OPINION

Outside the box

Re: "Endless danger zone", (Jan 8) & "New Year road toll", (BP, Jan 6).

Jaytee Korat nailed it when he wrote: "Dangerous vehicles and dangerous drivers will remain features of Thai roads until the police get out of their "boxes" and checkpoints, get into police cars, patrol the roads and stop offenders."

He might have added "stop with the endless VIP escorts". There is essentially no enforcement of moving violations aside from radar/camera speed traps.

As a result, motorists drive with impunity, knowing that their dangerous road manoeuvres have little chance of being cited.

Surely, the highway police know this, but they lack the courage to engage in actual enforcement. I guess in Thailand, it's just too hard to say "no".

Easier to set up useless roadblocks and erect signs that everyone knows will be ignored. Proceed at your own risk.

Citizen censors

Re: "Zuckerberg lifts US content guardrails in bias shift", (Opinion, Jan 9).

Mark Zuckerberg has stopped Meta's fact-checking programme and will rely on its users to consider content.

Isn't this similar to sacking firefighters and letting arsonists decide which fires are serious and what to do about them?

Actually it's not a big concern for me as I don't use social media and rely on newspapers for my news and analysis.

Asean architects

Re: "Asean communicates its 2045 vision", (Opinion, Jan 7).

Kavi Chongkittavorn's insightful commentary on Asean's Community Vision 2045 highlights the potential of this subregional organisation to shape the future of its 770 million citizens. Yet, the crux of Asean's success over the next two decades lies in its ability to move beyond declarations and make visionary solidarity tangible through decisive practical actions.

Asean's strength has always been its original capacity to unite a highly diverse region --marked by different histories, cultures, and governance systems -- under a shared framework of collaboration. However, for visionary solidarity to have real meaning, it must be felt not just at the policy level but also by the people it aims to serve. By embracing the aspirations and energies of its 420 million younger population, Asean has the opportunity to foster a genuine sense of belonging and shared purpose that transcends national boundaries.

Asean's success will depend on making its vision accessible and actionable for younger generations, who will be the architects of its future identity.

In doing so, Asean can set a global example of how a subregional organisation can champion authentic multilateralism.

Pyramid mysteries

Re: "Dozens of iCon Group distributors seek to withdraw complaints", (BP, Jan 4) & "DSI hands huge iCon Group case report to prosecutors", (BP, Dec 23).

What's happening with the iCon pyramid scheme case? In October 2024, the DSI reported that 7,875 individuals had filed complaints claiming losses of 1.64 billion baht, and they later recommended the prosecution of 19 suspects for public fraud. But suddenly, 200 iCon distributors wanted to withdraw their complaints "as some of the allegations were untrue"?

Did these 200 plaintiffs not check the veracity of their complaints before submitting them? Were the complaints made in good faith? If not, the plaintiffs could be legally liable. Were they leaned upon with threats/bribes/both? The public prosecutors should unearth the masterminds, if any.

The deeper the DSI digs, the more questions arise.