OPINION

Very slow learners

In his Sept 8 letter Songdej Praditsmanon writes that student Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal "was already condemned by fair-minded individuals and cursed by many alumni" but what he doesn't explain is why. To some of us simple minded non-Chula graduates it appears that Mr Netiwit has clearly understood the message from King Rama V given in 1873 when he expressed "the necessity of rebuilding a more equal relationship between different groups in society". What isn't apparent is that the administrators running the university have understood this message and taken steps to advance these opinions.

Having had 144 years to ponder the subject I must draw the conclusion that these people are extremely slow learners and maybe not so fair-minded at all.

The incident at Chula reflects a lack of understanding of leadership. Never expect someone to do something you will not do. To do otherwise is a perfect example of hypocrisy.

The teachers were not lying on the ground themselves. Why should they expect any different from the students? At university and college level, the teachers are employed by the students to serve them! Essentially the students are the paying customers -- the attitude of false supremacy with staff expecting to rule over students as "less than equal" needs to go if education is to advance.

My sympathies to David Brown and his dengue attack (PostBag, Sept 7). I am just recovering from it too and slowly getting my stuffing back. Regarding the immunisation issue, I feel the same way, but just how effective is it and how long does it last, given that there are four to five strains? David's observation about cost viability for the disadvantaged is spot-on and proliferating mosquito populations generated by extended rainy seasons, garbage pile-ups as well as never-ending urban development projects are just exacerbating the situation.

Information prevention campaigns are all very well, and help, but it only takes one unlucky bite as we have experienced, and we are both old Thailand hands with no related problems in the past. What else is lurking out there?

Now that the knee-jerk hysteria is for removing Stonewall Jackson's statue in Charlottesville, I am wondering how long the 1956 Broadway musical, L'l Abner will last in its CD and DVD formats before being removed from shelves and deemed racist. Ban, ban, ban. After all, the song, Jubilation T Cornpone that helped put the play on the map might be instrumental in expunging it forever. If the Broadway Actors Guild permits this to happen, then they too should disappear forever.

How nice it was to grow up when a movie was only a movie, a statue was only a statue, and a song was only a song. I could see a future American history textbook, a few printed pages at the front followed by a hundred blank pages with the word "Censored" stamped in red, followed by a continuation of rewritten history. Sad, sad world indeed, but sadder, sad, sad United States.

Re: "BMTA granted collateral from Bestlin", (BP, Sept 7).

The best way is that the original bus purchase contract be concluded with payment of collateral by Bestlin and those buses be delivered to the BMTA because the delay was caused by Bestlin and the customs issue can be settled between the Customs Department and Bestlin. The department does not need to hold those buses anymore to determine the amount of customs duty and penalty, if any.

Re: "Songkhla power plant sit-in an energy wake-up call", (Opinion, Aug 25).

The Egat has implemented a coal-fired power plant project in Songkhla's Thepha district under the Thailand Power Development Plan 2015 (BE 2558-2579) to improve the power system's reliability in southern Thailand that currently relies on electricity transmission from the central region and to diversify fuel sources for power generation.

On Aug 30, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep) together with Egat officially announced that after one year and 10 months of completing the Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process, the EHIA report was approved by state environmental experts. The power plant's EHIA study involved proper public participation from the beginning. As required by the law, three public hearings on this power project were held. All concerns and suggestions delivered by advocates and opponents were included, while representatives of the opponents were invited to express their concerns to state environmental experts. All information from the public hearings was publicised for transparency. On March 27, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) organised forums in three provinces, namely Songkhla, Krabi, and Surat Thani to create understanding and provide the public with a channel to voice their opinions on the energy situation in the 14 southern provinces.

After this, the complete EHIA report will be submitted to Onep before being forwarded to the National Environment Board to be considered by the cabinet as required by law.

The present technology of coal-fired power plants, called Clean Coal Technology which is globally used, is equipped with a pollutant removal system which can control emissions to be three times lower than standard levels. As a result, the power plant will not have an impact on communities and the environment.

The Egat has promoted the development of renewable energy in parallel with fossil fuel power plants, which also complies with the Alternative Energy Development Plan 2015 (BE 2558-2579) that promotes renewable energy use in every sector. The target of electricity generation from renewable energy in 2036 is set at 15-20%, compared to its share in 2014 at 9%. In other words, the country's renewable energy capacity will increase from 4,494.03MW to 19,684.40MW, and 514MW of them will be developed by Egat. To improve efficiency and reduce the limitations of power generation from renewable energy, Egat has assigned importance to technology and innovation development such as energy storage systems and hybrid energy systems which combine two or more renewable energy sources in the same area as well as developing a smart grid to help manage the electricity system.

For the transition to renewable energy, the fossil fuel power plants are still needed to keep power system security. As a backup, these power plants allow renewable energy capacity to be added to the system without problems.

Re: "Modi's big gamble", (Editorial, Sept 3).

There is no doubt that demonetisation in India was done with good intentions to suppress the parallel black economy, money laundering and corruption. Just like in Thailand, corruption has become an integral part of Indian society and governance. A few years ago, the Supreme Court in India said: "Nothing moves without money." It has expressed concerns over growing corruption in government machinery, particularly in the income tax, sales tax and excise departments. During the past seven decades of experimentation with democracy, corruption has become a way of life, a part of tradition, culture and governance. When political parties spend billions of rupees to get their candidates elected it should be quite natural to expect that these parties and candidates will do everything to recover their return on their investment. Hence, rampant corruption is the only way to recover the money or make some profit. In a recent Transparency International report, India was found to be more corrupt than Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and Myanmar. Vietnam turned out to be the second-most corrupt country in Asia with a 65% bribery rate. Thailand showed a 41% bribery rate whereas Pakistan had a 40% bribery rates.

The deterioration of Indian democracy does not require a war with China or Pakistan. It only requires further degradation of values in Indian society. In India, most politicians, monks, bureaucrats, babas and gurus are drenched in black money. The lack of checks and balances, nepotism, cronyism, corruption and blind faith in babas and gurus will continue to undermine India's efforts to find its place on the world stage.

Recently, I crossed from Laos into Thailand at the Nong Khai immigration checkpoint at about 5pm at the Friendship Bridge. I have been visiting Thailand every year since 1985 and have made several entries via border after visiting neighbouring countries. My previous trips, both by air and by land, were trouble free with courtesy by the Thai authorities until last time.

When I gave the Thai immigration officer my passport, he asked me why I had no visa. I explained to him that I have never stayed over two or three weeks at a time in Thailand and that as a Canadian I was visa exempt or had been for every one of my previous visits. I was not aware of a new regulation that places restrictions for tourists from a long list of countries including Canada as of December 2016 to two land crossings annually into Thailand. When I handed my passport, I was sent to a lady immigration supervisor at Thai immigration a few booths down. She was just starting to explain to me about the new regulation when a male immigration officer two booths down started yelling at me in English and asking why I was coming to Thailand, where was my Thai wife (I've never ever been married to a Thai woman), and then went on to tell me to stay in my own country and not to come to Thailand. I felt like telling him, but didn't, that if it wasn't for tourists he might not have his job.

I was allowed to enter with the usual 28-day visa exempt entry, but was utterly flabbergasted at this racial rant by the officer. This officer has probably treated other tourists entering Thailand in the same manner and left them with a very negative experience with regards to Thailand.

Why am I so happy to live in Thailand?

I don't have to produce ID before I can have a drink.

I don't pay an extra 10 cents for my soft drink, so some enterprising collector can make money out of my empties.

I can still carry my shopping home in plastic bags and use them for a whole variety of useful purposes. Mine do not find their way into the Gulf of Thailand.

I don't have to put a helmet on my head for a 10-minute ride in congested traffic when the ambient temperature is 30 degrees.

(I do have to put my own life and limb at significant risk when my motorbike taxi driver feels constrained to put his helmet on, or answer his phone, while driving with the other hand. But when you have been doing the same thing for a lifetime, you could probably do them simultaneously.)

I can take my whole family out for a ride on a motorbike. Or someone else can. All un-helmeted. If one of us dies, I have done the planet a favour.

If I think a particular manoeuvre on the road is safe, no one, including the police, questions my judgment. Red lights are seen as a warning to take care.

I am allowed to park in my own driveway. Or yours for that matter.

I am allowed to park on "the wrong side of the road" or the middle of the road if I want to.

My cigarettes and beer cost me US$3 a unit. Pack of 20/large bottle.

I can buy Australian grapes converted into wine here at half the price of its Australian made alternative. Thank you Bill Shorten.

I can buy alcoholic drinks and cigarettes at any shop which chooses to sell them.

I don't get fined $5,000 for indulging myself in one of my harmless thrills, getting under the boom gate before it falls on me.

I don't get fined $600 if I overlook renewing my registration. Come to think of it, who bothers to renew?

If my car does happen to get towed away, which does happen if I leave it in the middle of a main road in Bangkok, I must pay $20 to retrieve it.

I do feel sorry for you all. Why doesn't someone object to being so roughly treated?