OPINION

US should stay away

Re: "Neutral on Russia-Ukraine: PM," (BP, March 2). The prime minister's insistence on maintaining neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is no surprise given Asean's stance of neutrality about Myanmar.

Meanwhile, two shining lights of democracy, the US and the EU, also have no problems doing business with communist China or selling weapons to rich Middle Eastern regimes. France recently sold billions of dollars' worth of war machines to Saudi Arabia. Where are the big drums of freedom and democracy?

In 1987, Turkey applied to join what was then the European Economic Community, and in 1999 it was declared eligible to join the EU. It's worth mentioning that Turkey's membership came with many conditions because it is a Muslim country.

On the other hand, Poland and Hungary joined the EU in 2004 without any preconditions.

Even today, some of these Eastern bloc countries that are members of the EU have little to do with freedom and democracy.

For decades, we have witnessed similar crises between Israel and Palestine, Indian Kashmir, and the deep south of Thailand. Despite decades of efforts, there is no peace in these conflict zones.

Thanks to the EU, Ukraine will now face the same fate. It may become a proxy for the Russian regime resulting in unnecessary deaths and destruction.

With its utter failures in Vietnam, the Korean peninsula, Iraq and Afghanistan, the US should keep out of the Ukrainian conflict.

Re: "Ultra-royalist pro-Putin stance a worrying sign," (Opinion, March 1).

This article is illogical, in some extent. In my humble opinion, the number "hundreds" may be over-exaggerated or over-extrapolated from the few such supporting messages seen by the writer.

The fact that there are a few or tens (or even hundreds) of "royalists" coming out in support of Putin is no reason to conclude that all or most of the "royalists" support Putin.

On the other hand, there are certainly hundreds of "royalists" who do not agree with the move by Russia.

And there are hundreds who support Russia's right to protect its security against the threat of aggression from over the fence, but who are not royalists per se, like me and scores of my friends.

The fact that there are some Thais supporting the Russian move has nothing to do with the fact that they happen to be perceived by the writer as "far-right ultra-royalists".

Thus the "pro-Putin stance" is nothing to worry about.

Re: "Armed forces to reopen field hospitals," (BP, Feb 21).

Since this illness is clearly here to stay, I think we should focus on educating the public about homecare for people with minor symptoms and enhance our food and medicine delivery abilities to enable more homecare for minor cases.

Many Covid cases have few significant symptoms; if any at all.

My suggestion is that we don't fill up field hospitals with people who can recover at home.

I think we should "field it out", so to speak, and focus on educating the public on homecare for minor cases.

The armed forces and government might be able to assist in that effort by offering free delivered meals and pharmaceuticals for low-income residents who have minor cases and just have to take two weeks off work.

I think that would be very constructive and a wonderful use of government.