Built on graft
Re: "Living in Thailand's age of impunity", (BP, Jan 17).
Kudos to the Post's former Life editor Kong Rithdee for his eloquent and poignant article. If we were to piece together the jigsaw-puzzle pieces of the various calamities that have recently befallen infrastructure projects, the completed picture would spell "corruption".
Little wonder that the Transport Ministry portfolio is so coveted by our country's politicians. Sure, we have agencies ostensibly dedicated to tackling this menace, but as we have recently witnessed with the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the lustre of gold can blind men.
Vichai
History warns us
Re: "Strongman playbook", (PostBag, Jan 18).
As an anti-war American, I strongly appreciated and respected the writer's keen letter, "Strongman playbook". However, many years ago, I watched an American movie about the Civil War (1861-1865). The movie opened showing both sides hooting and hollering for war. It ended showing an entire country in ruins, young men disabled for life, weeping widows, and families forever shattered.
I will close this letter by solemnly saying it seems to me that my fellow countrymen, at least those who support wars and war economies, over on America's mainland, have made two grave mistakes.
The first mistake is to cheer for any war. The second, and possibly more grave error, is that Americans have gotten into thinking that war is only something which happens outside of mainland America, and nobody would ever retaliate on US soil.
Apparently, memories of The War of 1812, and I guess we could additionally count Pearl Harbor/Hawaii as "mainland enough", well, how soon the American public apparently forgets. Yet if that should happen (serious hits on America's mainland in any of many possible ways), all bets about political futures and fortunes are off once you're on that particular road to ruin.
Jason A Jellison
A tad Orwellian
Re: "90-day puzzle", (PostBag, Jan 15).
Credit where credit is due. I did get an explanation from AI Deepdive, generated by the Post's online platform. It read like a chapter from George Orwell's 1984. "So we know where you are and not abusing your visa."
I've lived in the same house with my wife for 40 years. Apart from putting a few posts along what was once a track and is now a well-used road, to get a telephone number, I think I have been super clean in abiding by the rules.
Ron Martin
Happy inmate
Re: "Corrections confirms Thaksin eligible for parole review in May", (Online, Jan 20) & "Prison authorities clarify Thaksin family visit photo", (BP, Nov 29).
I find it heartening to see the latest photo -- as well as previous images in your publication -- of Thaksin Shinawatra, who is indeed currently imprisoned, yet often looks so happy, healthy, and well-presented.
Clearly, those who describe conditions in Thai prisons as dreadful and horrific have been totally misled.
Warner
