A collection of routine activities does not a foreign policy make. Many activities cited as "initiatives" such as the Apec summit and the international conference on HIV/Aids were scheduled much before the Thaksin administration came to power. Other conferences, such as those on Sars and the bird flu, were reactions to events and certainly cannot be claimed to have been planned or initiated.

Few would dispute the fact that foreign policy over the past five years has been perceived to have been run from the Prime Minister's Office rather than the Foreign Ministry. The widespread perception is that foreign-policy moves and foreign trips have been dictated as much, if not more, by calculations of corporate business interests as by traditional considerations of national interest.

This is where the "thread" of traditional Thai foreign policy has been broken. A dark cloud of conflict of interest and hidden agendas has hung over Thai foreign policy. Foreign policy became merely an instrument for the pursuit of personal and corporate interests. Issuing a long list of routine activities undertaken over the past five years by the Foreign Ministry cannot obscure this depressing fact.

Nisanart Pumpanwong

Bangkok

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White House's 'whoppers' are getting bigger and bigger

 Yet another former CIA official has gone public with information that contradicts the White House over Iraq. Tyler Drumheller, former head of CIA covert operations in Europe, says that prior to invading Iraq the White House was provided with intelligence that there were no weapons of mass destruction there from no less than the former Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri. However, in Drumheller's words, "the policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming and they [the White House] were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy".

Given the US response thus far to Iran's emerging nuclear capability, the White House's hidden agenda in the Middle East is very worrisome. Basically, few of the US administration's statements regarding the Middle East have turned out to be believable. Whenever the facts contradict, the administration simply changes their story to fit the facts. Children covering up their misdeeds tell similar "whoppers", not realising how their credibility diminishes each time they change their story. Does anyone recall that one of the White House's justifications for the war in Iraq was to stabilise the price of oil at about $25 a barrel? The price of oil is now almost triple that figure.

The White House's "crying wolf" over Iraq now places the administration in an untenable position on Iran. Why should the world believe the White House's claims over Iran when its claims about Iraq have repeatedly been shown to be questionable? Why isn't the same attention being paid to North Korea, which actually has nuclear capability already? Is it because they cannot strike Israel, or because they don't have oil? Or is it a sideshow created to divert attention from what is happening in the Middle East?

I may be accused of being overly cynical of US motives, but in the light of what has transpired in recent years, can these possibilities be excluded altogether? What seems to be happening in the US and in most democracies worldwide, including Thailand, is that the population is being "dumbed down". Governments are not being subjected to the scrutiny and held accountable by the people, which is required in a democracy. Like a child who gets away with telling fibs, the White House's lies get bigger and bolder as time goes by.

We are much closer to George Orwell's "1984" than we realise. Business runs the agenda of western governments and exerts no less influence on society than does religion in non-secular states. Business is the new western religion. Conflict between Muslim countries and the West is not Christianity versus Islam but Islam against western governments' worship of business and the exploitation and lack of morals it entails. Entertainment, materialism and political populist policies are fed to the masses in much the same way as the circus diverted Roman citizens' attention from the empire's imminent collapse. It's unlikely that western society can escape a similar fate.

Sibeymai

Bangkok

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Asean needs to speak out to stop Burmese suffering

 Will another Asean foreign ministers' meeting yield anything for Burma? Why are we hoping against hope when the answer is already a big "no".

The international community strongly endorsed the National League for Democracy's proposal for power sharing with the Burmese junta headed by the bulldog (so christened by the Burmese business community), Than Shwe.

The proposal, made on February 12 - Burma's Union Day - was that the junta convene a parliament comprising the MPs elected from the 1990 elections so that the parliament could, in turn, legitimately appoint the junta as a legitimate, transitional authority. It seemed an arrangement that would give all parties what they want, instead of the bogus National Convention and road map. It would also allow dialogue as MPs from all political parties - the NLD, ethnic parties and the regime sponsored National Unity Party - work together.

The innovative offer utilised both the law and historical precedent to break the political impasse, but it was ridiculed in the junta's mouthpiece, the Myanma Alin, and the generals allowed the deadline for acceptance, the Burmese New Year on April 17, to expire.

The big question now is, does the NLD have another strategy for bringing democracy to Burma? If there is no backup plan the NLD will lose credibility and become irrelevant.

As for Asean, speaking out against an illegitimate Burmese junta should not conflict with the respectable notion of non-interference in another nation's internal affairs. Without genuine democracy the Burmese people live under unspeakable conditions. Asean's endorsements of the junta will not only prolong their suffering, it will also compromise Asean unity and integrity. Without a doubt, the time has come for Asean to stop endorsing the illegitimate government and start supporting the truly elected democratic leaders who are under ruthless attack in Burma.

Kanbawza Win

Chiang Mai

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Scantily clad women can be seen at appropriate venues

 In response to Chiang Mai Nick's comments about his desire for scantily clad women (Letters, April 22), my suggestion to him is that he can see them in night entertainment places if he so desires.

In Thai culture, scantily clad women have no place on stage at important cultural festivities. There are appropriate costumes to wear which reflect the proper image of the Lanna Kingdom.

Even more distasteful is when you see girls as young as six wearing sexy, sequinned, bikini-type attire and gyrating to disco sounds. It certainly sends a bad message to all and sundry and demeans the role of women in Thai society.

This practice is seen at many events all over Thailand and is even promoted by some schools. The Education Department should step in and put a stop to it.

Tom Lloyd

Australia

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Policy on fuel-efficient cars is really bewildering

 Why hasn't the government been doing more to promote hybrid vehicles? For instance, a Honda Civic hybrid costs about Bt800,000 in the US. In Thailand it costs Bt2 million.

Why is it that the government fails to address problems with what are seemingly obvious answers? I thought they were trying to reduce imports of costly oil. Seriously, are they all just dumb? What can possibly be causing our government to fail so miserably?

Fed Up

Bangkok

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Punish those who paid small parties to contest

 The Election Commission (EC) on Friday moved to dissolve two small political parties after concluding that they took money to field candidates against the Thai Rak Thai Party, whose candidates would otherwise have to get votes from at least 20 per cent of the electorate to win uncontested.

It's good to see that the EC sometimes does its duty when there's no political risk involved.

However, the EC's finding means that the elections were a fraud from the start, and hence illegal, because there was no real competition. The results of illegal acts cannot be enforced. Thus, there should be by-elections in the constituencies the small parties contested, with sufficient time for candidates to campaign.

The EC, police, Anti Money Laundering Organisation and Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigation should find it child's play to trace the substantial funds that flowed to the culprits. These departments should remember their oath of office and go after the masterminds. Show us that no man is above the law.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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Alleged beating of innocent suspect unlikely to be probed

 In the case of a baby twin girl kidnapped from a hospital in Lop Buri last week, you first reported that police had said the mistress of the baby's father confessed to the crime.

Two days later the woman claimed that she was beaten into confessing after being arrested by police in Udon Thani. On Saturday police had arrested another woman in Si Sa Ket and recovered the baby from her. A local police official was quoted as saying the woman had confessed and that the earlier suspect was no longer thought to have anything to do with the kidnapping.

Well, the good news is that the baby is back with its parents. But what of the allegation that the police beat a confession out of an innocent suspect? Forgotten. Business as usual.

John Francis Lee

Chiang Rai

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