OPINION

Rip off the masks

Re: "More than a forced smile," (Editorial, March 27).

In connection with your editorial, I would like to offer one observation. During the pandemic, the Post published daily figures of Covid-induced deaths and hospitalisations; a chilling array of statistics. Why not now publish similar figures to show how relatively rare such cases are? Maybe then, more people will be encouraged to discard the pointless masks which hide all signs of relaxed happiness and we will once again be surrounded by a contagion of those warm Thai smiles.

Mugwump treatise

Re: "Repatriation needs right conditions," (Opinion, March 27).

The people's civil war for Myanmar democracy is constantly undermined by "Rohingya advocacy mugwumps".

Competitively, these mugwumps resent that a Myanmar civil war for liberty has broken out. The war takes international attention away from their own "apartheid" cause. A "racist equity cause" that ignores the horrible plight of dozens of other government-oppressed ethnic groups in favour of the advocate's chosen oppressed "ONE", the Rohingya.

In true mugwumpian style, they complain that civil war fighting is "affecting" the peace of mind of the "neutral" Rohingya remaining in Rakhine State. Rohingya, who are approvingly described as working out an accord with the coup-installed dictatorship!!!

All this, while the mugwumps ignore a millions-plus other ethnic groups brutally forced into internal displacement, desperately living hand to mouth in the jungle. These ethnic groups are also fleeing the sadistic rule of the government, but fighting back. They do not accept the mugwumpy-promoted "victim dependency status".

Is it any wonder that the international community does not know how to respond to the Myanmar tragedy?

A transitory thing

Re: "Trans women banned from female athletics," (BP, March 24).

If a human being has two X chromosomes = female. If a human being has an X chromosome = male.

Simple. What a ridiculous argument.

Beware of boredom

PostBag has several serial letter writers who write in time after time on the same topic, and often in almost identical wording with no new arguments. For some reason, the PostBag editor tolerates this repetition and keeps printing the same old arguments over and over again.

Instead, I suggest that you allocate logos to these writers, and instead of publishing their letters you print the logo alongside their names.

The arch-serial writer Eric Bahrt would merit at least three logos. One could be an ear of corn, meaning that he has written yet another letter on vegan diets. Another could be an elephant, reminding us to be kind to animals, and third could be a broken Star of David, indicating his denouncement of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

Michel Setter could be represented by a hypodermic needle with a red bar across it, indicating that he has written another letter denouncing Covid vaccinations and the international pharma conspiracy.

And much as I respect Burin Kantabutra's erudite letters, his constantly repeated calls for a revision of Thailand's lese majeste laws could be represented by a crown.

This system would have many benefits.

First, it would give continued recognition to the writers and their causes. Second, it would tell PostBag readers that these writers are still on their hobbyhorses, without the boredom of us having to read the letter again. And finally, it would free up valuable PostBag space for the printing of letters on new and original subjects.