Fading city spirit
Re: "Bangkok's clean streets, empty souls", (Opinion, Nov 10).
I have nothing but praise for Sirinya Wattanasukchai's opinion piece on the so-called "gentrification" of certain areas of Bangkok. So many real and true tourist draws have been obliterated in the attempt to emulate what some may feel are "quality" locations.
When the Tourism Authority of Thailand was vaunting the attractions of the city and that lovely old house and garden in Sukhumvit Soi 11, home to a quality restaurant, the model railway and some superb international-quality jazz evenings were being demolished at the same time to build yet another condo.
Trefor Cowles
Profit in policy
Re: "What's on the COP30 agenda?", (Timeoff, Nov 9).
The climate change narrative, which dominates recent news, is not merely a corruption of science which depends entirely upon mathematical modelling. It is an industry upon which every large financial institution has become dependent. Therefore, we can observe central banks, global insurance providers, NGO's, nation-state science advisory organisations and regulators, global asset managers, technology providers, and large financial organisations of every stripe, doing their best to maintain the climate status quo.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its annual propaganda spawn, the Conference of the Parties (COP), are the UN's primary mechanisms for preventing any challenge to their money and power-grabbing hoax.
However, the IPCC was not designed to underwrite the global financial system. It is unable to contain the pressure upon it and the COP to prop up the climate scam against what is now a constant stream of data, scientific analysis, and popular opinion, which is destroying their house of cards.
Michael Setter
Cultural restraint
Re: "The effects of unfinished momentum", (Opinion, Nov 8).
Peerasit Kamnuansilpa's recent reflection captures Thailand's challenge beautifully -- that our nation needs "institutional oxygen" to let initiative flourish and allow Thailand to "breathe anew".
However, there is a quiet but powerful factor that deserves more attention: kreng-jai.
While Peerasit rightly calls it a "reservoir of social trust", in practice, kreng-jai often becomes a cultural brake on progress. It teaches consideration, but it can also suppress constructive dissent, delay honest feedback, and limit the confidence to innovate or question authority.
In systems that already struggle with hierarchy, kreng-jai can quietly thin the air of institutional oxygen. Leaders may not hear alternative views; subordinates may avoid suggesting reforms; and the cycle of deference continues.
For Thailand to truly breathe anew, we need not abandon kreng-jai -- we need to balance it.
Respect can coexist with candour. Gratitude can coexist with accountability.
When kreng-jai evolves from silent restraint into mutual responsibility, institutions will finally breathe freely -- and Thailand's "renewed momentum" will no longer remain unfinished.
Rote learning is the iron ball on the other ankle, causing a comparable impact. The positive side is that it can be abandoned completely or used as a critical thinking pre-step.
A Rural Dreamer
