OPINION

Stop future coups

Re: "Talk to the generals", (PostBag, June 4).

I fully agree with Khun Vint Chavala that the incoming government should reach an understanding with our military before reforming our defence mechanism, and sync closely with them -- for they not only love Thailand, they hold the world record for most coups d'etat since 1932.

Each party should understand that the military's noble, vital role is to be a fence against external foes.

The civilian government should give them the wherewithal necessary to do a good job.

For their part, the soldiers should accept that a fence does not tell the homeowners what to do.

As an American living and working in Bangkok for more than three decades, the Bangkok US Consulate's (American Citizens Services-ACS) recent changes in official protocol are more than distressing.

For the 12 years that ACS has required appointments, it was easy-peasy to make an online appointment with Google and/or Chrome, including earlier this year.

In contrast, two weeks ago, I started to make an appointment to renew my young daughter's passport.

Instead of easily proceeding through the ACS online appointment steps, after (literally) 500 tries (90 minutes), the second step always returned to the first step.

When I emailed Bangkok-ACS for assistance, they said Chrome no longer works for the appointment system: please use Safari.

So, after another (literally) 1,500 Safari tries (three hours) with the same result, I installed Firefox on my computer.

After only 250 tries, I got through to the appointment calendar and set it for the end of last week. Hallelujah!

On the appointed day for the passport renewal, at the security entryway, the protocol no longer allows you to leave your questionable items -- knife, nail clippers, power bank, lighter, etc.

Instead, now you must take the questionable items outside 200 metres down Witthayu Rd where a vendor charges 100 baht for the storage.

Is it not time for US Consul's ACS appointment protocol to revert its status to a reliable, timely and worry-free operation?

Re: "Let's not kowtow", (PostBag, June 2).

To use "kowtow" as the headline whenever we touch on China is not appropriate.

Times have changed. China's economy is the second largest in the world and still growing.

More than a billion Chinese were lifted out of poverty, and millions of Chinese tourists travel around the world.

China has built the world's largest network of high-speed train railways that spans nearly 40,000km, the list of achievements goes on.

The world has become multipolar, the days of US domination no longer exist. Many people like "an expat of Thailand" denounce China out of jealousy or lack of information.

Calling out freedom like the lyrics in the lovely song Una Paloma Blanca would not feed one's stomach, it is the people's well-being and the prosperous society that reflects a regime's success.

As President Bill Clinton has once said, it's the economy, stupid!