Attack on daughter shows irrational hate of Thaksin

Paetongtarn Shinawatra is born unlucky. Her student days at Chulalongkorn University cannot be filled with fond memories. Among those academics who were meant to be dispassionate about students’ family background, she was isolated for having the same surname as her father by those then in power in the faculty who literally “hated” Thaksin. But her toughness in withstanding the unfairness was most admirable and ladylike. Any father should be proud of her.

With that painful past, the crudeness of that Cathay Pacific flight attendant is no more than a mosquito bite. However, the incident reflects what our society has come down to – either hate or love Thaksin. The attendant’s scream is likely to be admired by many, even though it was downright rude and uncalled for. However, for those fair-minded citizens who criticise Thaksin for dragging us to this level but praise him for what he materially did for the poor, they have no position in the present society and yet it is this group that will bring us back to sanity eventually.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok