But why stop there? I think the North of Thailand should not be dependent on goods from the Central region and the South and vice versa. Each region should be totally free from any outside influence. Come to think of it, this still isn't going far enough.

Maybe cities and towns should be economically independent.

As long as we're waltzing down that aisle, why not preserve neighbourhood integrity? Let all villages be totally self-sufficient. All car parts, computers and clothes should be village-made.

While we're at it, maybe people should only trade with their next-door neighbours. This would put a stop to the pernicious villagisation that would be sure to occur under free trade within village economic policy. Since we're heading down this path, let's take just one more step.

Every household ought to be free of dependency from the next-door neighbour. "If your momma don't make it, don't buy it." That should be our motto. Can this go any further?

BD

Seattle, Washington

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Thai workers face a bigoted media and misery in Taiwan

Again, thousands of Thai workers rallied in Taiwan [last week], demanding better treatment. In television interviews, some workers said they had been forced to purchase low-quality food at inflated prices, while better food was available from Korean companies in Taiwan.

It's easy to clean up these misdeeds, but some newspapers have published negative comments about the workers.

Taiwan's population is ageing, spurring the demand for foreign labour, but its relatively closed society tends to discriminate against outsiders.

Many jobless people in southern Taiwan never think about who's doing the hard, dangerous work for them.

Whenever an election comes along, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party promises to reduce the number of Thai workers, as if they are responsible for every problem in Taiwan!

This attitude is reinforced by negative media coverage. A strike last summer involving Thai workers was an embarrassment for the ruling party.

It has lost every election ever since. Chen Chu, the former chairwoman of the Council of Labour Affairs, is now seeking to be elected to the post of mayor of Kaoshiung city.

Neither she nor her party wants to hear anything about Thai workers.

When a matter of human rights turns into a political one, foreigners of lower economic status will not receive justice. I fear that Thai people do not know about Taiwan's love of realpolitik or the miserable condition of their brothers abroad.

Dr Weiming Wang

Taipei

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Public airing of diplomatic laundry is 'revolting'

Having no personal interest in the Foreign Ministry, the ongoing onslaught of attacks on former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and the revealing insights into the ministry by a dissatisfied faction of former diplomats fascinated me, and also amused me. The last straw that prompted me to write was the letter from Prachyadavi Tavedikul (March 20), another former diplomat.

It is doubly disturbing that this whole episode of washing dirty linen in the public comes from diplomats who should know better their duty to the country.

Given their educational background, how can they forget the cardinal rule of diplomacy? - keeping mum on likes and dislikes.

I don't have to go to diplomats' school to know that.

Other nations will have a huge edge in knowing the weaknesses of our turf from these revelations when negotiating with the ministry's officials in future.

Granted there may be justifiable grounds and personal gratification for the disclosures, but openly disclosing them is, to my neutral eyes, revolting.

Take Anand Panyarachun, a former diplomat, as an example.

The gentleman maintained his composure when he was attacked as a communist.

Consider also the US State Department and the British Foreign Office.

Their diplomats know not to even speak about internal conflicts, whether past or present, at a cocktail party, not to mention speaking on a rostrum when all eyes of the nation are watching.

Diplomats are a privileged group of persons with many personal advantages.

But they also have a higher duty of care for the nation, even after retirement.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok

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Graft watchdogs need to be put on a shorter leash

Commissioners of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) are to serve nine-year terms!

Given recent developments, it should be obvious that nine-year terms are far too long.

With increasing public demand for transparency in business and government and increasing public demands for the press to print the full story, it is doubtful that any NCCC commissioners will survive the first year of their terms.

The Senate should reconsider the length of the term for NCCC commissioners. Commissioners should serve two- or three-year terms at the most.

Rakh Manachai

Bangkok

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Lady boys could add some sparkle to no-frills carriers

My favourite no-frills airline has recently been advertising walk-in interviews recruiting flight attendants. All applicants must be able to walk in, must be "of high calibre" and with "a merry and inexhaustible smile", and most importantly, they must be attractive.

A distinguished journalist friend of mine tells me of a lady boy whose poignant and hopeless ambition is to become an airhostess.

I know of no airline that recruits lady boys, but why ever not?

There are many katoey who give good and dignified service in top-class restaurants who would, I'm sure, prove to be of the highest of high calibre and smile forever as flight attendants.

Nowadays, in-flight service is uniformly good, though airlines rarely if ever have a distinctive personality.

It would therefore add a certain something and strike a small blow for the Thai spirit of tolerance if an airline were to widen its recruitment criteria accordingly.

I for one would certainly fly with the airline that enabled the lady boy I mentioned to fulfil her lifetime ambition as an air hostess.

I eagerly await that day.

Andrew Hicks

Surin

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Shrine remark displays misplaced priorities

Damage to Phra Prom at the Erawan shrine "could hit tourism", claim officials (March 22).

What about the murder of the alleged desecrator, beaten to death by an angry crowd, in the middle of the city?

Does this have no effect on tourists when they are considering a safe holiday destination?

Noah Shepherd

Chon Buri

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China is taking a forceful stand on reunification

Re: "What is to be done about China?" Editorial, March 19.

Your editorial rings true, yet what are we to make of China's blinkered, obsessive approach to Taiwan enunciated by China's political representative ("People should oppose Chen Shui-bian's scheme", Letters, March 19)?

Categorically stating that 23 million Taiwanese want to rejoin the mainland, because 1.3 billion mainland Chinese believe thus, is hardly a persuasive argument, just brute force and ignorance.

Economics is the key. Would the world really care if Taiwan was some destitute backwater, like, say, Tibet? Taiwan matters because it is wealthy, buoyed by the enterprise and work of its people.

Such wealth buys votes in the United Nations and elsewhere.

With all its rockets, subs and planes aimed at Taiwan who will stand up to China in 15 years or sooner, when it launches its invasion of Taiwan?

How many "allies" will have already been bought off by China's wealth? Look no further than Australia, with its barely concealed bootlicking of China, in order to access the Chinese market.

Will it be there for Taiwan in 15 years?

W Knight

Orange County, California

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Fare exchange leaves taxi driver at a loss for words

Upon entering a taxi today, I, too, was verbally assaulted about how good Thaksin is and why the driver will vote for him.

I agreed with him saying that I was delighted that taxi fares had not increased in the last five

years.

The rest of the journey was somewhat silent.

Paul Cheesman

Bangkok