LETTERS ARMY CAN’T REFORM ITSELF

Re: “Underpinnings of a Thai mass shooting”, (Opinion, Feb 14).

I fully agree with Thitinan Pongsudhirak that “this tragedy should be a wake-up call for the Thai army so that it becomes more professional, streamlined, better paid, and is back in the barracks”. I laud army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong for pledging that the army’s commercial and welfare schemes will be transparently managed by professionals from the private sector. I second the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand’s proposal that the reforms should cover all other branches of the military and police.

Since the military and police’s noble mission is to serve and protect the public, and we pay them, the reform should be managed by our elected representatives in parliament — not by the armed forces — plus ACOT as a full member. All income and expenditure should go to and come from the Ministry of Finance, and organisations audited like SET-listed entities.

On pay, all members should be paid competitively with the private sector, so none need to have sideline incomes, and they can live in accordance with our late national father King Rama IX’s sufficiency philosophy.

We should look at the necessity and mission of each commercial or welfare activity, and find the most effective way to achieve that. For example, we the people own the airwaves. Thus, all income rightfully belongs to us, and the military and police will have the right to interrupt normal operations for emergency broadcasts. Or, our armed personnel need housing after retirement — but perhaps the most effective way is to give subsidised mortgages through commercial banks, so that they may live anywhere within that budget, not necessarily in an army-built house.

Thank you for vowing to reform the army, Gen Aphirat. Let’s work together to extend your dream to all members of our military and police.

Burin Kantabutra