OPINION

Loving the lizards

Re: "It's not just the park's lizards", (BP, March 16) & "Monitor monitoring", (BP, April 26, 2025).

I am extremely pleased that the opinion about my species has changed radically, as evidenced by this article. In the past, there were horrifying reports about plans to farm us and turn us into handbags and the like.

I wonder if my earlier comment about the likelihood of red-faced customers fumbling with an answer in Thai when asked about the origin of their purchases was influential in this context.

Anyway, the photo of the splendid monitor statue is a testament to how we are now living in harmony. From what I gather, this is badly needed by you lot at the moment.

Unchecked power

Re: "Trump urges nations to protect shipping route", (World, March 16).

A casual remark by Donald Trump that he would bomb a sovereign nation's critical infrastructure "just for fun" -- especially following the massacre of 160 Iranian school children, reportedly targeted by a US AI military contractor -- is a staggering breach of international norms.

Just the deployment of AI to select bombing targets is, in itself, an indictment of the morality of the leaders of the nation possessing military power greater than that of any 10 other nations combined.

Historically, even when world powers have waged brutal or unjust wars, leaders have almost always cloaked their violence in the language of "solemn duty", "national security", or "regretful necessity". Treating the deployment of lethal military force as a source of personal amusement strips away the final illusion of statecraft, revealing pure, unrestrained sadism.

This kind of rhetoric is not designed for public persuasion; it is calibrated exclusively for his Maga base. The movement has calcified into a cult of personality where Mr Trump can say absolutely anything and still be met with roaring approval.

Directing this narrative is undeniably easier within US borders, where mainstream media faces increasing pressure from the administration to toe Mr Trump's media guidelines. In Thailand, however, the information landscape is vastly different.

Residents have access to local Thai news, independent journalism, unfiltered analysis from geopolitical experts, and a multitude of international and non-Western outlets.

Yet, judging by letters recently published by the PostBag, the Maga cult has still managed to extend its reach to even some American expats in Thailand.

There is a pathetic irony in travelling halfway across the globe to a vibrant, international hub, only to voluntarily retreat into a self-imposed bubble of willful ignorance.

To have the world's diverse perspectives at your fingertips, but still choose to act as a cheerleader for unrestrained sadism, reveals just how deeply this Maga cult has rotted the intellectual compass of its followers.

Propaganda alert

Re: "Rule of law upheld in Lai Chee-ying's sentencing", (China Watch, March 11).

It certainly is a worthwhile endeavour to "watch China" and its growing assertiveness in the region and beyond.

But it appears unnecessary and below the standard of the Bangkok Post, giving room to flat Chinese propaganda like the article of Nixie Lam, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, desperately defending the 20-year sentence for the 78-year-old founder of Apple Daily.

The credits for the article pointedly conclude with: The views do not necessarily reflect those of the China Daily. It should have been added: "… neither those of the Bangkok Post!"