FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Tarit set a new standard

Tarit set a new standard

Re: "Tarit is a sad reflection of Thai bureaucracy", Editorial, September 15.

I disagree with the editorial. In my humble opinion, far from being a mere reflection of Thai bureaucracy, Tarit Pengdit has lowered it to another level.
His conduct as head of the DSI was abominable. He served the Yingluck administration in dampening down opposition to its rule, especially from protesters led by Suthep. No Thai civil servant has ever served as an effective tool of government with such relish. Using the power bestowed upon him, Tarit undertook actions that caused the public to view him as being firmly on the side of the government, rather than a protector of justice. 
Tarit’s words – “I was just a bureaucrat who followed orders” – recall the defence of German generals at the Nuremberg war-crime trials, or that of the Khmer Rouge leaders on trial recently in Phnom Penh.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Bangkok
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