If I were the owner of Global Technology Co, I would be in tears, seeing that Thailand is exerting an all-out effort to show that my GT200 bomb detector really works. Thailand seems to have more faith in the GT200 than the company itself does.
The Thai Science Ministry went as far as to conduct tests behind closed doors, with no media allowed to witness them, citing the test operators may be distracted. Nice effort, indeed. While everyone, including the US and the British, says the GT200 is bogus, Thailand is the only one standing firmly by the company.
As a token of my sincere appreciation, I would give a 10-per-cent discount for the next purchase of GT200s, plus free chip cards. But wait! That's not all. For every new purchase, I'll throw in a static electricity charger - battery required but not included - not for Bt1 million, not for Bt500,000, no, but for as low as Bt200,000!
Order now! Supply is limited.
SOMSAK POLA
SAMUT PRAKAN
China's social basis is Confucius, not conflict
Ref: "Religious freedom is a fundamental right", Letters, February 20.
I don't know where Paul Kokoski has been, but it certainly hasn't been China. If he had spent any time in China at all he would have realised that all his assumptions about "the Chinese government" were way off the mark.
China, and its governing institutions, are based, not on European theories of Marxism, but on the teachings of K'ung Fu-tzu (Confucius to us) who lived some 2,500 years ago and is still much revered throughout the country at every level of society.
Confucius preached a fundamentally ethical system of society. In his Analects he states that "consideration for others' feelings is the basis of society" and explains that this means "not doing to others what you would not have them do to you".
It sounds to me as if Mr Kokoski is the one mixing up politics with religion in assuming that "the society is founded on violence". He should look more closely at the history of China, a country that has never sought to aggressively colonise territories outside its traditional borders. In contrast, have a look at the history of the Opium Wars, in which Christianity was sold together with opium to the Chinese by foreign missionaries working to advance the interests of foreign colonial powers.
JONATHAN PETER
PATHUM THANI
The use of religion as a political weapon
While I agree with Paul Kokoski's support for religious freedom, unfortunately he continuously shows zero respect for those who disagree with him and distorts their views.
For example, it is not true, as he claims, that atheism is "at the core of Marxist belief". When I was in college I took a course in Marxism and, according to my professor, Marx never said if he was or wasn't an atheist. What he did say was that: "Religion is the opiate of a capitalist society", meaning that the people in power use religion to placate the masses. And that happens to be true.
When America had slavery, the slaves were told that if they were good, happy Christian slaves they would go to heaven when they die.
More recently the late Philippine president Cory Aquino told her people that they could solve their problems by turning to Jesus. A multimillionaire elitist telling the starving masses that all they need to escape their misery is faith in Jesus is an excellent example of what Marx was talking about.
Kokoski telling people in previous letters not to use birth control and to rely on Jesus to feed their children is another example of how religion is used to placate the poor.
But the fact that the rich and powerful exploit religion is not proof that there is or isn't a God. Nor is it true that all Marxists are atheists. Personally I'm an agnostic because I don't find the atheists or the believers to be very convincing. But my beliefs have nothing to do with my views on capitalism or Marxism and anyone who suggests otherwise doesn't know what he's talking about.
ERIC BAHRT
PATTAYA
Respect but caution with the Dalai Lama
I note JC Solal's letter supporting the Dalai Lama's entry into the Kingdom of Thailand and I do disagree with him. Whilst the Dalai Lama states he does not want independence for the Tibetan Province, one just needs to study his Free Tibet website statements indicating that his idea of government is a very nepotistic and theocratic "real independent religious government". That is somewhat hard to envisage as workable within the secular state of the People's Republic of China.
At the same time, there are two other legitimate Dalai Lamas within Tibet with equal religious authority and following, and with very separate views to his. It is simply that HH Tenzin Gyatso is the only one of the three who knows who Richard Gere is and is interested in Western celebrities, per se. I am saddened that he is, at best, a politician.
I was inducted into the Kalachakra System by him many years ago when he was a monk. And I remain profoundly respectful of the Mahayana/Vajrayana Diamond Vehicle Buddhist Tantric Traditions, but also saddened by the duplicity of the individual at a time and in an age when great honesty is essential for the real and ongoing benefit of all Tibetan Chinese.
It is odd that the "True Leader of the Tibetan Government in Exile" denies he has any intention of being the leader of the Tibetan government NOT in exile. It's just a silly, silly lie by a tricky man far more interested in lost real estate than in any lost souls.
I note that Thailand has had some experience with the problematic antics of charismatic, rich, exiled ex-leaders and is very wise to be very cautious regarding this one.
JAJ FITZPATRICK
BANGKOK
Health advice needs a Thai flavour
I think anyone who follows health issues would acknowledge that a lot of leading health research is done in the US. The trouble is that the results and recommendations are given in the context of American conditions.
These are not the same as Thailand's. A good example was the article "Grow with your bones" (xp, February 18) What it said about the importance of calcium and exercise on the bone system is not at issue. But for Thailand, the recommendations on the consumption of dairy products are useless.
Dairy products are relatively rare here, partly because some Asians react badly to some of the components of milk. The issue of enough vitamin D is also hardly a problem in Thailand with the strong sun most of the time, despite the pigmentation of Thai skin, which absorbs some of the sun's rays.
What should be done with such articles is to rewrite them to fit the Thai context - the way of life, food and weather conditions. It was rather surprising, in the context, that the article made no mention of a source of calcium which has a higher concentration of calcium even than dried milk powder. Surprising in the Thai context, because that source is sesame seeds. Admittedly we do not eat them by the kilogram, but they are used quite extensively in Thai cooking. Give the advice some local flavour.
Similar for an adjacent article on proper clothing for jogging.
Talking about keeping the skin dry and several layers of clothes in the cold weather - in Thailand! Whatever clothes you wear are going to be soaked in sweat within 10 minutes of starting running and in the warmer weather will probably be fairly wet before you start running.
Give some local advice about, for example, the need for adequate water consumption, finding a place to run that is largely shaded from the sun and running at the coolest time of day.
GARETH CLAYTON
BANGKOK
