The government survived a censure motion by the accused terrorist red leader Jatupon Promphan.
This debate could only happen in Thailand, when an accused terrorist accuses the government and demands accountability for lives lost. The MP immunity law needs to be amended, it only shields MPs from punishment. Jatupon used his streetwise oratory skills very well, but he is on the wrong side of the fence. He causes violence among people, he encouraged his red-shirt followers to burn Bangkok. The serious crimes he committed as a member of Parliament are unforgivable. What is his sense of accountability and responsibility as an MP? None! He flip-flopped, he lied, he kept changing demands, always pointing a finger at others, not himself. How low can he go? With all the trouble he has caused, his MP status should be revoked. He should be thrown in jail and the key dropped in the Pacific Ocean. I don't think any other democratic government would put up with this bullshit! Pardon my language.
Surasak Piputtana
Bangkok
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Inequality is as bad as the reds say it is
Re: "Reds are not disenfranchised", Letters, June 1.
In his letter, D Westline wrote: "If the poor reds . . . have real problems, most people really would want to hear what they actually are". The answer is not in the English-language media in Thailand, but numerous respected international media report the problem: The top 20 per cent of Thais earn more than 55 per cent of the wealth while the bottom 20 per cent earn less than 5 per cent. Gwi-Yeop Son of the UN Development Programme said: "The richest Thais earn 14.7 times more than the poorest. The bottom 60 per cent of the population's share of the income is only 25 per cent." In Thailand the income inequality gap is the widest in the world, almost double the size of the US and wider than any of its neighbours. Check the publication "Thailand Human Development Report 2009".
Guy Baker
Bangkok
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Plan now for a sustainable economy
Foreseeing a global famine looming, with a projected 4.7 billion people added to the world's population, the consumer demand for daily sustenance will more than double over the next half-century. The central issue is neither climate change nor the ongoing financial crisis, but whether humanity can achieve and sustain such an enormous harvest. Scarcities of almost everything to produce high yields of foodstuff - irrigation, farmland, mineral nutrients, fossil fuel, natural gas, fish production and stable climates - all play into and compound the other related factors.
As a major exporter of rice and fruit, Thailand should plan to increase investment in agricultural stocks, which will also help reduce the urban versus rural mindset and socio-economic disparity gaps. Pragmatic idealists can envision a global sufficiency economy where agricultural products and fresh water sources are treated with as high regard as oil and gas.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has long advocated the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy to shield the nation from adverse internal and external shocks by acknowledging the interdependency among people at all levels. In order to cope with present economic adversity and to withstand future economic insecurity, the optimal middle path stresses an ethical lifestyle governed by moderation, self-awareness, integrity, resilience and contentment. His Majesty says happiness lies in the prosperity, stability and normalcy of the nation.
Aiming to promote reconciliation, encourage unity and reinstate respect, the key sectors to nurture growth and achieve sustainability include food production, eco-tourism, healthcare services; alternative energy sources and, most importantly, the caring and sharing buoyancy of the Thai people.
Chanchai Prasertson
Bangkok
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Pakistan practices religious hypocrisy
On May 28, Pakistani terrorists attacked two mosques belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, leaving 94 dead and scores injured. Numerous government officials offered condolences. However, according to Ordinance XX enacted in 1984, the terrorists did the right thing. Ahmadi Muslims had gathered to offer Friday prayers, whereas a constitutional amendment in 1974 declared the Ahmadis non-Muslims. Being non-Muslims and associating with the Holy Prophet is clearly committing blasphemy. Consequently, they should have been given the death penalty. Those who survived must be summoned back and killed. The terrorists should be given compensation for the loss of their brave men who died serving Islam.
The terrorists only did what the government of Pakistan has been trying to do for the past 26 years. If the Pakistan government really considers the current attacks on the Ahmadi Muslim mosques atrocious, then it is violating its very own constitution.
Ayesha N Rashid
Richmond, Virginia
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