TPP police work

WikiLeaks has been providing details online of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership which reveal that the agreement will require much more “policing” than is usually discussed.

Not only the expansion of pharmaceutical patents and monopolies, but also (for instance) protection of intellectual property online, might require an entirely new (and large) government agency just to do that policing (day and night).

Honestly, who else but the Thai military could do that in Thailand? Who else could have tackled the fishing slavery issue?

Forty-two years ago (as pointed out in the editorial), the Thai military was working for anti-communist powers, and who else today but the Thai military could likewise accommodate the needs of multinational, corporate monopolies?

During my lifetime, I have seen people in uniform “defend capitalism” and “defend communism” but, as stated, it all usually comes down to “urban wealth and economic growth figures”.

The “deeper ills” are “big money” (or the lust for it), real or imagined.

Guy Baker

Tribally illogical

Re: “Rotting from the inside", (PostBag, Oct 9). The writer’s remarks on two-tiered pricing blamed this country as usual, as many foreigners have been doing over the years, but this time he went too far as to claim it comes out of the "Thai tribalist mentality".

My simple question: Why do universities in the USA and some other countries charge tuition and fees for residents and non-residents on a heavily unequal two-tiered pricing system? Does that come from their "tribalist mentalities"?

With a higher price of two hundred baht a ticket, the letter writer said he would expect world-class service.

His logic is amusing.

An observer

Time for transparency

Re: “CDC chief hints at outsider PM”, (BP, Oct 14). The idea of a non-elected prime minister brings about a situation similar to the US where the president has to sign off legislation and cannot possibly revert to the Yingluck excuse of being in charge but not responsible.

“The buck stops here” in the tradition of former US president Harry S Truman would fit nicely.

The prime minister’s office should be above suspicion like Caesar’s wife but watched like a hawk by the political parties.

The ministers should be elected members of the House not the party list.

RICHARD BOWLER

Focus on human rights

John Kane (Re: “When good and bad collide, PostBag, Oct 11) is right that America’s human rights policy towards Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro was hypocritical. Still, it should be noted that Mr Obama was not in office when Saddam was in power and it was President Obama who changed America’s ridiculous policy towards Cuba.

In any case, I don’t speak for America. I speak for human rights. And the Obama administration is correct to try to push Thailand in the direction of democracy.

It’s irrelevant to argue that some countries have worse human rights records than Thailand. How does that help the Thai woman who is serving 29 years for lese majeste?

Eric Barht

Online polls languish

For months now the online polls have languished, with only sporadic polls being put online.

A frequent complaint was that the questions being polled sometimes seemed too innocuous or frivolous or, worse, irrelevant to what was happening in politics or society at large at the time.

Why not put the polls in the hands of readers by setting up a post box in which readers can suggest questions to be polled, and acknowledge the reader who made the suggestion?

Even provide a function to allow readers to suggest what the optional answers might be, subject always of course to editorial oversight?

Peter Quinlan

CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Fax: +02 6164000 email:

postbag@bangkokpost.co.th

All letter writers must provide full name and address.

All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.

14 Oct 2015 14 Oct 2015
16 Oct 2015 16 Oct 2015

SUBMIT YOUR POSTBAG

All letter writers must provide a full name and address. All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion

SEND