OPINION

Melodious and odious

Re: "Army chief sings out hateful blast from gory past", (Opinion, Feb 19).

The words "Nak Phandin" in Thai should be translated as "burden to the land" and not "useless weight to the land". Some have translated it as "deadwood", which means "passively useless to the land". But if one listens to the lyrics of the song Nak Phandin, which is melodious, masterful and classic in raising the national spirit, they were inflammatory and caused conflicts. Without the words, it could have been a classic, patriotic song for Thailand. Melodiously, it is a match to The Star-Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful of the United States, or even Britain's Rule Britannia.

Unfortunately, Nak Phandin was narrated in words to damn those viewed as unpatriotic, those supposedly waiting for opportunities to destabilise or defame Thailand, implying these people were a burden to our land. When it was introduced the whole country hummed this song, mostly not caring about its words. Fortunately, it was then banned for the sake of peace and order, otherwise McCarthyism, like in the States in 1950s, could have prevailed in our country.

I should like to express my deep dismay and disgust at Gen Apirat Kongsompong's suggestion that an old song of hate against his own people should be revived and played ad nauseam. I am surprised a man of his position and seniority has not come to reflect on the past, and has no doubts or regrets about the 1976 massacre of unarmed students.

The photos of this mass murder are there for all to see but it does not seem to move him. If a similar event were to take place today, he would find himself at The Hague facing charges of crimes against humanity.

So, the arrest of Hakeem al-Araibi was caused by a "human error".

There is more to this travesty than simple incompetence or an error of judgement so watch this space. Thailand was used by the Australian Federal Police, the Border Force, the Home Affairs Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to execute the set-up of Mr Araibi and take the political heat for it.

To its credit, Thailand has put right the wrong and will take from it the valuable lesson that its own national interests must prevail over its international obligations and protocols.

I am amused by the rhetoric of leaders of Thai Raksa Chart who are talking about the continuation of the policies of the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party. They love to name their parties "Thais Take Care of the People" and "Thais Love Thais", while in reality they only love themselves, while some of their policies divided the country, helped to invite military interventions and have done so much damage already.

What do they mean by "further the policies of the past?"

Haven't they learnt the painful lessons?

I am perplexed by the slew of negative commentaries regarding the current US administration on your opinion pages. Frankly these are fringe positions, with the supporting statistics cited often having no basis in fact.

A recent Rasmussen poll showed President Trump with a 52% approval rating, higher than his predecessor at the same point in their terms. I suggest readers who want a fair and balanced picture of the current US political landscape look further afield.

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