learned the lesson, maybe through their insurance company. And by the way, very ordinary Bangkokians do not ride motorbikes on Sukhumvit Road.

Years ago, Thailand invested money and effort in getting people to wear a helmet. The blue and white posters from then, with a helmet and with the optimistic text underneath, are still seen everywhere, but now faded.

It is just like the police's work to follow up on the helmet mandate, which seems to have been absent since Covid rammed the country. All previous campaigns were money wasted since the police stopped enforcing the law. "When the cat is away the mice started dancing on the table." So, now it has to start again.

When you see mothers with small children or speeding youngsters on motorbikes without helmets, you know they do not understand how dangerous it is.

New campaigns have to be kicked off. And why not subsidise crash helmets instead of spending more money later to treat head injuries? The police used to be quite eager when stopping drivers without a helmet, just ask motorbiking tourists from before Covid. But not now. Why?