It will blow over
Re: "Thailand's costly political storms", (Opinion, Aug 22).
Prof Thitinan Pongsudhirak's observations should be read as the continuum of the uncertainties in Thai politics which began with the coup in 1991 and the ensuing trysts with modern democracy in Thailand.
Critics and political commentators bemoaned the heavy symbolism of status play and money as the boon and bane of political parties and yes, status position with regard to respecting the establishment became the indispensable qualifications of would-be prime ministers.
Notwithstanding the skirmishes between the red and yellow factions roughly 15 years ago and with the sensational orange party appeal which almost toppled the traditional structure of the political fabric, the constant attribute which has not changed is the money factor.
Thailand and its political storms not alone; there are political typhoons and earthquakes among all power systems around the world. The question remains of when the political storms will subside and how soon Thais will get to choose a political leader to lead the country into prosperity and progress.
Glen Chatelier
Rainbows lose lustre
Re: "Let's party on", (PostBag, Aug 12) & "Welcome, all, equally", (PostBag, July 19).
Absolutely, all tourists should be welcomed equally. No one group, be it the Chinese, or gays, should be given preference over others. However, sometimes things seem otherwise.
Take the tourist city of Hua Hin, for instance. The city is inundated with rainbow signs around the downtown area, promoting the gay lifestyle. Slogans such as "be yourself", "show pride", "feel free" and so on are highlighted.
I talked to some tourists about this, and they told me they are questioning whether they want to come back here or not. Where are the promotions for heterosexual tourists? There is nothing wrong with welcoming gays here; but so should there be tourist promotions for everyone else.
It almost feels as if the gays want to impose their views upon everyone. The bottom line is most people remain heterosexual. There is nothing wrong with being a normal everyday guy who eats meat and potatoes on a regular basis.
Paul
Supat deserves a break
Re: "Fair probe for 'ATK doctor'", (Editorial, Aug 20).
In probing Rural Doctor Society chair Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, the government must not only render justice, but equally importantly, the public must see that justice has been done. Otherwise, PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra will again be accused of waging lawfare against political opponents, and she can ill-afford more public distrust.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, ATKs were almost impossible to find. Dr Supat successfully supplied such kits, winning government plaudits and awards. The autonomous National Health Security Office (not the Health Ministry) funded his mission. ATK purchases were made in several lots rather than in one go. Dr Supat says the uncertainy of the Covid outbreak's early days made total demand virtually impossible to predict.
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin says "violating regulations is wrong in itself, without having proof of cheating and corruption" -- implying the Royal Doctor Society should have risked either under-supply (resulting in avoidable deaths) or over-supply (wasting public funds).
But the Hippocratic oath binds physicians to "do no harm"; and taking the risk of going short could have led to unnecessary deaths. Also, the RDS insists the ATKs it supplied cost less than those of the ministry. If so, batch buying would have led to fewer deaths and lower costs than buying in one humongous lot.
Perhaps Dr Supat rejected a ministry demand forecast at the time of purchase that hindsight proved was accurate, or the RDS' prices were higher than those of the MoH, in which case Dr Supat would have been in error.
That's what the ministry must prove, by posting all documents and meeting minutes on its website. Let justice be seen to be done.
Burin Kantabutra
