OPINION

Rethink the South

Re: "Govt 'ready for new talks' on peace in deep South", (BP, May 7).

Our government should overhaul our strategy in dealing with our southern unrest from top to bottom, inside out.

For starters, it's a domestic affair, as we've not found that another country has supported the violent perpetrators. It's the Minister of Interior -- not that of Defence -- who should be in charge of restoring peaceful coexistence to the region. This change in outlook is key, for "To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail". So, the Interior Ministry will be inclined to look at the unrest as a domestic quarrel, to be settled by discovering root causes and negotiation, not as an invasion to be repelled at the point of a bayonet.

Secondly, if the military had a long-term plan to achieve sustainable peace, it would have had milestones, timelines, and a budget. Actual performance would have been regularly compared to the budget, and needed adjustments would have been made.

Instead, the military has requested a three-month extension 77 times since the emergency decree was first implemented in 2005, without analysing why we failed the last time around or how much more time and money we'd need to reach each milestone to the end.

It's now or never

Re: "India, Pakistan trade fire, 43 dead", (World, May 9).

The time is now ripe for India and Pakistan to discuss all critical issues. To be honest, both have vast natural resources, and unwanted things have long been hindering their growth and relationship.

Nothing can be done overnight, but nothing is impossible. As far as the ties between India and Pakistan are concerned, it will definitely take time to come to fruition.

Hence, it is important to open up the dialogue process on major fronts like the economy, bilateral ties, and terrorism. Such serious and sincere steps will undoubtedly go a long way in ensuring bigger results and the desired effect.

Pope Leo steps in

Re: "Leo XIV, first US pope, to celebrate first mass as pontiff", (Online, May 9).

America and the world have a new pope, but not the one Donald Trump hoped for himself. Although he was an unexpected choice, he appears to be a very good choice. According to reports, Pope Leo XIV will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis. The church needs to be all-encompassing, as its members are more diverse than they used to be.

My own Catholic childhood, in the 1960s, of old Irish priests with accents so broad I had trouble following what they were saying, is so long gone. Now we have priests from any country, although in my parish, not from America yet.

There are also old tweets from the new pope commenting on Mr Trump and Mr Vance, which will make their first meeting interesting. Maybe there will need to be some divine intervention there.

Welcome to the job. Good luck, and be aware of the truth about the people you meet, as not all great people are good people.

The crisis that isn't

Re: "'Asian crisis in reverse' as currencies soar against dollar", (Business, May 6).

Reuters has put together another fiscal fantasy piece, citing analysts who unanimously prognosticate a tumultuous Asian fire sale of US dollars. This is one of those times when virtually no one cares about economic fundamentals, but all prefer to sing in unison and profit from hyping the trend, whether it makes any sense or not. Reuters labels it a "reverse Asian financial crisis". So that means the Thai baht will effectively appreciate from 56 to the dollar to 25 to the dollar in the next six months, right?

The Asian Financial Crisis, which began in July 1997 with the disastrous devaluation of the Thai baht, was unanticipated by this same group of analysts and institutions, making it a critical case study for assessing the reliability of financial journalism and forecasting. Prior to the crisis, East Asian economies were given exuberant fanfare for their stellar growth based largely upon strong export performance.

The reality was an entirely different matter -- high foreign debt, overvalued currencies pegged to the US dollar, and weak financial systems were ignored. Reuters, like its mainstream brethren, failed to recognise early warning signs such as Thailand's growing current account deficits, overreliance on short-term foreign capital, and vulnerabilities in banking sectors. The prevailing narrative was plagued by optimism bias, with financial news focusing exclusively on the region's economic success.

It took another 10 years for analysts to grasp that Asia's role as a net capital exporter could contribute to global financial instability and to identify new risks and weaknesses in the financial sector. Although Reuters retreated to more cautious reporting of market trends during the post-crisis period, of late, they have again found sensationalism to be more seductive than responsible, balanced reporting.

To wit, their article totally ignored Moody's downgrade of Thailand's most important banks to "unstable" and focused exclusively upon the short-term and rather minor potential effects of tariff adjustments on the US dollar in Asian markets. The fact that China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam meet two out of the three criteria (a significant trade surplus with the US, a large global current account surplus, and persistent one-sided intervention in foreign exchange markets) for inclusion on the US currency manipulation watch list is also ignored.

The lost path

Re: "Former NOB chief Nopparat held in US", (BP, April 14) & "Saffron swindlers", (Editorial, March 23, 2024).

Some Thai Buddhists' merit-making and worship deserve questioning. Does it align with the Lord Buddha's actual teachings?

This is not just a social reaction. Sceptical thinking is taking root, and correct awareness is rising among the people. In addition, many political leaders attend religious or cultural events, not always out of deep personal belief but often to stay connected with the people they serve. Their primary focus is usually practical: roads, hospitals, education, jobs, and the like.

So, the question is: Where do problems begin?

When people don't truly understand the message of the Lord Buddha as contained in the Pali Canon -- the Tripitaka -- they may start following customs or enjoying familiar traditional practices. In doing so, they can unknowingly stray from the original path and go against the core values of Buddha's teachings.

Buddha never claimed to be a god. He did not believe in a creator, gods, heaven, or hell.

He was against worshipping anyone. Yet today, many who call themselves followers of Buddha engage in practices that directly contradict his teachings. This isn't just a misunderstanding -- it ends up misrepresenting and, unknowingly, disrespecting Buddha himself.

Then there is the issue of big temples, or are they just big distractions? Just take a look around Thailand. Many temples have been built or are being erected.

But are all these really built to spread Buddha's wisdom? Or are some built to show off power and ego, or attract donations?

Some monks and their followers, rather than promoting true awareness, build and expand temples to prove their supposed supernatural powers. They compete to make their temples bigger, grander, and more dramatic -- hoping to impress innocent visitors, boost their own fame, and attract generous donations.

Temples are not the problem. Temples can be schools -- centres of peace and learning. But when built with ego or greed, they turn into distractions from the true path.

Many of these temples are adorned with exaggerated images, strange idols, and frightening art --designed to invoke fear or desire in innocent minds, pushing them to seek divine protection. People are then encouraged to perform rituals in the hope of gaining protection, good luck, or even winning the lottery.

This is not how we honour Buddha. This is how his teachings are being misused and ridiculed.

This then leads us to ask, where do the donations go? Money collected by ego-driven or deceptive monks often never reaches the people who need it most. Instead of funding schools, clinics, or programmes to lift families out of poverty, it is spent on personal luxury or building ever larger -- and largely unnecessary -- religious structures.

These grand buildings may look like acts of devotion to Buddha, but in reality, they represent wasted resources and missed opportunities to uplift communities and reduce human suffering -- the very goals Buddha taught us to pursue.

Imagine if even half of that money went to support schools, healthcare, or honest social programmes. Thailand would grow faster, and many people's miseries would lessen.

My final thoughts.

Buddha did not create a religion. He did not promote gods, rituals, or beliefs in heaven or hell.

He gave us a path to truth, wisdom, and inner peace -- based on awareness, understanding, and ethical living.

It's time we move beyond blind belief, towards Buddhi -- correct awareness.

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