OPINION

Judge with no name

Re: "Judge gets 5 years for bribery", (BP, July 1).

I read this page one article three times, looking for the name of the judge who was sentenced to five years in jail for asking for 20 million baht in bribes. No, it was nowhere to be found. Just "the defendant", "the defendant", "the defendant".

Did the judge use some of the money from the bribes to pay off BP reporters to save himself the ignominy of having his name published, as is the case with every other criminal case you report?

A youthful UN

Re: "Time travelling with human rights", (Opinion, July 3).

The above highly informative article deserves to be completed with reference to the newly born UN Youth Office established in 2022 to ensure that youth voices are more systematically integrated across the UN system.

This significant decision adopted by consensus by 193 UN member states recognises the importance of involving youth and youth-led and youth-focused organizations in the UN work at the national, regional and international levels.

One of the first official functions of this body is to lead engagement and advocacy for advancing youth issues across the UN in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

This office is expected to promote and facilitate intergenerational and intercultural dialogue, collaboration and solidarity and to support efforts to enhance youth representation at the UN.

Self-discipline is key

Re: "Purpose of school," (BP, June 24).

I sincerely thank Khun Yingwai Suchaovanich for strenuously disagreeing with me. Khun Yingwai says: "Parents like us send our children to school to be educated, enhance their knowledge, and be disciplined." Bertrand Russell would disagree regarding being disciplined. He (and I) hold that "Education should have two objects: first, to give definite knowledge, reading and writing, language and mathematics, and so on; secondly, to create those mental habits which will enable people to acquire knowledge and form sound judgments for themselves."

Students need to learn discipline, not to "be disciplined". Also, discipline should come from within each child, not because a teacher says so. I agree that students learn discipline in school. But better than that, they should practise democracy in school and thus learn its discipline.

Yes, if students didn't like a school's rules, they could go elsewhere. But good public schools are very few and far between; which is within commuting distance of Triam Phat, as shown by its average PISA scores?

Try tiger crossings

Re: "Zebra crossings", (BP, July 2).

Dear Governor Chadchart, zebra crossings are normally black and white. Your new crossings are in red and white colour! Awkward, eh what, red zebras! A bit of a mental image clash.

Sir, why call them zebra crossing at all? Thailand was never a British colony, which slavishly follow the zebra naming tradition. Besides, hereabouts, zebras are as rare as unicorns! America's "crosswalk" won't do.

Khun Chadchart, may I be so bold as to shyly shout out my suggestion --"tiger crossing". Native to Siam, fierce and proud, and they have red stripes in certain lights. Certainly more reddish than zebras, by far! Think of it! Tiger crossings in Bangkok's asphalt jungle!