OPINION

Mixed appeal

Re: "Chiang Mai property to soar," (Business, March 17).

Presumably such investors will stock up heavily on N95 masks for outdoor use and fortify their properties against relentless annual PM 2.5 toxicity after coughing up (sorry) the required funds.

There are many other more amenable and less polluted locations in this region to choose from.

Animal morals

Re: "Bua Noi's plight," (PostBag, March 16).

Ashley's letter about the cruelty of Pata zoo reminds me of my recent letter on caged animals.

Again, how can we say murderers and rapists in prison have rights but not innocent animals locked up in cages and zoos?

People ridicule animal rights by saying humans are at a higher moral level, and so deserve better treatment.

Yet is there any reason to believe that Charles Manson was at a higher moral level than an innocent gorilla?

Quite frankly, my dog was at a higher moral level than most humans I've known.

If we were less arrogant and more humane, this would be a better world for all species, including humans.

True colours

Re: "No time for cruel jokes," (Editorial, March 17) & "By royal decree", (PostBag, March 15).

When Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and allies insist that they act to protect children from bad influences, they accidentally speak a muddled truth.

How the prime minister responds to the case of 62-year-old Wanthana Othong who complained to the PM during his visit to Ratchaburi province reveals his true colours.

Video clips show at least six officers charged and try to silence Wanthana. One officer used a big umbrella to shield the operation from the media.

The prime minister responded with a dismissive: "She breached the law, didn't she?"

Such authoritarians thereby prove themselves enemies alike not only of justice and democracy, but also of benevolence and righteousness.

As Burin Kantabutra recently reminded us, the example of what a genuinely benevolent and righteous person does when confronted by unjust law is displayed by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, who spoke out against the misapplication of the lese majeste law -- the very law that PM Prayut's administration is using to silence patriotic Thais who call for democratic principles to be respected.

Benevolent and righteous people do not stand silently by while unjust laws are used to abuse others. Such conduct is the bullying of an immature child.

Defence deal

Re: "New sub deal to boost defence," (BP, March 15).

For those of you interested in the Indo-Pacific, interesting news this week: Australia has agreed to buy submarines from the US, and has decided on UK designs.

Not only is this interesting in that it "confirms" attempts to promote equilibrium in the Indo-Pacific -- ie, states countering an increasingly aggressive PRC -- but it also begs the question, what now for diverse Indo-Pacific states, and long-standing allies of AUKUS states, including Thailand?

For me, it's perhaps hard to tell. After giving it some thought, perhaps the benefits are numerous.

With this deal, it appears we're on a path to creating thousands of jobs in Australia, which could perhaps lead to (many) jobs in other Indo-Pacific states. With this deal, we're on a path to distributing fundamental skills and mindsets to other states, perhaps leading to tech and humanitarian revolutions.

We are also showing states like the Philippines that we're serious about promoting the international order and sovereignty of territory.

With this deal, we're showing the world that the US is serious about delivering on security, which can reassure places like Thailand, especially after the Afghanistan fiasco, bolstering alliances.

Some reports say the US is increasingly weak -- so weak it has to depend on its allies to create a bulwark against China -- which may lead some to think the US (or even AUKUS) can't contribute to security in Indo-Pacific states.

This is not really a legitimate argument. Distributing resources to allies in the region does not mean a state is weak, and is actually an excellent strategy, one we find in history, including WWII.

I'm keen to hear -- what do the readers of the Bangkok Post think?