OPINION

Politics of religion

Re: "Buddhism is always oddly political", (Opinion, March 16).

Guanxiong Qi makes excellent points about the politics of religion. Yes, for all practical purposes, Buddhism in India is extinct. It has survived by giving shelter to the oppressed and marginalised masses. Sadly, India is a place where you can find footprints and relics of many saints, sages, and gurus. It is a place full of myths, contradictions, colourful deities, holy shrines, pilgrimages, fabulous temples, and exotic rituals. Like everything else, religion in India has also become a commodity.

In Thailand, Buddha has acquired a gilded image. I do not see Thailand or any of its immediate neighbours having anything to do with what The Enlightened One taught. Buddha never taught any religion. His unique psycho-spiritual analysis of the mind and its relationship with human behaviour makes him unique. Buddha taught us that our mind is supreme, there is nothing out there guiding our destiny. There is no saviour or any superpower.

Sadly, Buddhism in Thailand and elsewhere in Asean has also become a commodity. The rich patriarchs, the patronage system, and vested interests have completely distorted the teachings of Lord Buddha. Although Thailand must be given credit for keeping Buddha's legacy alive, his teachings are lost in translation. People now throng to the gilded temples and shrines to engage in all kinds of hollow rituals which he advised to refrain from.

On my visit to the Narita Buddhist temple in Japan, I was shocked to see a menu with a fee for various items to gain the blessing of Lord Buddha. The highest fee or donation was for gaining the blessing of a newborn baby.

True teachings of Lord Buddha have survived and remain relevant as organic truths. According to the Enlightened One -- it is not religion, our beliefs, our faith, or hollow rituals but our mind, thoughts, and actions that decide our destiny on this planet. The parallax between our thinking and actions is the main cause of all our suffering. He prescribed Vipassana and many other techniques to clean up or purify our minds.

Reform police, now

Re: "RTP rift probe 'will find truth'", (BP, March 22), "Ex-police chief indicted for role in Red Bull heir case", (BP, Feb 27) and "Vicha report hopes dim", (BP, 5 Oct, 2020).

The latest RTP scandal, resulting in both our top cop and his immediate report being moved to inactive posts, vividly proves that the Thai police force must be decisively reformed -- and immediately.

This Herculean task has been put off time and again despite a steady stream of RTP scandals. The 2006-2007 Police Reform Committee, chaired by Pol Gen Vasit Dejkunjorn, found that the RTP was a feudal empire, "constantly criticised for negligence, bias, abuse of power and brutality". A decade later, Transparency International found that the "RTP is one of the least trusted institutions of the Thai state'".

In 2024, ex-top cop Somyot Poompunmuang and ex-deputy attorney-general were indicted for helping Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya evade criminal charges after a deadly hit-and-run in 2012. Now, national police chief Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate have been shunted over alleged involvement in an online gambling network.

In 2020, ex-graft buster Vicha Mahakun submitted a report on reforming the RTP and Office of the Attorney-General. Then-PM Prayut and now PM Srettha buried it deep -- meaning it must have been substantive and decisive.

Parliament, and especially the reformist MFP, must work with the media to force Mr Srettha to release Khun Vicha's report to parliament so that thorough reform may start. Make us proud of you, RTP.

Don't shift the blame

Re: "Battle for reform", (PostBag, March 22).

Felix Qui wrote in a way to proclaim that the Move Forward Party and Pita Limjaroenrat's popularity comes 100% from their election campaign to amend the lese-majeste law.

It is natural that a new party such as the MFP -- with most of its candidates being new faces -- to be more popular because their reputation and experience are still not widely known. Besides, today's people almost always want to try new things.

In my opinion, all seasoned politicians are basically the same: they are spotlight junkies, egotistic and self-serving.

Hence, my argument is still that, knowing so well that to amend the 112 law is unlawful, why did the MFP leaders try to mislead their junior members as well as members of the public to break it?

The MFP should not try to shift the blame to the Election Commission for not warning it against amending the law.

Try 'mathematics'

Re: "Haze of neglect", (PostBag, March 22).

It seems an overdose of liberalism has caused Mr Bahrt to suffer from Bidementia. Regarding the air quality index in Chiang Mai he writes it "is a thousand times more dangerous than Covid ever was".

Although governments hold Covid data like top secret classified information, the estimated number of confirmed deaths from Covid to date is about 7 million people. The estimated (by numerous reliable sources) number of deaths from the experimental "vaccines" is between 13 to 17 million people, and the disability and long-term severe health impairment is approximately double that figure.

While the data from the latest world air quality index report is predictably dismal, it does not compare to the harm caused by the coronavirus and vaccines. A suggestion for Mr Bahrt: the command of numbers requires a discipline -- it is called mathematics.

Keep sports neutral

The spirit of the Olympic Games embodies the spirit of free and fair competition and participation of all who qualify to compete.

Therefore, there should be no political interference in the selection process. Yet the Olympic committee has, in its infinite political wisdom, decided that the Russian and Belorussian athletes can not take part in the opening ceremony in Paris and cannot take part under the flag of their own countries. It is insulting and demeaning to the sportsmen. This is a blatant disregard for the Olympic Games mantra that all participants are and should be equal.

The international community may rightly sanction and penalise the two countries economically, but it is grossly unfair to the sportsmen representing them. Those sportsmen and women did not start the war in Ukraine. Why are they made to be scapegoats and pariahs? Sport is and always should be neutral international ground, free from political shenanigans. Just like the Red Cross organisation etc.

Thus, I find it hypocritical that the boffins at Fifa allow Israel to play and compete in Europe instead of in Asia, where the country is geographically and historically located, but not universally accepted nor recognised by many countries. Especially in light of the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. Why aren't the Israeli sportsmen sanctioned?

Let's put Israel where it belongs, in Asia -- and let's see the fairness of selection and reception. I object to Israel playing in the European sporting events as a bona fide member. Israel should play in the Asian qualifiers for the football World cup.

Where's my bill?

Open letter to Mr Chadchart Sittiphunt, Governor of the BMA.

Dear Khun Chadchart

I wish to inform you that although the BMA's weekly garbage collection service in my area is faultless and deserves high commendation, unlike years gone by, we have not received bills for a long time. Formerly, we would be visited by one of your staff (about every three months) who would deliver a very inexpensive charge for cash payment in comparison with other countries. To date, our house has received no such visit or bill for at least one year and my step-daughter, who also lives in our soi, is also worried about this situation.

If you have updated your bill collection system, then this is understandable in the current e-context, but kindly inform us about the change and how to pay to avoid unpaid bill accumulation. If this is not the case, then you are adding to the household debt burden by withholding outstanding bills and creating unnecessary stress. This is difficult to understand as electricity/water bills arrive very promptly.