OPINION

Priorities, please

Re: "Disaster zone label 'will hurt tourism' ", (BP, March 19).

What is more important to our prime minister? People's general health or pots of money from the influx of misled Songkran tourists (who will be equally affected by the pollution and likely won't return next year). Rhetorical question, really.

Education essential

Re: PostBag, "Literacy hurdles", (PostBag, March 5).

Foreigners and others have been discussing the advisability of simplifying the Thai language. As a non-speaker, I don't understand its intricacies, but to resist its evolution is short-sighted.

English is perhaps the nearest we have to a common language and it changes constantly and always has. Woke, Google, umami, and crypto-currencies were not words our parents would have recognised. If we were sitting in the Globe Theatre 400 years ago, we would have understood precious little of Shakespeare's plays.

Education is the important thing, not conservation.

Thais do know

Re: "Pita power", (PostBag, March 20).

Like many foreigners here, I was amazed to see the legacy of the past military rule having such a devastating effect on the recent election. The very people who received a minuscule amount of the popular vote have managed to produce a result completely at odds with the election result.

Worse still is the fact that it's not stopped, and selected courts are now ensuring that a popular choice of the electorate will no longer be available. Unlike Vint Chavala, who appears to applaud this outcome, I feel sure the majority of Thais know exactly what has taken place and who is responsible.

It's ideal thinking

Re: "Share the earth" (PostBag, March 12).

PostBag's contributor Hans Van Willenswaard envisions a better world where all "global citizens will share responsibility toward a healthy environment and the well-being of the 'community of life' [Earth Charter] in a spirit of Earth Trusteeship." It certainly sounds nice.

I am reminded of Kevin Costner playing the role of the owner of Yellowstone ranch on TV. Upon hearing a Chinese tourist trespassing on his land that "this ranch is too big for any one person to own, you must share," he replies, "this is America, we don't share."

A better world is not on the cards; this is not a realm where political manipulation of ideas and idealism can produce the reality of "a climate emergency making us realise that we don't own the earth for extraction".

Mr Van Willenswaard's world is a spiritual one, one that produces the goalless relinquishment of selfishness. It cannot be the product of a top-down command. Although we do have the potential for such change, for billions of us, it may take an interminably long time to occur.

Humans to blame

Re: "Elephant torture", (PostBag, March 16) & "Plans for training centres to tame angry elephants", (BP, March 15).

I agree with Mr Chumsai's PostBag letter that it's terrible the way we treat elephants. The problem we have with wild elephants was caused by us encroaching on their land.

As for the treatment of domestic elephants, I once again urge the readers to google: "Elephant crushing in Thailand", and you'll never again want to go to an elephant show or ride an elephant.

Those who want to see elephants in a fairly natural setting should visit the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai.