I commend the Dalai Lama for his desire to meet with world leaders in the hope of gaining their condemnation of China's communist government and its efforts to suppress religious freedom.
China's Marxist government 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 theology is subordinated to a political criterion, which in turn depends on 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, despite his class, and to go out to meet him with the non-violent means of dialogue and persuasion, is denounced as counterproductive. In truth, atheism and the denial of the human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of Marxist belief.
The Tibetan cause is a reminder that religious freedom is a fundamental right that precedes the state. So far as we can learn about the history of mankind, through excavations dating back to prehistory, we can see that there has always been an idea of God.
The Marxists predicted the end of religion. With the end of oppression we would no longer need the medicine of God, we were told. But even they had to recognise that religion never comes to an end, because it is present in man as such.
PAUL KOKOSKI
BANGKOK
The press should call Army's bluff on GT200
Re: Why do the top brass love the GT200 so much?, Ask the Editors, yesterday
Tulsathit Taptim's observations of the Army's love for the GT200 scanners are credible, especially when the defenders keep on saying that though not scientifically proven, the scanners still work.
I wonder why the civilian government bothered to carry out the tests when it could not be proved conclusively. It should have been carried out in a style of consumers' satisfaction.
If I want to buy a Global Positioning System to guide me, I would ensure that it does indeed satisfy my needs. Similarly, your editors and reporters could quietly plant bombs, dynamite, power gel, and other explosive substance in 20 spots around Sanam Luang and ask the Army chief as well as the suppliers of the GT200 devices to find the bombs. The population would definitely be guided by the outcome of this search.
SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT
BANGKOK
Thaksin would be rich if he saw past his nose The February 26 judgement on Thaksin Shinawatra's Bt76-billion fortune is fast approaching.
Though it might be impossible for him to do anything these days, other politicians should take note.
Thaksin would not have seen this day if he had not used legal mechanisms to pursue his personal interests while prime minister.
He is faced with this fate because of his own deeds: ambiguous land deals, share concealment, telecom deal etc.
His arrogance reached its peak on January 23, 2006 when he sold his Shin shares to foreigners without any care. Remember, the telecom law was changed just in time; the share price rose unreasonably high to achieve the agreed upon price. Telecom shares are not half as much as where they stood on January 23, 2006.
If Thaksin had paid more attention to the public, he would not be waiting for a day like this.
SANSKUL THONGSKUL
PATHUM THANI
Greece paying the price for socialism
Re: Greek fiasco could cripple an entire continent, Editorial, February 18
Your editorial on the Greek debacle unfortunately reflects your Marxist slant. You decry the impending collapse as "an example of free-market capitalism gone wrong".
Wrong, sir, on all counts.
It was the socialist policies of the Greek government and its people that caused this collapse. First, the government fudged its figures to get accepted into the euro zone to collect from the socialist redistributionist gravy train from other European taxpayers.
Then it compounded it with policies such as:
l Early retirements on state pensions (at age 61 versus Germany's 67);
l Featherbedding or overstaffing state agencies, like state telecom, where workers failed to show up for work, collected paycheques and goofed off. Nepotism and corruption "spread the wealth";
l Running huge deficits for social redistributionist programmes like healthcare.
As Margaret Thatcher taught us: "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money to spend."
And this is Greece in a nutshell. Free markets help eliminate state jobs and state-run healthcare.
These can bankrupt Thailand too, when the costs come due on its ridiculous socialist Bt30 scheme.
WILFRED KNIGHT
CALIFORNIA
