The kids are alright

re: "'Coconut shell' students find their voice" (BP, November 13)

Dear editor,
Congratulations to the brave young minds of Suan Kularb, who show us, yet again, that it is the youth of Thailand who set the example of excellence in honesty, in open-mindedness, in critical thinking and in respect for all such democratic values. In a word, it is Thai youth, high school and university students, who set the moral example from which their benighted elders, stuck in their stifling coconut shells of repressive, willful ignorance, need to learn. Naturally, the bull frogs are croaking loudly at this timely disturbance to their slumbering moral faculties. Let us hope their children will continue to rebel against the bad old ways of their elders, leading even the greenest into the better-lit world beyond their too aged kala.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on November 15, 2017, under the title "The kids are alright" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1360723/fear-and-motivation
  

Sin (taxes) of poor

re: "Crackdown on alcohol, cigarette hoarders" (BP, September 14)

Dear editor,
Whilst the do-gooding excuses for increasing "sin taxes" are admittedly all very communist, that does not make these taxes just. Just because something is unhealthy does not justify the Big Nanny state interfering to control the choices of adults, however foolish those choices might be. In particular, these taxes hit hardest the poorest in society, which does at least comport with the anti-democratic notion so popular with the PDRC and those colluding with them that self-deemed "good" people must control the poor, uneducated peasants who can't be trusted to be responsible. This ugly prejudice is as baseless factually as it is base morally.

It is as acceptable to inflict additional costs on those whose pleasures come in part from cigarettes, alcohol or gambling as it would be to impose similar extra costs on those whose pleasures come from reading classical literature (one of my own favourites) or enjoying the greenery in Lumpini Park. Of course, if people's bad decisions result in self-harm, the state is also under no obligation to bail them out.

The only acceptable level of taxes on anything is to offset, and nothing more, the harm to innocent bystanders, and that is much less than what is already raked in by the current exorbitant "sin taxes" about to be worsened still more to control the personal choices of adults, especially of the poor, who are thus punished for the "sin" of being poor by rule of law made up by self-adulating nannies of conspicuous affluence.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on September 16, 2017, under the title "Sin (taxes) of poor" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1325471/sin-taxes-of-poor
  

United in religion

re: "Regime angers critics over NOB transfer" (BP, September 8)

Dear editor,
How felicitous that the uniquely sensitive religion known as Thai Buddhism has such devoted men in uniform to fight over it, the rich spoils going to the victor. And what crumbs the boys in military and police uniforms leave are there for the aging men in orange uniforms straight out of the feudal era of Thai history to squabble over.

The true miracle is that many Thais continue to profess to follow by default this officially fostered version of Buddhism rather than one that follows the teachings of the Buddha. With so many military and police in charge of its affairs, could the religion whose job it is boost Thai nationalism and the feudal status quo need any other support?

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on September 11, 2017, under the title "United in religion" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1322039/failing-at-buddhism
  

Bowing to bad tradition

re: "Thailand 4.0 not quite as we imagined" (BP, August 8) 

Dear editor,
In her succinct opinion piece, Atiya Achakulwisut correctly notes that prostration in the Chula. Uni. mode is "a newly invented tradition." She might usefully have given a bit more historical background. In 1873, the great Thai king Chulalongkorn, Rama V, in his wise efforts to break with bad old ways of the past, to end bad old traditions and bring in modernizing reforms, explicitly abolished prostration, describing it as "severely oppressive" and unable to "render any benefit to Siam" (Royal Siamese Government Gazette,1873). This begs the obvious question: if the modern lights at Chula. University and elsewhere dictate that students or others prostrate themselves, what are they saying when they seem to directly disagree with the wisdom of the great King Chulalongkorn?

Personally, I think the great Thai king of more than a century ago was wiser and better in tune with good morals than the modern rulers of the university that takes his name. Thankfully, there are bright young citizens such as Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal to help his elders correct their mistaken notions of good morals.

Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on August 11, 2017, under the title "Bowing to bad tradition" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1304175/bowing-to-bad-tradition
  

Debunking Chula

re: "Chula wrong on Netiwit" (BP editorial, September 2)

Dear editor,
In attacking Netiwit, who is one of its brightest, certainly one of its most morally good, students, Chula. University but proves its moral status to be on a par with its standing as an academic institution. It is sad that Thailand has nothing better in what passes for higher education, whether  measured by educational standards as reflected every year in Chula's ranking compared to international institutions or in moral ratings, as proven by this latest assault on good morals.

It appears that Chula. is, like so much of Thai education, intent not on teaching thinking based on healthy questioning of dubious inherited assumptions but on enforcing mindless conformity - that most military of bad moral values.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on September 4, 2017, under the title "Debunking Chula" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1317843/embracing-activists
  

Army doublespeak

re: "Army says escape plot well hatched" (BP, August 30)

Dear editor,
This latest effort is a perfect piece of doublespeaking gobbledegook from the boys in the Thai army: whilst he "admitted that there is still no clue to indicate how she escaped if indeed she fled the country" (if indeed!) the army man in charge of the amazing failure insists that "Her escape had been well prepared and decided in advance." Well, obviously when you are clueless, that must be the explanation.

Do he and his army mates honestly expect anyone to believe such claims rather than to roll around on the floor as sensible people must when faced with such self-inflicted ridicule?

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on September 2, 2017, under the title "Army doublespeak" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1317319/no-questions-here