In a democracy, dissidents don’t turn up brutally murdered
Re: “Never mind democracy, it’s the quality of governance that matters”, Have Your Say, May 29.
Nigel Pike highlights some of the negative issues currently afflicting the United Kingdom, but as is his wont he exaggerates, and his unfavourable comparison of Britain with Thailand is indeed odious. Thailand is not more law abiding than Britain, as Mr Pike claims. According to statistics published by the United Nations, the murder rate in Thailand in 2016 was three times that in Britain.
Mr Pike describes Thailand as “nice, smiley and easygoing”. Well, for many of us it is, provided we close our eyes and ears to what is going on around us. For example, in recent months, eight Thai political dissident exiles in neighbouring countries have gone missing, believed abducted, and only two have so far been accounted for, their horribly mutilated bodies having washed up on the Thai side of the Mekong. No one deserves such a dreadful fate, no matter how offensive their views might have been to some powerful and influential people. In Britain and other civilised and truly democratic countries around the world, those who express radical views are not subjected to such savagery.
Robin Grant
Bangkok
