OPINION

The military biz

Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha grabbed power in order to carry through much-needed reforms. Yet, he does not understand what a conflict of interest is, or why leaders must avoid such conflicts, for he staunchly defends his brother's appointment of his nephew as an army officer without going through normal selection processes.

Gen Prayut's brother, Gen Preecha, admitted that he chose his son Patipat, who has a BA in communications, to fill a post in the army's civil affairs directorate through a "special process", as many other soldiers had recruited their children before.

But the military is paid for with taxpayers' money; so soldiers should serve all Thais, not just one family. Was the vacancy advertised on the web, and for how many days? Earning a degree in communications isn't that hard; how many applicants were there? What were the criteria for the interview and selection process?

I see no reason why a new recruit should be required to have a relative high up in the army -- but even if so, did no other applicant have such a predecessor?

A defence permanent secretary, like Gen Preecha, should have much more important things to do than hiring lowly sub-lieutenants.

But even if so, a leader with integrity should know that a father could be severely biased in judging his son's application -- or could be seen has being biased -- and stand aside.

To maintain their claim to reform, Gen Prayut should have all documents in this case posted on the web, including all academic records and interview criteria and scores with identities of other candidates altered for confidentiality. As the police often say, if you have done nothing wrong, there's no need to hide.

Re: "Prayut defends brother against nepotism claims", (BP, April 19).

What is wrong with the media these days? Why make the headlines with a 25-year-old young man acquiring a junior military position just because he is the son of a prominent general?

The activists who petitioned against the appointment are perhaps just chafing, because any regulator that ruled in their favour will literally bar all senior civil servants' children from applying and obtaining jobs in the same agencies as their parents'.

The army's next recruitment will probably have to meet criteria such as this: should be at least 160cm tall, in good health and has a father who is a "nobody" in the armed forces.

Re: "Prayut aids coach citizenship bid", (BP, April 21).

In an illustrative example of the archaic naturalisation process, badminton coach Xie Zhuhua, after 24 years of residence and with the help of the prime minister, finally has the prospect of becoming a Thai citizen.

If badminton star Ratchanok Intanon had not had such a marvelous result winning her last three tournaments and becoming world number one Mr Xie would undoubtedly still be waiting and hoping for citizenship just as he has done for almost two decades.

The nation and particularly the police should be absolutely ashamed of the appalling lack of road safety in this country.

If the police did their job and patrolled the roads, we'd have fewer accidents and more people would be alive.

The punishment for violations needs to be strengthened and rigorously enforced. I was stunned by a remark made by the permanent secretary for Public Health when he said that while 661 people had violated the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, only 217 violators faced legal action.

That means that over two-thirds of the violators were let go with simple fines, if anything. The police and the judicial system need to stop treating violators with a slap on the wrist and start taking their responsibilities to the public seriously.

I don't know how much longer it will take Prime Minister Chan-o-cha to admit that the police need to be reorganised immediately.

If the constitution passes and the army was going to continue to hold power, would anything change in regard to the police, or, would he continue to pass the buck to a "future" administration?

Dave Proulx

No one in their right mind would cut down 100-year-old trees just to widen a road for solely economic purposes. I applaud those who opposed this scheme. Money is not the wherewithal to everything! This kind of thinking, as well as not being able to express opinions freely without fear of re-education, will bring this country down to a level where a recovery will be hard.

Re: "Confiscate vehicles", (PostBag 14 April).

While David James Wong makes a good suggestion, there is an even harsher law being applied in the UK. Uninsured drivers, when caught by the police, not only have their vehicle impounded and the owner charged a daily storage rate on top of the impounding fee, but, if they do not produce an insurance certificate within a few days, the vehicle is then crushed -- not sold at auction.

I think although it's harsh, it is a good deterrent which could be applied to drink drivers, so they would be aware their vehicle would be lost for good without any compensation.

When speaking of the viability of solar energy, there is the issue of how to store it when the sun is not shining. One idea is to pump water up to reservoirs during sunny peak hours, and then allow gravity to feed the same water back to generate electricity during times of no sun. Another idea is batteries, yet they're expensive and contain toxic chemicals. Both those options have pluses and minuses.

In California, which is at the vanguard of solar energy for large-scale applications, there's a relatively innovative way to store solar: compressed air. Air tanks can be large, and the energy in compressed air (created during sunny times) can be used to produce electricity during times of no sun.

Re: "Network urges foreign tour guide ban", (BP, April 12).

It is regrettable that our tourism industry can not catch up with the demand of foreign language speaking guides. As a temporary measure, issue temporary work permits to foreign guides but require tour operators to hire a local tour guide too to accompany the group.

This may raise their expenses a little, but it secures jobs for local guides. In the meantime, encourage the industry to produce more foreign language speaking guides.

Another Songkran has passed and the death toll is on the rise again. Surely, 2016's Songkran death toll will see Thailand surpass more than 25,000 road fatalities in one year.

In comparison, the United Kingdom -- with a similar population -- recorded only 1,713 road deaths in all of 2013 (pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, cars, and other forms of road transport), while Thailand recorded 24,237.

In the UK, getting a licence to drive a car or ride a motorbike is very tough, getting one here is a piece of cake -- if people even bother at all. I see no shame or loss of face for Thai officials to seek advice from a trading partner like the UK. Since 2000, road deaths in the UK have fallen from 3,409 to 1,713.

Re: "Tourists behaving badly", (Asia Focus, Apr 18).

I could not agree more with the writer, Wanant Kerdchuen. Here in Korea, just the other day, a group of Thais shouting to each other went in front of me in the subway line. They were totally oblivious to my presence, and acted as if they had a right to do so. I was going to give them a stern lecture on adopting proper manners and explain to them that this is not Thailand. But I could see that they did not understand a word of English, so I let it go.

Yes, many Chinese tourists are very rude, loud and aggressive in Thailand, but this still does not give Thai people the right to do the same elsewhere. Thais do not realise just how noisy they themselves are. When Thais get together in a group, they tend to be very talkative and noisy, and when they listen to music, they seem to put it on as loud as possible, not caring about the presence of others. Many have the attitude that since they are spending money in another country, they have the right to act as they please. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are countless stories here about Thais overstaying their visas. And as a result, South Korea is seriously considering tightening visa requirements for Thai tourists.

I was rather surprised to read in the Sunday "Mae Moo" gossip column on April 17 that singer Korakot "Aon" Tunkaew received a military exemption because of asthma.

I served in a foreign military in the Middle East. Anyone with asthma (or any other mild, so-called "disability") would be trained for clerical work, but would serve their two and a half years. It was an embarrassment to be rejected.

These so-called movie stars, singers, etc. stoop to all levels to get their exemptions, to let others serve their country while these guys continue to make their millions.

Re: "Facts about Thailand", (PostBag, April 21).

Whilst I'm no fan of Eric Bahrt's often amusing rants, as Vint Chavala referred to them, I must take issue with Vint's declaration that no one can "claim to understand a Thai psyche when he is not one of us Thais".

Vint is not above pontificating on matters foreign, often in a xenophobic manner. So, to use Vint's flawed logic, how does he think he can understand foreigners when he, too, is not one of us? One does not need to be a citizen of a country in order to understand the soul, mind and spirit of its people, which is the definition of the word psyche.

In the natural world no-one would expect a spider to construct a web that would ensnare itself, so it is perhaps no surprise that we are now learning that the world's political and financial elites have developed a system that allows them to avoid responsibility for their corrupt behaviour.

The recent disclosure known as the Panama Papers has informed us that the whole international system has been rigged by a small proportion of people who then benefit immensely from their position.

Nowhere could that be more obvious than in Thailand where a privileged elite have for years enjoyed a system weighing heavily in favour of their continued wealth and pleasure. These people do not do breathalysers, prison or even arrest as it exists for everyone else. They benefit from slave labour, the issue of dubious land papers, the lack of planning permission, payment of illegally low wages, immunity from laws and many things too numerous to list in a single letter.

The system of their invention is not designed to ensnare them and they will enjoy this privilege for as long as they are allowed to get away with it.

Expecting changes that could lead to loss of this exalted status to come from the very people who enjoy it is just wishful thinking in the extreme. Only when the majority rules and makes the laws for the benefit of the majority will the ordinary citizen be better off. But the elites will fight tooth and nail to see this never happens.

Re: "'All in the family' graft", (PostBag, April 21).

Michael Setter in his letter thinks nepotism is wrong. It might be, but it has been going on since the beginning of time. Thaksin's brother is a big-shot general. Thaksin's relative was a prime minister. His friends in the police department were moved up to higher ranks.

Politicians, especially those in power have a tendency to surround themselves with people they trust, this being done to protect their own safety.

Nepotism? It runs the gamut from Obama to Putin to the Chinese leadership, to every Arab leader, especially the Saudis. Why should Thailand be any exception? Leadership has its perks. Among these perks is nepotism.