Robust royalty
Re: "Royal reckoning", (PostBag, Feb 24) & "Andrew crisis haunts monarchy", (Opinion, Feb 21).
I always enjoy reading Felix Qui's letters to the Post and am grateful for his thoughtful contribution regarding the longevity of the British monarchy. As he rightly notes, the institution owes much of its survival to its capacity to adapt sensibly to changing times.
I detect no clamour in the United Kingdom for yet another dreary republic in which mediocrity would reign supreme. Rather, the prevailing sentiment appears to be one of concern and sympathy for His Majesty King Charles, whose brave fight with cancer has done nothing to diminish his enthusiasm or determination to continue carrying out his duties on behalf of the nation.
One black sheep neither spells the end of the House of Windsor nor threatens the new Carolean age. Mr Qui may rest assured that the British monarchy -- and many other monarchies around the world -- will remain robust and resilient long even after both he and I have shuffled off this mortal coil.
As Shakespeare reminded us: "Not all the water in the rough rude sea / Can wash the balm off from an anointed king."
T Turveydrop
QR conundrum
Re: "Same old problems", (PostBag, Feb 26).
You know, Karl Reichstetter's letter nailed many sources of Thailand's 10-year-plus-long economic malaise. Yet, I think I see a new one that people themselves are fuelling: digital QR payments. You see, I was walking down the street, late one night, when my eyes beheld an eerie sight. Young people, even street vendors, all bought pricy smartphones and, coming out of their abodes, may get a jolt from their own electrodes by buying the 18 million or so pricy smartphones manufactured in Thailand, but now cannot spend all that money locally. That enriches some CEO's, but causes both economic stagnation in our neighbourhood, as well as a question:
What will they all do when the power or internet goes out, and they cannot access the small amount of money they still have?
Answer: They'll do the bash! As in the "Budget Bash", and while it caught on in a flash, not being able to access your own money just when you need it most is, indeed, a real 'graveyard smash!' ...Bobbie Picket was right, "Whatever happened to my [Thai] Transylvania [Cash] Twist!??"
Jason A Jellison
Macabre menagerie
Re: "Tiger deaths sicken", (PostBag, Feb 26) & "Zoo death a stark warning", (BP, Sept 13, 2025).
Glen Chatelier laments in his PostBag letter the tragic deaths of 72 tigers in Chiang Mai. The disregard for animal welfare that we witness on a regular basis flies in the face of our ideal of being a devout Buddhist nation. Malls showcase trapped animals as exotic displays to be gawked at by shoppers, Chatuchak Park hawkers openly sell caged birds and animals, elephants are grievously injured during transportation … the list goes on.
Just because they cannot "speak" doesn't mean these sentient beings don't feel pain and deprivation.
Sadly, there is a strong undercurrent of mercantilism in our modern culture that puts money far ahead of moral values.
To quote Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Vichai
