Question of rights
Re: "Thais favour proactive foreign policy", (Opinion, July 2).
The Bangkok Post columnist Kavi Chongkittavorn reports that "Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin reiterated that Thailand is committed to multilateralism and respect for human rights".
But that is not true. If it were, PM Srettha and his party, Pheu Thai, would have unequivocally supported Move Forward's modest, sensible proposal to reform the lese majeste law, which apparently is in strict accordance with Thai law yet infringes upon freedom of expression -- the basic tenet of human rights.
That makes the PM's claim a falsehood. Is he so uninformed on human rights as to think otherwise?
Felix Qui
Fish for farmers
Re: "PM vows to work harder", (BP, July 1).
To counter his and his party's steadily dropping poll popularity, PM Srettha should not work harder, as he has vowed to do -- but work smarter, following Lao Tze's "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
For example, a third of our labour force are farmers, yet in 2022 they earned just 8.81% of GDP. As of 2018, the average Thai farmer was 58 years old, poor, and burdened with debt equal to 7.36 times annual household income of just 57,032 baht. Thai rice yields have been stationary for the past 10 years, and Vietnam's yields are 178% of ours, making us non-competitive in world markets.
What Thai farmers need is to boost productivity -- not a one-time loan of 10,000-baht or a one-off load of fertiliser. To counter farmers' old age, we should welcome young immigrants who have passed an acculturation programme. Pay them market rates and give them a merit-based path to citizenship so they'll stay with us for years. Use them to follow the TDRI's recommendations of facilitating small farmers' access to credit and technology, supporting farmer initiatives and collaboration with businesses/academia, and tailoring policies to different farmer groups rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The TDRI found that the key was to decentralise, for "only when local communities can manage their resources, finances, administration, and community development, will the aid serve farmers better".
Mr Srettha, think first, then work.
Burin Kantabutra
Bird belly
Re: "The pigeon menace", (PostBag, June 29) & "Travellers urged to monitor for symptoms of bird flu", (BP, June 15).
One speculates whether Bangkok's complacent pigeons would have the wits and stamina nowadays to make the return trip from the backwoods of Nakhon Nowhere after indolent lives spent in the Big Mango. Corpulence induced by a generous daily urban diet would also prohibit lengthy flights home while peril would lurk at every pit stop for our plump, puffing passerines who would be ripe for the plucking by hungry predators.
Beats me what to do.
Ellis O'Brien
