Freedom of religion denied by communist zealots

Marxist communism is characterised by the "class struggle", which implies that society is founded on violence. Within this perspective, any reference to ethical requirements calling for courageous and radical institutional and structural reforms makes no sense. In this system, every affirmation of faith or of theology is subordinated to a political criterion, which in turn depends on the class struggle, the driving force of history.

Participation in the class struggle is presented as a requirement of charity itself. The desire to love everyone here and now, despite his class, and to go out to meet him with the non-violent means of dialogue and persuasion, is denounced as counter-productive.

In truth, atheism and the denial of the human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of Marxist belief, which requires a total subordination of the person to the collective. Communism ultimately subsumes the autonomous nature of all spheres of existence: religious, ethical, institutional and cultural.

The Tibetan cause is a reminder that religious freedom is a fundamental right that precedes the state and which cannot be severely curtailed or denied by it.

Put more broadly, and as Pope John Paul II put it, religious freedom is the "first freedom". It is "the premise and guarantee of all freedoms that ensure the common good".

PAUL KOKOSKI

BANGKOK

Polanski story draws inevitable comparisons

Re: " The Roman Polanski is the story of us all", Opinion, October 1.

I am a reader who is prone to quit in the middle of an article, but I enjoyed every word of the article by Pornpimol Kanchanalak. Pornpimol's article is easy to follow. She uses an introduction sentence to give readers an idea of what is to come. Her sentences are lean, vary in length and neatly blend into a paragraph. The content itself is interesting. She mentioned Polanski's tough childhood and that his wife was murdered.

But lo and behold, the next to last paragraph nearly wrecks everything, when, out of the blue, she links Polanski to our fugitive former prime minister. I think this is a bad case of antithesis. It also violates a golden rule of writing: Never introduce a new subject at the end of an article. Still, my compliments to Pornpimol for her writing skill.

MEECHAI BURAPA

CHIANG MAI

Hun Sen should help his people and hold his mouth

It is sad to hear Hun Sen's comment that he ordered his troops to shoot anyone from Thailand who crosses onto land around the Preah Vihear Temple. On the one hand I respect his comment, as our embassy was burnt down a few years back because Cambodian people get excited easily. But in this case he is barking up the wrong tree.

Bullet talk only creates rifts among people on both sides. I have some Cambodian friends who live in Australia, and the US does not agree with Hun Sen's comments. I wish that he could take better care of Cambodian people. Hundreds of Cambodian children are on the streets of Bangkok begging for money. Bullet talk belongs to a less civilised leader. If Hun Sen cares enough for Cambodian people, he should find a peaceful way to negotiate and jointly develop the area as a tourist centre that benefits Thais and Cambodians alike who live in that area.

I am proud of PM Abhisit, who maintains that Thailand is committed to finding a peaceful solution to the dispute through the joint border commission set up by the two countries.

SURASAK PIPUTTANA

BANGKOK

Regulate tobacco under the FDA

Re: "TTM in bid to change status", September 29.

The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly director announced that the organisation is moving to upgrade its legal status so it can operate more freely like other state enterprises. Why should TTM operate more freely when it is producing a deadly product? Tobacco is not an ordinary commodity, therefore it should be strictly regulated. Rather than being under the Ministry of Finance, TTM should be under the Food and Drugs Administration, so it can be tightly regulated.

The TTM director also wants to improve the quality and flavour of its product, so the monopoly can expand the market and increase profits. Tobacco is a harmful product. TTM should not try to get more people addicted to smoking.

NITHAT SIRICHOTIRATANA

BANGKOK