OPINION

Unholy questions

Re: "'Embezzler' had plans for supercar" (BP, April 7, 2022).

"Some 200 million baht" is no pittance, to be holding. This latest engrossing story from the inspiring lives of Thai Buddhist monks attached to well-gilded temples, complete with properly gilded amulets, themselves "worth more than one million baht", raises questions in need of answers, perhaps even openness, transparency and, the heavens forfend, accountability.

Preeminent perhaps is the question of how, exactly, one gets to have become "a close aide of"? What are the requirements for such closeness to a Thai Buddhist abbot with hundreds of millions in largesse to control and bestow with the assistance of a "close aide"? Are there hidden depths in line with the traditions of Thai Buddhist monks that have not yet come to light in this story of elevated Buddhist (Thai style) attachment and practice?

There appears to be some serious backstory here that a bit of proper investigative reporting might usefully fill in, lest rumour and suspicion run riot to the detriment of the good names and reputations of those most concerned.

Lift all curbs

Re: "Reopening gathers steam", (BP, April 2) and "MINT chief pushes for end of travel restrictions" (Business, April 2).

The latest "relaxation" of travel restrictions is less than a baby step. While eliminating the requirement for a pre-travel RT-PCR test is welcome, it is basically meaningless in the larger scheme when travellers consider a trip to Thailand -- especially when many airlines still require a pre-flight test.

William Heinecke, MINT CEO, is correct in pointing out that Thai tourism can successfully recover only when all Covid travel restrictions -- including Thailand Pass procedures, quarantines, arrival testing, and insurance requirements -- are lifted.

Given that Covid is now firmly established everywhere in the country and spread of the disease is overwhelmingly through local community transmission, there are no health benefits from continued restrictions on international visitors. The only people benefiting from such restrictions at this point are the providers of RT-PCR tests, SHA+ hotels and insurance companies.

Antibiotic perils

Re: "Superbugs lurk in local food systems", (Opinion, April 6).

The article notes that according to the Minster of Public Health, superbugs found in factory-farmed animals and fish are responsible for causing illness in over 100,000 Thais a year and the deaths of 38,000 Thais.

For years in letters and articles I have warned that the excessive use of antibiotics by factory farmers -- which is the cause of these superbugs -- may pose the greatest threat to human survival that the world has ever faced.

What happens if antibiotics become useless? Predictably, people responded by saying how dare I "impose" my vegan diet on them. But one might consider the possibility that it's the animals, as well as the future generations of children, who are the ones who are being imposed upon.

Noise terror back

After a few nice and peaceful weeks the evening nightmare is back, meaning the monotonic music and drumming coming from Bangkok Island, a boat docked at Charoen Krung Soi 57 pier. The noise they made earlier, especially later on in the evenings was unbearable.

They were permanently docked and terrorised the whole neighbourhood almost every evening. The noise was bothering especially residents and hotels across the river. For some reason, there was a long break and people were able to sleep quite peacefully and the boat even started to make cruises. That wasn't too bad because the noise level was equal to other cruising boats on the river.

But now they have started again having these docked parties. Hour after hour the same monotonic drumming, probably sort of rave, techno and American house-type music with very strong bass makes sleeping impossible.

How come such noise terror is allowed? Everyone thought it would be great to have both long-term visitors and tourists back to Bangkok in the aftermath of Covid? If that is the case, we all need good sleep anyway.

Copping jokes

Re: "Bow Bells rang out but not accent", (PostScript, April 3).

Well, there are plenty of police jokes to go around. The police officers in US small towns remain the butt of jokes. Jokes 3-4 are real questions from the NY Traffic School exam. These questions are similar to ones you may come across on the Thai driving test. Here they are:

1. An officer comes upon a man clearly under the influence of some illegal substance. He says to the man, "We will have to give you a drug test."

Without hesitation, the man replies, "Cool, which drugs are we testing?"

2. A cop pulls over a blonde for speeding and asks her for her licence.

"You cops should get it together," she retorted. "One day, you take away my licence, and the next day you ask me to show it to you."

3. Q: When driving through fog, what should you use?

A: Your steering wheel.

4. Q: What is the difference between a flashing red traffic light and a flashing yellow traffic light?

A: The colour.

Raised to win

Re: "Pheu Thai tipped for win", (BP, April 7).

News of a fugitive politician showcasing his young daughter as a nominee for the position of prime-minister of Thailand in the upcoming election brings to mind the song You Raise Me Up -- written by Secret Garden; and beautifully sung by Josh Groban. Part of the song goes like this:

"You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up to more than I can be.

You raise me up to more than I can be."

The song is beautiful in that it portrays the gratitude one has for one's mentor or guardian. But in the real world there are so many kinds of love -- such as the love for your parents, family and country etc.

And oftentimes those loves have the potential to drastically conflict with one another.

War deja vu

In contrast with the silence of Pope Pius XII, leader of the Catholic Church during the Second World War, on the fate of Jews killed during the Holocaust, yesterday the current leader, Pope Francis reportedly unprecedentedly criticised the United Nations as impotent in alleviating the sufferings of Ukrainians and precluding crimes committed in Bucha by Russian forces. His Holiness's words were so factual on "geopolitics" as "strategies of the most powerful countries to affirm their own interests, extending their area of economic influence, or ideological influence, and/or military influence". The remark is the most explicit ever expressed by the Catholic Church and the word, "impotent" was so appropriate in reflecting the frustration of reasonable men at the UN.

Coincidentally, addressing the UN yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his frustration about the UN Security Council asking "Where is the security that the Security Council promised? It's not there." Worst of all, the aggressor against his beloved country is one of the members of the council and has veto power against helping the victim. Obviously, the rule is outdated and against good governance.

The UN was founded in 1945 after the war by 51 countries to maintain peace, security and develop friendly relations among members. It was then echoed that "never again". Now, will it be again?

Women first!

Re: "Alpha fails", (PostBag, April 3).

It is not true to say "it is human nature to engage in violence and destructive war".

Violence and warmongering do not come naturally to all of us. Only to men.

From the beginning of human society men have dominated virtually every power structure, driven by their willingness to use violence in the furtherance of all their goals, whether in the family or the community, corporation or government.

Women, on the other hand, have a much lower propensity to resort to violence, not because they lack strength, but rather since every victim of violence is some mother's child, and mothers have a much more intense primal attachment to their children than do fathers.

As Kurt Vonnegut put it in Slaughterhouse-Five, " So then I understood. It was war that made her angry. She didn't want her babies or anybody else's babies being killed in wars."

So the only way forward, to end war, and give justice and equality a chance, in the very limited time remaining, is for women to take political power, everywhere.

If you agree, why not sign the Women First petition on moveon.org/petitions and help to establish the world's first global, internet-based political party based on an absolute commitment to non-violence.