Bangkok could use a public debating venue instead of another mall
I notice construction is underway on a prime site opposite Siam Paragon. Asking a few locals led me to believe the site is slated for another shopping mall. It is as if we don't already have enough of them. Why don't they build a National Library rivallin
What Bangkok needs is not another shopping mall, but a public space like a public hall. People could go there to listen to public lectures and discuss important issues. It would be a public forum where people could rationally debate and express different views. People can and should be able to debate on the role of the monarchy, specifically Article 112 (the lese majeste law), without ending up like Tob Jote’s host Pinyo – ostracised.
Hard questions must be asked at the public hall. What rights did Army chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha have in telling others to leave the country if they were uncomfortable with the lese majeste law? Why are the police using more resources and man-power to scrutinise Tob Jote’s program scripts than on closing down illegal gambling dens and grey markets? Why hasn’t Mr Chalerm travelled to the South as promised? Why isn’t the Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand feeding the elderly or riding a bike as he’d done during campaigning? Is it ethical, if not legal, for Thaksin to rule Pheu Thai via Skype? What really happened with the plunge of Thailand’s stock market last week? Who are the business people that accompany Yingluck on overseas trips? Was the Mae Surin refugee camp fire an accident? Why is the NACC pursuing Yingluck's alleged fund transfer now and not before?
If these questions are too tough to ask, we all should return to shopping. Look on a bright side, shopping boosts GDP, doesn’t it?
Edward Kitlertsirivatana
Bangkok
