Published on October 19, 2005
Public support for tough measures in the South may be underestimated
Re: “No religion sanctions atrocity”, Editorial, October 10.
You write of the “goodwill of the fair minded Buddhist majority” putting pressure on the government to seek reconciliation with southerners. Where does this majority reside? Indeed, most Thais I’ve met believe that the Army should increase its efforts to suppress the uprising, by whatever means it deems necessary. I wonder too just how deep your own fair-mindedness runs. In the same piece, you refer to the insurgents’ “evil ‘political’ objectives”. I can understand calling their methods evil, but which of their objectives deserves this description? Or is any talk of separatism and independence for the region simply intolerable? Dom Dunn Chiang Mai ------------------------------------------------ Imposing early bedtimes on tourists bad for the economy Being a tourism hub does have its responsibilities. As more and more tourists come to Thailand, we must be reminded that these people are here on holiday and expect to be treated accordingly. Safety is of paramount importance, but also important is entertainment and relaxation. Requiring tourists to retire at 1am is difficult. Closing the country’s nightspots and affecting the activities of others should be a definite “no-no”. Customers have a habit of voting with their feet and do not expect to be hassled during their evening out. Perhaps next time they will choose not to return to Thailand. We should not try to control tourists in Thailand and should be finding ways to help make sure that their time here is enjoyable. We should realise once and for all that our greatest asset, as far as tourism is concerned, is our once-renowned and vibrant entertainment sector. We should ask tourists why they really come here. And please, let’s not accept their tongue-in-cheek response of “studying Thai Buddhism and culture”, which I know is often cited and is often believed by the authorities. Please, don’t let tiny Singapore produce higher tourism figures (and more revenue) than the whole of Thailand. Sirikanya Wongsriratanakul Chon Buri ------------------------------------------------ Radio service’s cancellation may not be that great a loss Re: “BBC to stop Thai service”, News, October 17. So the BBC is to stop its Thai-language service. That is good news for Thailand. The BBC’s socialist leanings have consistently worked against our country’s interests, and their biased reporting of the violence in Thailand’s South has made the Thai people look like villains instead of victims. Their reporting on the tsunami probably helped contribute to some of the false impressions around the world that Phuket had been destroyed, which in turn led to economic devastation in the area. Scandals about the BBC’s ethical standards and their reporting on the Iraqi War are still unfolding. The BBC has never been a friend of Thailand. I say good riddance to them. They won’t be missed. Lek Krabi ------------------------------------------------ Diseases involving food safety warrant detailed explanations Re: “Contamination fears prompt demands for food-safety body”, News, October 14. Salmonella is normally contracted by eating the meat or eggs of infected animals usually poultry and the normal symptoms are similar to typhoid. E coli is usually contracted when meat comes into contact with the faeces of the slaughtered animal, and the usual symptoms are abdominal pain and haemorrhagic diarrhoea. Cholera is caused by Vibrio cholerae, involves a severe combination of fever and diarrhoea and often results in death. Vibrio cholerae is spread by the faeces of infected humans. Your article on food contamination does not make these distinctions and incorrectly ascribes all of the above properties to salmonella. Cha-am Jamal Phetchaburi ------------------------------------------------ Many murders, but too few captured suspects Re: “Militants kill monk, 2 teens”, News, October 17. It appears to me that the violence in the southern provinces is getting out of the security forces’ control, notwithstanding the PM’s assurances that the situation has improved. Why do we come to the conclusion that these temple killings were the work of militants? Why is it that up to now, after more than one and a half years of ongoing daily slaughter, so few of the real culprits have been identified? I believe the wrong group of troublemakers has been targeted, while it must be admitted that youths under the influence of drugs could also have been involved. Please be open-minded in all probes. Do not discount the possibility of the involvement of strayed security personnel in these incidents, too. How can arms and ammunition pass through the security roadblocks that are almost everywhere in the three southernmost provinces? How can the troublemakers escape so easily without a trace after each and every killing? Mike Wee Malaysia ------------------------------------------------ The South will burn if fire is fought with fire Re: “Militants kill monk, 2 teens”, News, October 17. The slaughter of a monk and two temple boys in Pattani was most barbaric – and carefully intended to divide the South along religious lines. The authorities’ knee-jerk reaction may be to use massive force, an eye for an eye, smothering the areas with soldiers, hauling in suspects first and let’s look for proof later. Such acts will look good on television – but will be exactly what the terrorists want, for such thrashing about will arouse further resentment against the heavy-handed police and military. The violence has steadily escalated. Yet, as General Pallop, deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command, noted, the government has made very scant, if any, progress against the insurgents. The government’s iron-fisted approach has been shown to be failing. There is a definite place for force in bringing peace to the South – and that is to protect the lives of the innocent, regardless of faith. But force must take second place to reconciliation. The war is one of terrorists versus peace-loving people, not of Muslims versus Buddhists. All faiths must unite to win the hearts and minds of the locals, and give them a decisive part in solving their region’s problems. The authorities should encourage leaders and common people of all faiths to condemn those who would turn their religion into evil and set up safe channels for locals to provide information – perhaps through religious leaders, whom potential informants trust more than they do the military. Burin Kantabutra Bangkok ------------------------------------------------ Schools should know that they hire a person, not a diploma Once on a long flight, I sat next to a Frenchman who was a BA and a TOEFL graduate who had secured a good paying job at a Thai university. Besides his lousy handle on English, his accent was so thick I could barely understand anything he said. Doubtless his case is an anomaly to the to the majority of TOEFL graduates who are capable, but it gives one pause. Those who hire at Thai educational facilities would do better to gauge an applicant’s skills and knowledge, rather than just look at their certifications. If I had the job of hiring English teachers, the first thing I’d do with an applicant is set his/her academic papers aside. I would then go about gauging three basic components that are incumbent to being a good teacher: knowledge, ability to engage students’ attention and character. There has also been mention of the endemic “all students must pass” policy here. Among other things, this tarnishes the overall reputation of a Thai education. It’s a sin to have bright students held back in order to have all students walk through the cattle gate to the graduation podium. A two-tiered system within each grade level, with one classroom set aside for bright students, was a consideration, However, such a stratified system would be too readily corrupted by worried parents trying to influence educators. Plus, it could create divisiveness and ridicule among students. Instead, the old-fashioned system of grading should be strengthened – with teachers setting high standards and not being afraid to fail underachievers. Under the current situation, bright students are hobbled by both low educational standards and the system being soft on cheats – particularly when pressure from VIP and wealthy parents is applied to the teachers. Sadly, Thai kids grow up learning that corruption and cheating are not only allowable, but often necessary components of being successful. When such attitudes pollute academic establishments, dimwits and cheats are funnelled up to top positions within business and government – and society pays the price. However there is hope, as evidenced by the most fluent English-speaking Thai I know. He’s a young man who says he excelled by listening to radio in his spare time. As for teachers with faked credentials – yes, that’s a problem. But to allay that, hirers need to rely less on diplomas as components for gauging skill levels. Ken Albertsen Chiang Rai ------------------------------------------------ Lawsuits being used to scare reporters into self-censorship Re: “PM: I am being kind to Luangta”, News, October 17. Once again, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is taking on the media by filing a libel suit against a magazine that printed quotes by a revered monk, describing him as “power hungry”. The whopping Bt500 million, is a tad inflated. And the magazine merely reported quotes from a speech made by somebody else. If any party needs to be sued, it would have to be the monk who made the remarks. This is an obvious assault by the PM on press freedom in Thailand, with the apparent intent to frighten the media into refraining from publishing critical content about Thaksin or his government. I hope the court will dismiss this case, which if won by Thaksin, would set a dangerous precedent. Thomas Schmid Bangkok
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