LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Examine legality of all laws enacted without Parliament
During Thaksin Shinawatra's premiership from 2001 to 2006, many laws were enacted at Cabinet meetings, both at Government House and at the mobile meetings held around the country.
These new laws were never put before the lower house of Parliament for general debate as is required by the democratic process and the 1997 Constitution. Thaksin obviously felt that since his Thai Rak Thai Party had a large majority in the lower house it was not necessary to debate these issues before passing them into law, which is what he wanted. How many laws have been enacted during his administration by this method? Are any of them legally binding? What is the opinion of the judges on these laws? Personally, I feel they are all illegal, as Thaksin took the law into his own hands - as a dictator would - and bypassed the elected Parliament in a reckless and irresponsible manner, which was not in the interest of the people. This is a disgraceful state of affairs and should be look into, urgently. Dennis Peacock FCA Nan ----------------------------------------------------- Defining jurisdiction would make courts' task easier
In a unique circumstance, judges from the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court are taking part in the extraordinary judicial conference on issues surrounding the April 2 election and the conduct of the Election Commission. The central issue is possible ultra vires, or malfeasant acts, by the Election Commission or caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that might justify nullification of the election. This is the direct province of the Administrative Court. Perhaps the greatest contribution our Supreme Court can make at this juncture is to submit an amicus curiae brief to both the Administrative Court and the Constitution Court on the issue of jurisdiction. A well-reasoned amicus curie brief from the much-revered Dika court, consistent with the trust and praise from His Majesty the King, would prevent the Constitution Court from over-extending its jurisdictional reach. Tunyatape Suwanjindar Oregon ----------------------------------------------------- Thaksin does not need to be given more chances
I disagree with Songdej Praditsmanont on letting the nation give Thaksin Shinawatra one more chance ("Maybe PM will come back home a changed man", Letters, May 1). Our caretaker prime minister is not only wise, he is also very cagey. Khun Songdej, please do not think "songdej" like that, for our nation's sake! This administration led by Thaksin, the great divider, has bothered our beloved King one time too many. Surasak Piputtana Bangkok ----------------------------------------------------- PAD would split anti-TRT vote if it contests election
I read with interest your report that the People's Alliance for Democracy is being encouraged to form a political party to fight the next election. Like the Democrat Party, the PAD is, of course, anti-Thai Rak Thai. I would just like to point out that if the PAD does so, it will simply be splitting the anti-Thai Rak Thai vote and thereby allow more Thai Rak Thai candidates to get elected than would otherwise have been the case. With the possibility of an election in the offing, I suggest that now is not the time to weaken the opposition but to rally support for the party most likely either to form an alternative government, or to form a strong opposition in Parliament. Henry Ashe Bangkok ----------------------------------------------------- About time the US got a new national anthem
Re: "Angry over manner to sing Banner", on the world pages of your April 30 edition. US President George Bush recently dismissed a Spanish version of the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", saying it should be sung in English. No doubt it should, but I see no reason why it shouldn't be sung in Spanish or any other language. I do agree with the president that people who want to be US citizens should learn English. No matter how many languages you translate it into, "The Star-Spangled Banner" doesn't make much sense even in English. For the benefit of readers who don't know the words, they go like this:
"O, say, can you see By the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed At the twilight's last gleaming - Whose broad stripes and bright stars Through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched Were so gallantly streaming?
"And the rockets' red glare, The bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there.
"O, say, does that star-spangled banner still wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
That's three sentences, two of them questions, which because of the embellishing phrases and clauses make hardly any sense to people living nowadays, since they were written at the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, when Americans were considerably more literate than they are today and wrote sentences that would go on for a hundred lines, just like this one. Stripped of the fluff, the anthem can be paraphrased this way: "At sunset last night we were proud to see our flag still flying [over Fort McHenry]. Now, at dawn, can you still see it? We could see it during the night by the light provided by the rockets and bombs. Does it still fly over our country?" Without the fluff, this anthem doesn't say much. With the fluff, it is grand but incomprehensible. It also reveals doubt in the mind of the writer. He's not sure whether the flag is still flying, and is anxious to know. Should a national anthem encourage uncertainty? Finally, there are a couple of high notes that are hard for the average singer to reach. This makes it unsingable (relatively speaking) as well as incomprehensible. Bottom line: The US needs a new national anthem. I call upon all patriotic American songwriters to get cracking and write one. Make sure it can be translated into Spanish. S Tsow Bangkok ----------------------------------------------------- TAT shouldn't have say on content of foreign films
While I agree with Scott Rosenberg (Letters, April 29) that more needs to be done to encourage foreign film projects in Thailand, I disagree with this idea that the Tourism Authority of Thailand should be in a position to dictate to filmmakers the content of their storytelling. The fact that some films may portray drugs, sex and gambling in Thai culture is no reason for the TAT to get involved in the business of looking at film scripts. It is a fact that certain segments of Thai society have fallen prey to the lure of drugs, sex and gambling, but this does not indict Thai society as a whole. Film-makers both foreign and local need the freedom to tell their stories as they see fit. Part of being an artist is delivering some kind of "truth", regardless of whether it depicts society in a negative light. It is this hiding of the truth which I think has prevented artists in Thailand from creating works of art (both literary and cinematic) that truly reflect Thailand, because they are shackled by the fear of portraying the country negatively. Sam Chai Bangkok ----------------------------------------------------- Watching 'Ghost Game' should bring bad karma
After reading your account of the film "Ghost Game" I wonder if Thais are not deathly afraid to go see a movie that insults the ghosts of the innocent victims of the brutal Khmner Rouge. I know many Thais believe in ghosts to the extent that they wisely realise that every act bears within itself the seeds of its own consequences, that "what goes around comes around". Surely disrespecting the spirits of those murdered by the Khmer Rouge will have consequences for all those who foolishly sit through such a monstrous film? Why pay to acquire someone else's bad karma? Surely each of us has enough of our own? John Francis Lee Chiang Rai ----------------------------------------------------- Blame the West for cultural insensitivity
Bravo for your recent editorial slamming the cultural insensitivity shown in the making of the film "Ghost Game". The Thai government should do more to curb the "cultural pollution" caused in large part by countries like my own, the US. One of my dreams has been to put stickers that say "Is this person Thai?" on store windows that show young, sexy, Western fashion models instead of local models. Get the message out: the West is smothering Asia (and the world) with capitalistic greed and insensitivity. S Brown Surat Thani
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