Beware tit-for-tat
Re: "Unpacking the foreign pilot row", (BP, Sept 26).
The Thai Pilots Association opposes allowing foreign pilots to fly domestic routes. With respect, such opposition harms Thai pilots, other Thai aircrew, and our national interests.
"Turnabout is fair play" (Dudley Bradstreet). If we had such a regulation, our foreign competitors could apply it to their crews, and, say, EU airlines could refuse to hire Thai pilots. That discrimination, even if legal there, would be against the interests of Thai pilots themselves, and surely our country benefits from having such highly trained personnel serving overseas.
Such a regulation for domestic routes could easily be extended to international ones and other positions, so that, say, Thai International would hire only Thai nationals as aircrew and Delta would hire only Americans.
Reserving occupations makes the protected class lazy because it lessens competition. This decreases the expertise of Thais and their employers. For example, during Covid-19, we could have trained Thais in foreign languages but didn't. Thus, when tourists returned, they had to bring their citizens as guides and hire Thais for decoration to comply with our laws. This drove up their costs and tour prices, dropping demand for trips to Thailand.
Keep us competitive and highly trained.
Old man's wisdom
Re: "Old…but never out of date", (InQuote, Sept 27).
To add to Dr Surapong Suebwonglee's response and as an octogenarian and older than the PM's five economic advisers, one could quote these words presumably from another old man -- "Listen to your elders. Not because they're always right but because they have more experience at being wrong".
Down with nasty dogs
Re: "Man killed by mixed-breed stray dogs", (Online, Sept 27).
I was going to say it is amazing how often we have been reading similar articles recently. The fact is, the word should be "terrible".
What is equally "amazing" are the usual comments about how the owner wants someone else to take over caring for these killer canines. At least in this instance, the officers from the local livestock office saw sense and euthanised these man killers. Unfortunately, this is a rarity in Thailand's doggy loving community.
Mercy killing
Re: "Man killed by mixed-breed stray dogs", (Online, Sept 27).
Another innocent killed by diabolic animals. The case, indeed the second in the matter of a week, reflects typical behaviour of dogs.
At least in this case the dogs were destroyed. It's a small start to a process that needs to be considered.
Junta injustice
Re: "Rights groups decry Myanmar executions", (Online, Sept 24).
The noxious Myanmar junta on Monday executed a woman for the first time since it seized power in 2021.
Chan Myae and her husband, Kaung Htet, were executed after a secret closed-door trial in the infamous Insein Prison for their alleged involvement in a bombing in the prison in 2022.
The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and the Women's Peace Network (WPN) groups have condemned the executions and called for the release of five other democracy activists which the junta also intends to execute.
Like Chan Myae and Kaung Htet, they were tried and convicted in secret and were not allowed to properly defend themselves.
Surely it is time for the Thai government to stop sitting on the fence, cease contact with Min Aung Hlaing and his henchmen, and extend diplomatic recognition to the Myanmar National Unity Government in Exile, or at least enter dialogue with it.
Reading saviour
Children should be encouraged to read books and newspapers, although it may be too late for the newspapers. There is, however a number, over 10,000, that are banned from US schools -- but why?
There are a few books that should be banned, those that involve content or activities that are themselves illegal but that shouldn't include stories of families that are different from the norm, and similar stories.
The enthusiasm for blindly banning books was tested by a father who tried and succeeded in getting the Bible banned from his child's school. It does contain some scenes of violence. Parents should read with their children and provide guidance as needed.
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