OPINION

Uyghur pressure

Re: "Uyghur trip 'not fake': Thais visit deportees in Xinjiang region", (BP, March 21).

The Uyghurs have returned to their homes, and judging by news footage and a recent visit from the Thai verification team, they are happily reunited with their families.

These Uyghurs are not refugees; they entered Thailand illegally 10 years ago.

Our decision to return them to their home country after they had served their sentence is well within our rights and international commitments under the Penal Sentences Act for foreign nationals convicted of a crime in Thailand.

Additionally, it is not Thailand's job to ascertain the well-being of another country's citizens to the satisfaction of Western countries.

But the saga goes on for Thailand. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, it is a matter of life and death for these returnees.

Thailand's exports to the USA in 2024 comprised about 18% of our total annual exports, and the European Union bloc added another 8%, totalling about a quarter of our exports. We are an export-oriented country and clearly cannot do without this trade. As a smaller economy, we are at a disadvantage should economic imperialism be revisited upon us.

As a member of Brics, the government should intensify its efforts to trade more with like-minded countries that will not resort to moral pretenses to pressure us into compromising our values and beliefs, nor subtly showcase their ability to destabilise our economy. A true friend would never act in such a manner.

Jab decider

Re: "Forgotten threat", (PostBag, March 28).

The most important fact to understand when considering vaccination against measles is that every year there are more deaths after measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccinations reported in the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), than there are documented measles fatalities.

Furthermore, the passive VAERS system has been shown to suffer from underreporting as high as 90%.

Evidence indicates that immunity after MMR vaccination begins at 92% and wanes after 10 years, whereas immunity is lifelong after infection.

Also of note: Vaccination does not replace the need for early treatment in high-risk cases.

Death from measles infection is extremely rare because of the widespread use of nebulisers and modern intensive care unit (ICU) care.

The global mass media lied when they reported that the death of a young girl in Texas was caused by measles recently.

The actual cause was community (hospital) acquired pneumonia as determined by independent medical examination.

So, when Dennis Fitzgerald reads this bit of politically manufactured fear-mongering, he states in a knee-jerk, authoritarian fashion: "Vaccines work. Measles is still very dangerous. Get vaccinated if you haven't already."

Everyone needs to consider for themselves whether to get vaccinated using relevant information.

Calamity watch

Re: "Quake toll passes 1,000", (BP, March 30).

The recent deadly earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand reminds us that we have miles to go in matters of tackling earthquakes.

The science of seismology needs more investment and research support.

It is about time that seismologists from across the world brush up on the nitty-gritty details of earthquakes.

It is also important to protect Mother Earth through proper means and methods like reforestation, nurturing natural resources and other steps to counterbalance the probability of a natural calamity.