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Published on February 2, 2008

Thailand lacks any real understanding of the consequences of one's action. I have taught in a Thai government school for a few years and have witnessed the behaviour of the students. In many ways this differs only slightly from the worst elements of Thai society. Many students, especially males, think they can act in any way they want, and often do. They escape punishment and fail to do their work because they know the teachers are so busy with the other 3,000 students that they will eventually forget or give up on discipline. They also know that the Ministry of Education dictates that all students shall pass, regardless of whether the student attends a single class during the term. Why should they care, since they will pass regardless of how poor their marks are or how they behave?  

This lack of consequence and deterrent is everywhere. The policeman who hacked a woman's arm off was, instead of being fired and brought up on criminal charges, transferred. The same happened with the officer in Pai who shot and killed a tourist. Instead of being suspended pending the outcome of a criminal investigation, he was simply transferred.

Even when there are 2,500 extrajudicial killings, no one is held accountable. How can an investigation into such an extraordinarily high number of killings fail to find a single person responsible for such a policy?

It seems many of the lawbreakers in corruption cases and election fraud are let off with a warning, a slap on the wrist, or the charges are just dismissed. If your political party is disbanded, simply move to another building, change your name and slightly alter your logo and resume your activity as if nothing had happened.

The new PM has been found guilty of defamation, although this is being appealed, and he is suspected of inciting hatred and a crackdown on protesters that led to many deaths and numerous repulsive stories of paramilitary brutality. The House Speaker's nickname is derived from an inept drug raid that left an elderly woman cowering behind a fridge in her bullet-ridden house. Is the path to leadership in Thailand through fraud, death and defamation?

With no lasting consequences, the only people who suffer are those who try to do what is right and live within the law, and those who speak out against abuses. Those who speak out do so only on condition of anonymity and refuse to testify in fear of reprisals.

I think one step in rectifying this problem would be for the Education Ministry to reinstate the ability of schools to hold back students who are not attending classes, who are disruptive or do not meet the minimum level for educational advancement. Perhaps if students are introduced to meaningful consequences and begin to have some accountability when they are young, later in life they will think of upholding the law instead of flouting it. 

Joshua

Bangkok

Nuclear debate

is not necessary

Re: "We are too irresponsible for nuclear power", Letters, February 1.

I'm surprised there's still serious debate about constructing a nuclear power plant in Thailand. Surely, it must be clear to the powers that be that nuclear power brings many drawbacks, some known, some unforeseen. Not least are high construction costs, the need to import fuel, potential danger, dubious ability to get insurance, and how to deal responsibly with spent fuel. That's just a partial list. There are also considerations of how dependable the construction will be and how reliable the security. A close look at another large project, the airport, may cast doubts on those issues.

Alternatively, there are power generation options now available that cost less, that use renewable energy, and that don't pollute. They also don't need round-the-clock high security, they don't rely on imported fuel (and their price manipulations), and don't require dealing with radioactive refuse or - when the plant gets decommissioned - having a sarcophagus that sits in the middle of a 50,000-year dead zone.

However, not all alternatives are alike. Here's a comparison of some contenders and how many kilowatts they can produce per rai per year:  ethanol (from sugar cane, etc) = 1.2 Kw/rai; wind turbines = 5.6 Kw/rai; solar panels = 280 Kw/rai; concentrated solar = 640 Kw/rai. (Source: Mother Earth News magazine, January edition).

Concentrated solar employs a network of mirrors that focus the sun's rays on a focal point that gets very hot in the process. Salt is used in some current systems. Thailand has sunshine, land and salt, and can manufacture mirrors. Create enough heat and you can create power.

The recent political campaign barely mentioned alternative power options. Indeed there was scant mention of environmental issues at all. Will the current bosses in Bangkok gravitate towards expensive options that involve large corporations (and large pay-offs) - or will they think outside the box and consider less costly, more natural solutions? Of course, the smartest single thing to do to avert power shortages in Thailand would be conservation. But that would involve such things as using air conditioning sensibly, so that's not realistic.

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai

Finance Ministry must tackle inflation first

There have been some suggestions to reduce interest rates and eliminate the 30-per-cent reserve requirement on capital inflows in order to spur the slowing economy. In response to this, I would like to advise those who are seriously contemplating this prospect to first consider the likely consequences if these policies were to be implemented.

In the midst of rising prices, an interest-rate cut and removal of the 30-per-cent reserve requirement would not only spur consumption and investment, but also would worsen inflation. The primary aim should be to tackle inflation and restore political stability in order to regain confidence. The economy will improve as a result.

Madura Watanagase

Bangkok

Shadow cabinet could

be a good watchdog

The Democrats' setting up of a shadow cabinet to monitor the PPP-led government is an excellent idea - but only if it focuses on proposing more effective and efficient alternatives, rather than just criticising.

To many, the proposed line-up is disappointing in the extreme, with job-relevant qualifications being scarce. As I have noted before, US President James Garfield's words apply here, too, not only to Parliament but to the Cabinet: "Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption."

The shadow cabinet can significantly help politically aware and active Thais in monitoring our leaders, encouraging them to act transparently, honestly and with our best interests at heart. For example, when PM Samak reintroduces Thaksin's populist policies, we should be vigilant to reduce corruption in their implementation. It is up to you, reader, as to how ignorant, reckless, and corrupt our new administration is, and the shadow cabinet can help us a lot in our quest for a better tomorrow for our children.   

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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