Published on June 06, 2005
Thais will have to take responsibility for changing the country themselves
Re: “The ‘commodification’ of the Kingdom”, Opinion, June 4.
This is perhaps one of the best and most effective articles I’ve read in The Nation! It hit right to the heart of all Thais who call themselves Buddhists. We’re all hypocrites in many ways if we really think about how many of the “basic five” Buddhist teachings we break every single day, yet we worry about seeing a bikini in front of a temple. We need to look more closely at the situation. We should be ashamed for what happened during the national costume contest. Though NBC [which broadcast the pageant in the US] did not show all of the costumes worn by the contestants, it was clear enough that the Thai costume could not have won this title. This contradicts the basic five Buddhist practices – it is stealing. Thailand is known by people around the world as one of the most beautiful countries to visit. At the same time, the truth is that we are bogged down in fighting and cheating! Thais want the country to improve so that it can meet any international standard, but we don’t seem to want to implement the change that should begin in the heart of every individual – a respect the rule of law and social responsibility. Will we ever change? Lek Thanavatik Los Angeles ---------------------------------------- The govt should be clearer about conservation What exactly is the government’s message with regards to the current energy-saving campaign? I often listen to the Radio Thailand news and have thereby been bombarded by their pleas for us to use less energy for the sake of the nation. I initially accepted that by driving below 90km/hour I would save myself so many thousand baht per year, thereby saving the country so many million. Then I thought, how does Thailand save money through my buying less petrol for my car? Does it cost the nation money every time I buy petrol? The same logic applies to air con and electricity bills. Has someone in the government fallen out with the owners of the main power company and hatched this scheme to reduce their profits? I can understand the government encouraging the people to use less energy in order to reduce pollution and the production of greenhouse gasses, but this is never mentioned in the publicity I have heard. Does the government really think that all the general public can understand is money? I am sure most people would respond much more positively to a campaign that outlined the many clear, coherent reasons for us to work together to reduce energy consumption. A music lover BANGKOK ---------------------------------------- Save power by eliminating sources of city noise Here’s a thought: Thailand has an electrical-power dilemma. Thailand also has a noise problem. Enact and enforce an ordinance to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, loudspeakers and vendor stereo noise in parks and other public places, thereby tackling a significant element of noise pollution and reducing unnecessary power demand at the same time. Power reduction would help delay the need for dam projects and other environmentally unfriendly measures. Reducing power demand in productive ways like this could produce a win-win-win scenario. Uncle Claw Ayutthaya ---------------------------------------- Who wouldn’t be offended by constant criticism? Voltaire presents a good case for farangs residing in Thailand, except for a few flaws in his reasoning [“Discrimination doesn’t prevent farangs from enjoying Land of Smiles”. Letters, June 4]. Whether he likes it or not, we are guests in this country. And just as when a person is a guest in someone else’s house, we do not have the same rights as the people residing in the house. He is deeply concerned about racism here. But I have to ask myself how Thais cannot be racist when they hear farangs making statements such as “Why do Thais have such a difficult time understanding that only by criticising something does it get better?” Forget that the statement should not apply to a guest to begin with, just look at the logic of it. Who is doing the critique? Is he or she in possession of all of his or her faculties? Have the changes suggested in the critique made for a better life in the country? Far too many foreigners come here looking not only to enjoy the positive things about Thailand, but also looking to employ the restrictive, controlling elements of their own society in order to supposedly make Thailand “perfect”. They do this not realising that many of the positive elements of Thailand are a result of not having a controlled, antiseptic society. As for “tips”, it is necessary for us to deal with more governmental agencies than Thais because we are aliens here. Thus we are subject more situations involving “tips” than Thais. But make no mistake about it, Thais also face the same customs that we do when dealing with governmental agencies. The question here then is: is the practice, or custom if you will, fair? I, for one, prefer it to the draconian fines or trips to the courthouse of the West, the letter-of-the-law execution in the West and the endless waiting in lines only to eventually have to deal with some smug, condescending, government employee handing you endless reams of paperwork to fill out in order to do something that you should have had the right to do in the first place, without their permission. I occasionally read constructive suggestions from foreigners in the newspaper, but they are few and far between and unfortunately are often lost between the foreigners who believe that it is necessary to criticise something in order to make it better. John Arnone Yasothon ---------------------------------------- Discriminating between racism and discrimination Not all discrimination is racism. It is good to hear the noises made by both Sudsanguan [“Farangs have it pretty easy in Thailand”, Letters, May 30], and Voltaire [“Discrimination doesn’t prevent farangs from enjoying Land of Smiles”, Letters, June 4] about discrimination, racism and the lack of certain rights in Australia and Thailand, respectively, as they see it. Unless people make noise no one will notice. It is very important to complain about discrimination and racism and lack of basic rights even though it may take several decades or centuries for these ills to dissipate. Both these writers make good points, however they do go overboard to some extent. Australia is not as bad as Sudsanguan feels, although it was terrible at one time, and it still is bad if you ask any Aborigine in Australia. As for the “racism” towards farangs in Thailand, as claimed by Voltaire, there is absolutely no foundation to his allegation. Allow me to explain. It becomes really important to understand the difference between discrimination, racism and a lack of certain rights because some people seem to use these terms interchangeably, which only confuses the issues. Racism is when one race believes it is superior to another, eg, Hitler’s Germany, apartheid in South Africa, slavery in the United States, etc; and it is based on hatred, or fear, generally. Whereas discrimination is an act of treating one group differently than the other, which may even take place without any racial overtones, eg, distinction based on wealth or age or sex. Thais do not believe that we are superior or inferior to farangs. Thais do not hate or fear farangs. Thailand is not xenophobic like Japan, and we know that because citizens of over 55 nations can actually walk into Thailand without visas. Therefore, I will not accept any comment from anyone suggesting that there is racism towards farangs in Thailand. Asia (Thailand) is not a “hotbed of racism”, as Voltaire puts it. His examples of corrupt police and unethical vendors trying to extract extra money (without regard to race) amount only to extortion or larceny, at best, taking undue advantage of one’s being new to a country. Such acts are not “discrimination” or “racism”. The police even extort money from Thais if they can. They really do not discriminate there! As for the lack of certain “equal” rights for foreigners, this depends entirely on the laws and rules of a nation, and they apply across the board to all members of a certain class. For example, tourists cannot be employed for gain, and foreigners cannot buy real estate. That is neither racism nor discrimination. As for voicing people’s opinions, The Nation does print our letters, doesn’t it?! It is a given that many Western nations have their share of ugly racism and discrimination and a denial of basic rights for minorities. Just look at the history of the United States, South Africa, Australia, etc. Now that Western nations have finally “improved” their scores, many other nations will also follow suit. Therefore, I am quite optimistic that with globalisation and the Internet revolution, we will see the peoples of this Earth mingle more easily with one another, and there will be less racism and discrimination and more universal rights. Thailand is not perfect, but it will get better and better – just stay around here long enough! Chai Tan Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Musharraf should have kept Al-Libbi in Pakistan I am shocked that President Musharraf of Pakistan has decided to extradite Al-Libbi to US. The president says the authorities have questioned Al-Libbi and need nothing else from him. Well, according to Pakistan’s fovernment he is accused of masterminding two bombings in an attempt to assassinate President Musharraf. In one of the bombings 17 people were killed. Does Pakistan not want to bring him to justice for that? Or does President Musharraf think the US will ensure justice for the murdered Pakistanis. Any president who hands over an accused killer could be said to be compromising his country’s sovereignty. Uppal Shaidai Bangkok
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