The good news that HIV transmission has stabilised for the first time in a quarter of a century has to be taken with enormous caution and reserve. And thanks to the editor for mentioning that this improvement is unevenly distributed across geographical areas. What about in Asia and particularly in Thailand?

Of course, in the fight against the Aids epidemic in the 1980s, Thailand was highly noted for its most remarkable achievements in promoting the use of condoms and safe sex, thanks to the well-known Mr Condom!

But since then, the Kingdom has badly rested on its laurels.

Of course, stigmatisation of Aids patients may have decreased among the general public, and the government health budget for Aids has been fully spent on anti-retroviral treatment of Aids patients. These are positive achievements, but a major front in the fight against Aids has been badly omitted: efficient prevention based on new creative and adapted approaches.

Nowadays, the usual outdated messages that encourage the use of condoms are still on most of the Aids-prevention materials, although more than 95 per cent of the Thai population are fully aware of this basic principle. But no new strategy has been developed or even thought of to address why so many men are not following basic Aids-prevention principles and why women are agreeing to have sexual relations with such irresponsible men.

Here in Chiang Mai, I personally have been in contact with a small group of motivated people trying to develop new creative and much more adaptable Aids-prevention materials, but up to today nobody has taken them very seriously - a pity, as they represent the future trend of efficient Aids prevention.

So, definitely don't be surprised that the HIV/Aids epidemic is actually expanding to cover a larger cross-section of the population.

Please remember that 28 per cent of homosexuals in the greater Bangkok area are HIV-positive (as reported by a recent survey from the Thai Centre for Disease Control). And very soon you will discover that the high-risk groups are no longer the commercial sex workers, but rather the young students in college or university and young workers. In fact, the next generation or maybe your children - and to be sure, Aids will be a major scourge of mankind for quite a long time in this country.

Gabriel Mairesse

Chiang Mai

Even more similarities exist between Vietnam and Iraq

Re: "The domino theory", News, June 1.

The mentioned parallels between the Vietnam War and the conflict in Iraq overlooked a couple of further interesting points:

In both wars, the US claimed to be promoting democracy. What really happened? In Baghdad, Washington stage-managed Iraq's interim government; in Saigon, the US supported the fraud election results of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime.

In both wars, the US press was initially a cheerleader. Only when public protest on the home front grew did the media change its perspective.

In both wars, the US government lied regularly: in Vietnam, through military briefings in Saigon; in the current war, from the military briefing centre in Doha.

In both wars, the US used illegal weapons against civilians: napalm, cluster bombs and toxic Agent Orange in Vietnam; firebombs and depleted uranium in Iraq.

In both countries, the US promised to help rebuild the damage caused by US bombing. Vietnam never received any of the reparations promised by Richard Nixon; thus will Iraq never receive any by George W Bush and his successors.

In both wars, US companies and suppliers have profited: Brown and Root in Vietnam, Halliburton in Iraq - just to name two.

Shlomo Katzenstein

Bangkok

What about the civil rights

of the Kingdom's smokers?

Re: "Where should complaints about smoking be sent?" Letters, June 2.

I am a smoker, and I adhere to all of the asinine smoking laws in existence, as do all of my smoking friends. (I don't have many non-smoking friends, because I get tired of them watching me.)

How "A Serious Non-smoker" is finding all of these violations is a mystery to me. He or she must really be searching them out, which sounds sort of perilous, what with instant death assured from more than just a few whiffs of second-hand smoke.

In any event, my advice to "Serious" is to try calling the office of Big Brother. I'm not sure if there is a branch in Bangkok, but I am certain you will find one in your own country. And I am certain that if you reach him, he will unleash the gods of human rights, civil rights and whatever other rights it takes to induce the Thai government to punish the alleged transgressors.

In the meantime, you might consider temporarily terminating your never-ending search and enjoying some of the other activities taking place in Thailand. That is, of course, unless your trip here was specifically designed to seek out and punish lawbreakers.

John Arnone

Yasothon

Thais in Dili are urged to stay in touch with their embassy

Re: "Crisis in East Timor must be addressed right away", Letters, May 31.

The Thai Foreign Ministry reaffirms our long-standing policy of giving high priority to the safety and welfare of all Thai nationals living abroad. All of our missions abroad adhere to this principle. In the case of East Timor, the ministry and our Dili mission have been closely monitoring the situation, and the embassy, among other things, has implemented a number of precautionary measures to ensure safety and security for all our nationals.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon has personally instructed our mission to remain in close contact and provide assistance to our nationals in Dili. The embassy held a number of meetings with Thai nationals, to provide reassurance and discuss safety precautions. With recent safety concerns growing, shelter was provided for at the embassy on May 29. Food and supply stockpiles were prepared for Thai nationals.

Moreover, on May 30, the Thai Embassy issued a warning to its Thai nationals in Dili, noting of the possibility of violence escalating. At this time, the Royal Thai Embassy advises its nationals to consider departing the country for their own safety and has established a 24-hour hotline to provide advice and assistance. At the same time, the Thai Embassy is also undertaking necessary measures to evacuate its nationals if needed.

Of the 31 registered Thai nationals in Dili, five of whom are affiliated with the Thai Embassy, none has opted to leave the country.

Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry takes this issue seriously and will continue to ensure the safety of our nationals abroad. At the same time, the Thai Embassy requests that all Thai nationals in Dili remain in close contact with the embassy for the further enhancement of existing communication channels.

Kitti Wasinondh

Director-General, Department of Information

Foreign Ministry

Bangkok

Let Panya's punishment be tailored to help alleviate crisis

Re: "Official gets 3 years' jail over auditor-post nomination", News, May 31.

I fully accept the Criminal Court's verdict that ex-chairman of the State Audit Committee (SAC) Panya Tantiyavarong was guilty of malfeasance. He erred in sending three names for the Senate to choose from for auditor-general, whereas the law requires the SAC to nominate only one name.

Referring to our April 2 farce, His Majesty the King, a very wise man, said, "One candidate does not equate with democracy". If giving voters only one name is not democratic, then surely giving senators only one nominee is not democratic either, for the same reasons.

Henry Kissinger said, "There are times when national interest is more important than the law." Selecting the heads of vital independent organisations is one such case, and the law should be changed to require at least two names be presented to the Senate.

How to punish Panya for putting national interest above the law - like the legendary Phanthai Norasingh? I suggest his sentence be either suspended or changed to community service; he could be of immense value in overhauling our selection system to ensure that nominees of independent organisations were truly qualified and neutral - so we don't have another mess like at the Election Commission.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

Galloway's remarks are outrageously embarrassing

Re: "Britain needs more MPs of Galloway's calibre", Letters, May 30.

Taken though he may be with the sophistry of British MP George Galloway, letter-writer John Ward must surely allow that Galloway went beyond the pale in suggesting it would be "morally justified" for an assassin to target Prime Minister Tony Blair over Britain's aid in Iraq.

Ward might go yet further by accepting that the intemperate remarks in question are but the latest in a long record of such embarrassments and that Galloway is one who himself would not likely survive public life under many of the tyrannical regimes he now so misguidedly defends.

There have been any number of clever polemicists down the ages, some of whom have infamously left the world much worse for the experience. That Galloway now finds himself a party of exactly one in Britain's parliament is sufficient indication for most of the rest of us.

Ron Goodden

Atlanta, Georgia