OPINION

A minor concern

Re: "Loy krathong challenges", (Editorial, Nov 9).

The Bangkok Post editorial urging greater government controls and actions to "curb krathong's negative impacts" seems to be making a fuss over a non-issue. According to figures in the editorial itself, more than 95% of all krathong floats in recent years have been made of biodegradable materials. Instead of trying to manufacture a problem where none exists, the Post editors should be lauding the tremendous success in moving toward environmentally friendly krathongs.

Thailand is plagued with dozens of environmental problems, including horrendous air quality, excessive carbon dioxide emissions, poor water management, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, wasteful use of plastics, uncontrolled forest fires and burning of agricultural fields, improper pesticide applications noise pollution, and more. Of course, the public should be encouraged to move toward 100% biodegradable krathongs, but snuffing out the last 4% of styrofoam krathong is a relatively minor concern relative to the many other more serious environmental issues challenging the country.

Re: "Sutin backs military modernisation", (BP, Nov 10).

The new defence minister Sutin Klungsang seems to have caved in to daily bombardments from the armed forces.

He is already talking about the need to make all kinds of purchases to defend the country. I ask myself against whom Thailand has to defend itself: Laos, Malaysia? The only dangerous country in the region is China, the source of many of the purchases. It seems the armed forces have to defend their interests.

Waiting times for patients to see a doctor at public hospitals or under social security schemes is already a routine five hours. It would be much better to pour more money into a reasonable health care system -- people are not animals -- than buy submarines or frigates or whatever.

Re: "ESG perils", (PostBag, Nov 12).

Environmental Social Governance, or ESG, sounds friendly enough until one looks more deeply. It is all part of the woke ideology dreamed up by the WEF, Black Rock and UN (all under the control of the political globalists), to impoverish the world with net zero CO2.

They claim carbon dioxide, CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, is causing a climate emergency. The truth is that without CO2 there would be no life at all on earth because it's a vital food for plant life including trees: no CO2 = no food and no oxygen.

If investors place their money with ESG companies they are not only ignoring the actual pollution of Thailand but subjugating the country to the WEF's brainchild, ESG, via BlackRock, thereby making Thailand a vassal state of the political globalists.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the collective West that is already under political globalists' totalitarian control. Is that what we want for Thailand?

Re: "Activists note flaw in 4am plan", (BP, Nov 10).

I read with disbelief that the cabinet will permit bars and entertainment venues to remain open and serve drinks up to 4am.

Surely people can have ample drink up to 2am. I can only envisage more drunken behaviour potential and more accidents. A very bad decision.