While the trailer of Seth Grossman's movie is stunning, the one shot of an actor "bareback" on a young elephant on a busy street walking behind three monks is a chilling disregard for everything that is Thai.

Information and the trailer can be found at www.tribecafilmfestival.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/search.php.

We encourage all sectors of the Thai government and the private sector involved with film, the Thai Film Production Services Association, the National Federation for Thai Film Associations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thai Film Board, the Department of Export Promotion and others to work together to come up with an effective public-relations strategy to:

l Work towards portraying Thailand in a positive image in all visual-arts media.

l Provide opportunities for film-bonding (insurance) companies and Hollywood (and European) studio vice presidents for physical production (the people that actually green-light productions for filming offshore) and major screenwriters to take familiarisation tours of Thailand, allowing them opportunities to see the positive side of film-making in the Kingdom.

Ladies and gentlemen, Thailand is losing out to film-destination competitors from around the world. We cannot be complacent in our quest to take our role in the international film industry.

The time for action is now!

Scott Rosenberg

Bangkok

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Agricultural exporters will be first to fall in currency crisis

Re: "Era of strong baht seems here to stay", Business, April 28.

At the end of January, I wrote a letter ("Baht appreciation caused by dollar sales, not purchases", January 28) explaining the fears of the Thai agricultural-export industry in regard to unfavourable movements of the baht.

The caretaker finance minister used to say the baht's rate would return to the level of 39 to the US dollar. But now the Bank of Thailand's governor has announced we should not trust those words and that all exporters need to revise sales policy based on current movements in the baht's exchange rate against the dollar.

Most major agricultural products being exported abroad now are done so based mainly on long-term commitments with foreign buyers, and contracts were signed during the final quarter of 2005, especially during major foreign food fairs like the Anuga Fair in Germany.

Under these circumstances, most exporters are missing a chance to protect themselves from further damage from exchange-rate loss from their sales during the first half of this year, since most prices and quantities were committed in dollars quite a long time ago.

The government praised the export industry as being a key factor in supporting the Thai economy in the last half of 2005. However, it seems this industry will be the first victim destroyed by this currency crisis, which looks to have originated in the previous government's poor control of economic policy.

KT

Bangkok

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First, determine legality of dissolution and April election

In all the analyses of His Majesty the King's wise advice to the justices, I haven't seen anybody note that His Majesty said, "Another point is whether it was right to dissolve the House and call for snap polls within 30 days. There was no debate about this. If it was not the right decision, it must be corrected."

PM Thaksin dissolved Parliament just as the probe into the Shin sale was getting hot, thus just happening to spare him from inquiry. But what has he to fear? The sale, he says, didn't involve him at all - only his children, acting completely independently of him, even though it was a Bt73.3-billion deal. The Law Council of Thailand has charged that the sale gave a foreign government satellite information defined by our Official Secrets Act as being state secrets and thus affecting national security - and probing this aspect of the sale by Parliament was also forestalled by the oh-so-coincidental dissolution.

In their deliberations, the justices should address the royal concern above - for if the House should have been kept intact, then the question of whether to repeat the April 2 polls becomes moot. The justices must uphold their oaths, and the sage royal words, "The nation cannot survive if the situation runs contrary to the law", must be first and foremost in their thoughts.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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PM could do more than push personal interests on his trips

If Thaksin really wants to do some good for the country, he should use his foreign trips to secure energy supplies for Thailand and also visit Muslim countries to defuse the situation in the South.

To go around telling world leaders his own version of what is happening in Thailand is extremely inappropriate when the situation is still unresolved, and there are deep divisions within the country.

One of the most damning critiques of Thai foreign policy over the past five years is that it has been used to promote personal and business interests. On his current travels, Thaksin once again substantiates this charge.

Prapa Thepchat

Bangkok

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Premier is overstepping the line with his foreign jaunts

I do not mind if caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra uses his abundant time and money to go around the world, although it would be better if he helped to clear up the mess at home before leaving. But I become concerned when he lobbies to meet world leaders while on his so-called private trips.

Thaksin may think these leaders will agree to see him because he is a rich man or because they like him. More likely, they'll see him because he is still a major player in a country of political, strategic and economic interest to them and a country for which they may have some affection.

However, Thaksin should exercise self-restraint and good judgement. He is overstepping the bounds of propriety and abusing his current status as an on-leave caretaker prime minister. He is using Thailand and the Thai people to gain access to world leaders for personal benefit.

Until his own position is cleared up, I do not feel Thaksin has any legitimacy to speak on our behalf or enter into any more commitments for the country. He is only further confusing the perception of Thailand and taking his divisiveness onto the international stage.

Do any of our newly elected senators have anything to say about this?

Natika Chairat

Songkhla

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Corrupt would be brought to account if will to do so existed

Let us go back a few months. A lot of allegations were made about corruption and graft-taking in the Thaksin regime.

Have the same parties making those allegations substantiated any of them with hard evidence? Or were they again just blowing their self-serving trumpets? What are they afraid of, and what was their real agenda? If the allegations were substantiated, charges of fraud, high treason and more could be preferred, which would teach some much-needed lessons to future politicians. As it stands at present, the "rot" will just continue with the next incoming.

There is a lot of help available from international bodies like Interpol and others, if requested. These types of organisations can obtain "offshore" bank records and more. Give a person like Seriphisut Temyavej and a team that is beyond reproach an unlimited mandate to investigate and carry out much-needed asset testing and the power through the courts to confiscate those assets if they cannot be justified or explained. It is really not so difficult is there is a will to do so.

Any party found guilty of corruption at any level should be brought to justice and punished. Any local or international bank, financial institution or accounting entity proven to have knowingly participated in the transfer of money derived from corrupt practices should be punished with revocation of its licence. Without any difficulty, I or we can point the finger at so many people in government employ for many years on average salaries, living way above their means and very often not bothering to hide their high lifestyle, because no one would ever seriously question it.

Graft is not only a slur against our nation, but also a slur against His Majesty the King, because the practice reflects on everything. As a Thai, I don't want to be ashamed, I want to be proud of my nation. A mandate to govern is a mandate to serve the nation, not to enrich yourselves at the expense of the nation.

I have written before in regard to child sexual exploitation in Udon Thani and its future consequences ("Thaksin has failed to protect the most vulnerable", April 27). Again, the "slur" is on us if this becomes widely known that this is still happening in our nation, and no one seriously tackles this problem, as with so many other problems facing us.

We need to fight together as a team to rectify all these wrongs with serious action and exposure, showing the world we are serious. Thaksin and his team failed us for selfish reasons, so let us do it with people power, together with an open and honest media entity like The Nation.

Noppadon

Bangkok