United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is coming to Thailand with the express intention of presenting the first-ever "UNDP Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award" to His Majesty the King, in recognition of his life-long contribution to the cause of economic and social development.

It would be extremely inappropriate for the caretaker government to attempt to use the visit for its own purposes, either to score parochial domestic political points or to resuscitate the stuttering campaign of Surakiart Sathirathai to succeed Kofi Annan. I hope and pray this caretaker government will for once behave in a proper, decent and circumspect manner.

The international community, in the person of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is paying a dignified tribute to His Majesty. It has little if anything to do with the government. As a Thai citizen, I call upon this government to take a low profile and confine itself to providing the necessary facilities. I urge it to cease and desist in its attempts to try to inject itself into the limelight or turn the visit into a public-relations marketing event. The unseemly involvement of a disreputable caretaker government can only besmirch and diminish this important occasion for His Majesty and our country.

Prapa Tepchat

Bangkok

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Thaksin has bigger problems than alleged 'Finland Plot'

 Re: "'Finland Plot' on dangerous ground", News, May 25.

The revelations about the "Finland Plot", of which some of the founders of the Thai Rak Thai Party are accused of being the masterminds, are the strongest and most daring attempt so far by Thaksin Shinawatra's opponents to unseat him and his government. While the existence of this plot remains pretty much theoretical, as there is no hard evidence to support it, it is curious that Thaksin's response in this matter has been relatively lame.

For one thing, he has not denied he went to Finland but said it was for another purpose and in the wrong year. For another, he has not denied he took several former "revolutionaries" of the 1970s along with him on that particular visit, which has since become "infamous", with Thaksin's top adviser Pansak Vinyaratn calling it "black propaganda". And for yet another, he has not denied - or cannot - that his government in the past five years has done what his critics claim to be part of the plot, with one exception: the sidelining of the role of the monarchy.

On the other hand, Thaksin's adversaries also admit they received the information by word of mouth; that is, from a "broken-hearted revolutionary" who decided to break ranks with Thaksin. While their interpretation of the information seems plausible, especially when several events in the four courses of action are linked together, it still cannot be concluded decisively that the fifth and most serious course, the reduction of our beloved highest institution's status to a ceremonial one only, would be a logical consequence.

This is probably why the theory hasn't gained immediate attention from the public at large, which can be seen from the scant coverage it has received in the majority of the Thai press. Also, it doesn't seem to have dented the grass roots' confidence in or loyalty to their leader, despite the fact that his returning to work might cause some more ugly uproar or a renewal of street politics, which this time would be disastrous for the country as a whole.

It seems therefore that the "Finland Plot" may not be as dangerous as claimed by Thaksin's opponents, since it cannot uproot him and his government unless solid, indubitable evidence is produced. Thaksin has more serious problems to worry about, what with the many legal issues facing him and his cohorts, including his leave of absence, the fate of the Election Commission and the charges his party faces of bribing smaller parties to contest the April 2 general election.

Any one of the above, if found by the courts to be unconstitutional, would cause a gigantic change in Thailand's political landscape, of which Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai Party may no longer be a part.

Prachyadavi Tavedikul

Bangkok

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Crafty Thaksin timed his return to perfection

 Alleged caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin is wily like a fox. He returns to office and holds a Cabinet meeting just before the royal celebrations of His Majesty's 60 years on the throne.

There will be no demonstrations against Thaksin before or during the celebrations. In the meantime he will be pulling strings like crazy. Crafty for himself, crafty for his Thai Rak Thai Party, but bad for Thailand.

However things may heat up again shortly after the celebrations are over.

Don't forget now, TRT = Thaksin Rak Thaksin.

Yuri Velasquez

Bangkok

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Kudos to Kittiratt for setting an example in integrity

 Outgoing Stock Exchange of Thailand president Kittiratt Na Ranong is an excellent role model of accountability, integrity, and honour. He resigned to take responsibility for Thai Beverage's failure to list on the SET despite being under no pressure to do so and even though the failure was because of political interference, beyond his control. His actions support what he encourages others to do - show corporate social responsibility.

We should encourage others to emulate him - politicians in particular, or election commissioners - and, through democratic means, get them, too, to learn what integrity, accountability, and honour mean.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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International observers are needed for next election

 Thailand is becoming more and more like a banana republic every day.

A fair and transparent election cannot be guaranteed as long as the cancerous rump of the current Election Commission remains in its body politic.

Is it then not time to request the United Nations send a team of independent international poll observers to monitor and report on the next parliamentary election, whenever it can be held?

Nick Probono

Bangkok

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Focus on treating tourists well, not the cash they bring

 Re: "Tourists flock to see new statue", Business, May 25. Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak is quoted as saying tourist spending should reach Bt500 billion this year.

Every time tourism is mentioned in this country, one gets the unpleasant feeling the only thing worth talking about is the amount of money it brings in. I might add that the figure quoted in the article struck me as pretty fanciful: it reminded me of the billions of baht the ill-fated and ill-conceived Elite card was going to generate.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand should spend more time educating the people working in the industry (particularly taxi and songthaew drivers all over the country), fighting against cheats and scammers, campaigning for cleanliness at tourist sites and stopping the infamous double-pricing system.

One more thing: when are arriving passengers going to be rid of the touts pestering people with their brochures inside the arrival hall at Don Muang? Are they allowed to be there? Why should passengers, tired after a long trip - especially those arriving early in the morning - be harassed by these unsavoury characters? One can see from the reactions of some of these passengers that they do not really welcome the solicitations.

Sagittarius

Bangkok

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Alleged mistreatment doesn't justify turning to violence

 Lots of people have been mistreated by the Thai government, but you don't see hilltribe people or Isaan folk chopping off people's heads, burning schools and killing innocent teachers.

There is no excuse for violence; it never makes the situation better, so please stop publishing all those pathetic letters that "justify" Muslim violence in the South and elsewhere. In fact, radical Muslims are currently involved, on one side or the other, in numerous conflicts around the world. They live in a different century and blame us for not being like them.

A poverty-free world is a nice goal, but a religion-free world would be paradise.

Non-believer

Bangkok

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Bush's comments reveal US paranoia about democracy

 According to President Bush, recent political developments in Latin America constitute an "erosion of democracy". This view is hardly surprising, given the United States' paranoid fear of real democracy - ie, a political process that actually involves ordinary citizens in a meaningful way - breaking out anywhere on the face of the planet.

Venezuela and Bolivia's nationalisation plans for their natural resources - giving back to the people what is already theirs - constitutes a high crime in the eyes of those who arrogate to themselves the role of issuing dicta to sovereign governments. Any attempt to help the poor in Latin America has been met with fear masked as aggression by successive US administrations, among them the Catholic Church's preferential option for the poor of the 1970s and Salvador Allende's plans for independence from corporate hegemony. The late Chilean president's fate was alluded to by that country's most recently elected leader, who had also better watch out with her "undemocratic" intention to help the underprivileged.

James Martin

Bangkok