OPINION

Chemical menace

We read in "Watch what you eat", (Life, March 5), that "eating different types of fruits and vegetables helps cut the risk of taking in too many chemicals".

Nutritionist Pakatima Chaopadit, who reportedly offered this advice, reminds me of a gambler who places a chip on every number at the roulette table in order to cut the risk of losing money.

In Thailand, the only reliable way to avoid chemicals is to grow one's own food. Short of that, eat certified organic whenever possible.

For the rest of us, we are being systematically poisoned because for a few baht those in the government responsible for preventing this scourge have turned a blind eye.

Re: "Thaksin's pawns continue to fall", (Opinion, March 5).

Veera Prateepchaikul was right when he said former deputy prime minister Yongyuth Wichaidit, now 77, was given a two-year jail sentence in the Alpine golf course case because of his show of blind loyalty to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

I think the person most deserving to be mentioned as Thaksin's biggest political dupe is none other than Chamlong Srimuang. Chamlong made the mistake of his life when he invited Thaksin to join his Palang Dhama Party in 1994. Thaksin later formed his own party, Thai Rak Thai.

Despite being a staunch supporter of Thaksin during Thaksin's first years as prime minister, Chamlong however turned against his acolyte when he saw Thaksin turning into a narcissistic and unrepentant leader of a corruption-plagued government.

Now, at age 83, Chamlong is serving time in jail for his anti-Thaksin activism.

Chamlong's life should never have turned this way had he not introduced Thaksin to Thai politics in the first place.

I thank Robin Grant, in his March 5 letter, for his thoughts about the role of British in dividing India. The trio -- Jinnah, Gandhi and Nehru -- were educated in England. These three leaders were part of their operations. Gandhi was the only one who turned into their arch enemy, the other two were their close allies.

As the world's leading parliamentary democracy, Britain knew very well that the creation of a new state based on religion was not sustainable. According to historians, since they were facing another mutiny, they created this squabble to quit India peacefully. But the outcome of their decision has been devastating.

Millions of people died during partition and the carnage still continues. As far as India and Pakistan are concerned, they will continue on the path of self-destruction unless they dissolve their borders.

Re: "Hijacking the law", (PostBag, March 5).

Lungstib notes that the "law" is often hijacked by authoritarian governments to suit their own interests.

The great civil rights leader Martin Luther King once noted that everything Adolf Hitler did was "legal" in Germany at the time. Although ideally the purpose of laws should be to protect us from genuine criminals, in many countries its purpose is to protect dictators from political dissent.

Re: "Why Hakeem al-Araibi matters", (Opinion, March 4).

Themba Lewis' piece maintains Araibi was illegally detained under Thai law once his refugee status was made known as this invalidated Interpol's "red notice" and no extradition treaty existed with Bahrain. However, Thailand does not recognise refugees or their human rights to protection.

The piece neglected to mention critical Senate evidence by the Australian Federal Police that they "forgot" to convey advice by Border Force to Thailand that his status invalidates the notice.

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