Gracious talk
Re: "Paetongtarn must avoid past trends", (Opinion, Oct 30).
BP Columnist Veera Prateepchaikul describes Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin as acting "graciously" when he kissed the extended hand of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, duly "groomed by her handlers" as he can't help but put it. PM Srettha has clearly been equally well groomed.
What role should such cute displays of choreographed submission have in a modern Thailand? Shows of dictated submission are part of the legacy of the previous PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, who would stop at nothing to entrench his vision of Thailand in the 21st century, "Thailand 4.0" as he boasted. But should they be?
Unlike Veera speaking of a "graciously bowed" prime minister, who is supposed to represent a proud people, this eminently wise leader of old spoke of traditional customs that reinforced notions of intrinsic inequality between citizens as being "severely oppressive".
He sought to abolish such "harsh" practices that could only demean Thailand in the eyes of developed nations.
Felix Qui
Writing for rights
Re: "Gaza needs coverage", (PostBag, Oct 30) and "Plants rule, OK?", (PostBag, Sept 7).
Recently, a friend noted that while earlier in the year I was writing PostBag letters for animal rights, now I'm writing them for Palestinian rights.
His comment got me thinking about a book I read: The History of the Animal Rights Movement.
The book noted that some animal rights activists are often involved in such causes as Amnesty International and Palestinian rights. That observation blew my mind since I've been involved in both causes.
Why am I attracted to such seemingly unrelated movements?
I see myself as a voice for the voiceless -- whether we're talking about an animal in a slaughterhouse, a Palestinian child whose home has been destroyed by the Israeli invasion in Gaza or a Rohingya refugee. The essence of my humanity is about having the backs of the oppressed -- human or animal -- and fighting their oppressors. Without that humanity I would not want to live another day in this horrible world.
Eric Bahrt
One old adage
As I read the almost daily spewing here of some readers, I think of what Plato said. "Wise men speak because they have something to say; a fool, because he has to say something."
Stuart Ayres
Good tax plan
Re: "New tax rules need clarification", (Editorial, Oct 8) and "Tax plan turnoff", (PostBag, Oct 7).
While the government is looking at different ways to secure more revenue for its coffers, one of the most successful ways is to introduce a tax, let's say, 0.25%, on all bank deposits for a period of three years.
By having a time period placed on the tax it will have greater public acceptance. This will ensure everyone is contributing to Thailand's recovery.
Stephen Evans
