Re: "Less of a turnout of Thais overseas for April 2 election", News, March 27.

I am writing in order to inform you of problems related to overseas voting. Having read your article online, I would like to point out another explanation that could be different from the ones given by the Foreign Affairs Ministry officials.

First, there are many Thais who are not eligible to vote in this election, because of the sudden dissolution of the House on February 24 and the deadline for the registration set by the Election Commission. A number of Thais abroad failed to register and hence became ineligible.

There is a worldwide petition by those thus affected at www.biolawcom.de/petition/index.php.

Second, there are many eligible Thais who cannot cast their votes in this election. The main reason is that many have not received ballots from Thai embassies or consulates. In addition, many ballots arrived too late for many voters to meet the deadline.

According to my rough survey of Thai students at various UK universities, I found that as of Monday, about 40 per cent of eligible voters had not received the ballots from the Thai Embassy in London. Roughly 15 per cent got them too late.

I also heard from students at universities in the US mentioning similar problems.

Samaggi Samagom and his network organised a seminar, "The Process and Right of Overseas Elections", on March 12 at the Thai Government Students' Office.

A representative from the Royal Thai Embassy in London described the detailed process of their tasks associated with this election and mentioned potential logistical problems.

Following this event, an open letter was sent to the Royal Thai Embassy in London on March 15. The letter is online at www.petition49.org.

I would like to ask The Nation to investigate this problem in greater detail, given the importance of this election, the political crisis in Thailand and our duty to vote as stipulated in the Constitution.

Supachoke Thawornkaiwong

London

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'Animal Farm' could teach PM and his family a lesson

Re: "Naked emperor and tyrants feature on reading list for PM", News, March 29.

I wish to suggest one change to the list of readings Carina Chotirawe has suggested for Thaksin. Specifically, may I ask that George Orwell's "1984" be replaced with his "Animal Farm"?

I have two reasons for suggesting this change. First, I believe the embattled caretaker PM has already read "1984", as I suggested it to him in a letter in 2004. I am afraid he has read it and thought that Big Brother was the hero of the book and subsequently patterned his politics and personality after this fascist. I don't want to imagine what a second would lead to.

My second reason for suggesting "Animal Farm" is for Thaksin to observe close up the process of how people (pigs) with vague ideas become despots who make one rule for themselves and another for everyone else. He may also learn a thing or two from Boxer, including not to underestimate the power of moral conduct, even of the weak.

Thaksin may also find this work more suitable, as he can then get the film and watch it with his family. Perhaps the Shinawatras would all take note of what happens to pigs that fatten themselves on other people's labour.

PH Retlaw

Bangkok

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Journalist disgusted by 'irresponsible article'

Re: "PAD Moves within striking distance", News, March 29.

As a fellow journalist, I was both appalled and disturbed to read this article. There have been many instances in which I found The Nation's reporting to be biased. However, this time it looks like you are not content with biased reporting any more; you are actually mapping out a plan for the protesters as to how to attack a government agency.

The conclusion of your article reads: "If the PAD [People's Alliance for Democracy] can stop Bangkok from shopping, it is capable of anything."

This is disgusting.

Oh yes, I totally agree with that and believe any sizeable mob can do that, but is that what Thais want?

As a mass medium, you have gone too far, too far from the truth and too far from your responsibility. May Buddha bless you and Thailand.

Liang Dong-ping

Southeast Asia correspondent

China Times

Bangkok

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Reader applauds courageous, informative reporting

Iwould like to congratulate The Nation on its coverage of the anti-Thaksin rallies and its courage in keeping us informed throughout.

You have been under pressure no doubt from the powers that be, while other branches of the media, television being the most culpable, have mostly downplayed or misinformed the public about what has been going on.

The protesters who gathered outside your building to protest what they saw as biased reporting against Thaksin ("150 protesters demand an end to Nation's 'distorted' news coverage", News, March 22) sought to silence you and eventually any voice of dissent - just as the man himself would have it.

Chiang Mai Mike

Chiang Mai

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Opposition parties are leading country to conflict

I'm terribly confused and angry. The confusion in my mind involves why, if legal and parliamentary avenues are available, the opposition shuns these methods and seems to be heading down a path of escalating confrontation.

If Thaksin is guilty of any wrongdoing, surely the onus is on the opposition to take him to court or demand an impartial panel to investigate. All we have at present are allegations, innuendoes and emotional rhetoric.

I'm angry because taking the law into one's own hand is extremely unhealthy, not to mention illegal. For whatever reason, someone destroys the Erawan Shrine; others take it upon themselves to act as judge, jury and executioner. Some sympathise with the killers because they did it "for the people". In fact, the perpetrator was only an alleged criminal, and surely the sentence of death by his "judges" was in itself criminal.

I certainly don't want his blood on my conscience. Isn't the anti-Thaksin faction, by acting as his judge and jury and attempting to be his executioner, treating him in the same way? What right do they have to seize the high moral ground and take the whole country on a dangerous collision course?

Trirat Petchsingh

Nonthaburi

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A royal remedy would provide the best medicine

Re: "Royal intervention would not be a step backward" (Letters, March 27).

If pro-Thaksin critics would bother to replace "royal" with "presidential" intervention, they would then discover that such a measure is a perfectly democratic solution adopted by many republics to resolve a paralysing botch-up caused by politicians.

With his refusal to resign, Thaksin has driven the Kingdom into a political quagmire, even though he should have realised by now that he looks rather like a terminally cringing Richard Nixon in his frantic attempts to cling to power.

The most cogent issue is that now, whatever the election results, the Kingdom is going to be worse off, particularly if one looks at Thaksin's record of vindictiveness and chameleon changes of stance vis-a-vis his critics and opposition.

With the Constitution emasculated by all politicians and a system of checks and balances made ineffectual by the super-CEO himself, royal intervention is not radical, nor does it bring back absolute monarchy - it is the only peaceful constitutional remedy left.

Krabong Kuverakorn

Bangkok

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Thaksin should foot election bill with his family's fortune

If Sunday's general election fails to produce whatever it is supposed to, I hope our caretaker PM will foot the bill, given that he called the election this early.

And since up to now, nobody but he and his party is eager to go ahead with the election, I hope he will also pay for the many by-elections that ensue.

S Raweekant

Phuket

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Hideous billboards are disfiguring Koh Samui

Many of the recent deleterious developments on Koh Samui are likely to be irreversible; however, there is one trend that is still not too late to reverse.

Billboards are sprouting like mushrooms and defacing the landscape beyond recognition. Soon, no stretch of the island's main and only ring road will be spared, as it appears anyone who likes can plant any size signage he or she wishes and in multiples of any number.

An enormous steel frame has been erected at the roadside in Bophut and only awaits what is sure to be a monstrosity of an advertisement of a magnitude completely out of proportion with its surroundings.

If whoever is in charge of Samui's zoning (to whatever extent that exists) is intent on turning the island into a metropolis, he or she is on the right track.

Why not, as other enlightened local governments have done around the world, ban all billboards, so visitors may enjoy what remains of the natural scenery?

Business Owner in Despair

Surat Thani

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