Repeated platitude

re: "Food for thought" (BP, Editorial, February 11, 2023) 

Dear editor, 

When the Bangkok Post's repeats the platitude that "the lese majeste laws ... are needed to protect the revered institution," reasonable people might again wonder why Thailand's revered institution needs such punitive protection from its own people when the same revered institutions of other nations thrive without any need of such draconian law, not even on the books, let alone in cruel practice. 

But let us leave that [perplexing alleged need for them] aside to consider another aspect of Thailand's internationally famous lese majeste laws that is equally food for thought. Namely, how do these laws comport with the venerated notion of karma that has been a vital element of Thai life and society for many generations?

Karma is indifferent to human made law. It cares only for actual justice, for genuine compassion, and for true merit. If, for example, a law authorized, or even commanded, the killing of animals by painful means, those strictly executing such a law would be piling up bad karma, with the resulting consequences for committing such acts of demerit. Either the bad law would either be no defence, or the bad karma would accrue to those responsible for such bad law or benefitting from it. Nor can the law miraculously convert the demerits of bad karma into immaculate good. 

Do Thailand's prevailing lese majeste laws and their application inflicting suffering to punish show compassion? Do they embody justice? Do they further or hobble the Buddhist goal of seeking right understanding through critical thinking? Are those who follow or are implicated in following those laws by arresting and imprisoning peaceful protestors merely for speaking honest opinion accruing good or bad karma? 

Karma has consequences. And unlike the Royal Thai Police or other law enforcement agencies that for a modest donation enable, for example, Chinese triads to thrive, the Red Bull police killer to evade justice, and vaping culprits to be extorted, karma cannot be bribed by rich shows of prayer and meditation, or tricked by gaudy mass ordinations on demand. Karma is not fooled by such public displays intended to buy off actual bad deeds, whether in strict accord with the law or not.

Karma dishes out only what is truly deserved. Does this perhaps explain why the Thai nation has failed to follow Taiwan and South Korea in flourishing so prosperously since all three nations began from similar economic and political starting points five decades ago? 

 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 February 14, 2023, under the title "Repeated platitude" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2505789/chuvits-crusade