OPINION

Lost in the middle?

Re: "Thai foreign policy needs new rudder", (Opinion, Sept 27).

Thitinan Pongsudhirak's expert analysis is striking in that it reflects the lack of a cohesive policy direction in Thai foreign policy. While this may be strategic in and of itself, it reflects the pitfalls of policymakers' characteristic "middle-of-the-road" thinking.

Keeping in mind Thai foreign policy's efficacy in moving the Bangkok Declaration of 1967, which heralded the birth of Asean, and the decisiveness of Thailand's persuasive step in 2006 with which AEC 2020 was moved forward to AEC 2015, Thailand's foreign policy regarding the Myanmar crisis may be possible through applying soft power to build a coalition of the willing among Asean members. This could bring influence to bear upon the Myanmar military junta and its opposition forces to the negotiating table to begin talking about ceasefire initiatives while, at the same time, buttressing global humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Myanmar people.

A first step through soft power persuasion by a few of the Asean members, with Thailand leading them, may not be seen as "deliberate interference" by neighbours in offering a possible humanitarian panacea to an eyesore of a problem within Asean and to Thailand more so.

Cash rule backfires

Re: "Explainer: Thailand's new visas", (BP Podcast, Aug 5).

Thailand has just shot itself in the foot and lost tens of thousands of baht. The requirement that every foreign tourist has to have 20,000 baht in cash on arrival has upset my friends who were planning to come here for holidays.

They find this rule insulting and demeaning, to say the least. They refuse to carry so much cash on them as they have platinum credit cards and special travel cards, likewise top-class insurance and more. So they cancelled their trips!

My friends travel extensively and expensively and would have stayed in 4-star hotels. They would have been frequenting expensive restaurants and bars plus shopping in high-class shops. They would have spent a minimum of 100,000 baht.

They are business people who work in communications and advertising, and this ridiculous rule and its negative impact will be widely disseminated in their country and beyond.

Thailand, if you are greedy and insulting, it will cost you in the long run.

Coup legacy

Re: "Ethics changes face backlash", (BP, Sept 23).

It being hard to conceive of anything more morally corrupt than actually overthrowing your own nation's constitutional democracy, a constitution that allows such a person to hold any office, let alone that of prime minister, plainly rejects decent ethics in favour of some self-serving ideology.

The facts since May 22, 2014 being well known, it is obvious that the current constitution, drafted at the behest of a man who committed a coup to enable the creation of that anti-democratic, hence unjust, document, it is hard to see how any one could in good faith argue that it is not in urgent need of serious amendment.

The events following the election in May last year only confirm that the morally indefensible intent of the current constitution is to thwart by unjust law voters' wholesome desire for a government of their choosing. Thailand voted for justice under democracy, not the unwanted and unpopular government aligned with the worst in Thai politics, with which the ethically stunted constitution of the coup maker has saddled them.

UN power imbalance

Re: "US, allies call for 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon", (World, Sept 27).

The United Nations General Assembly is made up of 193 countries. Only 39 are true democracies. There are 56 Islamic and one Jewish member. There are 100 Muslims for every Jew. There is clearly an imbalance in favour of Muslims over Jews.

How can this disparity be rectified? Surely, one UN objective must be to protect smaller members against the bullies. The UN Security Council has five permanent members. The US, Russia, China, Britain, and France all have veto power, which could serve as a moderating factor, but it does not.

The UN has a budget of $3.59 billion, 22% of which is paid by the United States. There is a lot of money to be spread around, and the US has a major say in how it is spent.

But what happens when none of the UNSC permanent members unequivocally intervenes to protect a member being attacked by almost every UNGA speaker? That member stands alone.

Israel is that member. It stands proudly, based on its legality and antiquity, at home, where its people have lived for 4,000 years and where its capital, Jerusalem, celebrated its 3,000th anniversary in 1996. Through all the vicissitudes of history, no other ruler chose Jerusalem for his capital, while the Jews hoped and prayed to return.

In 1964, the Soviet KGB created the Palestine Liberation Army. It saw Israel as an American outpost in the Middle East and aimed to reduce its influence. Through years of propaganda and terrorism, it managed to spread the hoax that Palestine exists, other than as a vehicle to destroy Israel.

There is only one way for the UN to regain any legitimacy it might have had. It must restructure the UNSC. The US, Russia and China are the only super-powers and should remain as permanent members with the veto. Britain and France are minor players with no need for permanent seats. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation can represent the Islamic countries and Israel, the tenth most powerful state in the world and the one most in need of protection, can round out the five.

With those five members at the table, with equal veto powers, I cannot see what geopolitical issues could not be handled more effectively than they are today.

Trees, not war

Re: "The climate danger that we all overlook", (Opinion, Sept 26).

The world needs more trees, not war! Countries are unnecessarily engaged in a war, and all types of media conglomerates are now focusing on the ongoing wars in the world today.

Asian countries are geographically different from Western countries like America and Latin America. In these Western countries, many forest areas and agricultural tracts still remain amazingly intact mainly because of their attitude towards nature. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Asia. We should learn from them all -- nothing wrong with doing so. Also, famous Indian magazines like Frontline often release articles on beautiful Asian countries like Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, mostly perching on the Himalayas or tucked away in forest areas.

Rather than engaging in wars, countries should work together and appreciate the business of their fellow countries. This will lead to robust growth and great wealth among the continents. For this purpose, biodiversity and agriculture should be vigorously supported by all.

I also often observe the beautiful sky and have long been a big crusader/supporter of nature. I have long supported agriculture activities and planted trees in my native areas of Korkai, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

Even if you Google the term "human race" on the internet, the following example will come up: "Trees are vital to the survival of the human race." Therefore, countries worldwide should realise this fact and act accordingly towards the planet and Mother Nature.

To end terrorism and war -- let us walk towards a world of peace and prosperity. Factors like disturbed surroundings, animosity with neighbours and long-standing conflict are the root causes of terror menace and radical/extreme actions.

People and countries the world over are facing profound difficulties. A lack of vision, missing far-sighted actions, the scarcity of great minds and the dearth of understanding/relationships have led to the conflict and animosity that have long been raging across the world.

Economic slumps, unemployment, unstable life and uneven growth have turned out to be bigger issues. Leaders from various countries should understand these chronic issues and take urgent steps to resolve them.

Above all, the countries in the world should bury their differences of opinion and come together to jointly fight the terror menace and avoid war tactics through proper strategies and technology.

Animal instincts

Re: "Dangers of dogs", (PostBag, Sept 27).

Glad to read the comments on dogs by Enough of Dogs. I agree totally. Animals are animals and they can be very very dangerous.

Fault people, not pets

Re: "Dangers of dogs", (PostBag, Sept 27).

Another revolting letter from Enough of Dogs! Of course, it is sad when an innocent person is attacked by a dog. It's also sad when humans (the most violent species on earth) commit horrible atrocities against millions of other humans. But these are not acceptable reasons to exterminate all humans or all dogs.

Contrary to popular belief, pitbulls are generally gentle dogs unless they are abused. As for dog-related rabies, that problem could be virtually eliminated if people would stop breeding and selling dogs which often end up in the street.

Enough of Dogs must know that virtually nobody believes the nonsense he writes about dogs. If he really wanted to resolve most of these problems, he would urge people to get their dogs from shelters or take them in from the street and make sure they're spayed, neutered, and vaccinated against rabies. Most "animal" problems are really people problems.

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