All government agencies and the private sector have obviously put much time and effort and research into this very thoughtfully presented exhibition.

The topics range from the history of our former kings to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's childhood, adolescence, coronation, courtship, wedding and family life, presented in mixed media in impressive settings. Many of the photos and video clips on display are rare.

Together with presentations of His Majesty's many hobbies and talents - music, sports, photography, craftsmanship, etc - and his sustainable development projects, a visitor needs at least one full day completely to absorb, appreciate and reflect upon the displays.

So, with all the hundreds of hours and hundreds of millions of baht that must have been contributed by all involved, how could this government even think of holding this historical exhibition for such a short period? The government seemed proud to announce they expected 3 million people to visit the exhibition - have they forgotten that there are more than 65 million citizens in the Kingdom! Not only is this a rare opportunity for all Thais to see such a comprehensive presentation on our beloved King, but the expenses came from the people's taxes!

It was gratifying to see so many schoolchildren at the exhibition, but because of the crowds, they were just jostled through the numerous rooms, with their teachers sometimes stopping to take photos and then ushering them on. Such a pity that our children lost the opportunity to understand a part of our history and build up a deep love, appreciation and reverence for His Majesty. And what about children from all the other provinces - don't they deserve to see this exhibition?

And the rush created because of the limited number of days has made the traffic horrific, with many people turning back after a couple of hours stuck in the jam. Those brave enough to get through went back after a brief time in the exhibition halls, due to the crowds, which prevented them from seeing the presentations properly.

Whatever the reason for this, please rectify it. It was suggested that the Culture Ministry spent too much on the display itself, which left no money to rent such a big venue for long. In that case, the government must contribute more funds or negotiate with the owners of the venue. This should be at least a three-month project; otherwise, all the expense, time and effort in creating this great exhibition, the advertising blitz in all the mass media and the media's continuous favourable comments will have been wasted.

Khunying Chodchoy Sophonpanich

Caretaker senator

Bangkok

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Extend grand exhibition on His Majesty to year's end

 The Grand Exhibition of HM the King should be extended well beyond June 11. I have heard the exhibition halls were so packed by loyal subjects and guests that it was a problem.

In order to allow this outstanding exhibition to reach out to more people and to make the investment worthwhile, the government should consider extending it to the end of this auspicious year.

Patma Vityakon

Khon Kaen

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BBC series on tsunami needs more starring roles for Thais

 Re: "Thais hired to play corpses in BBC tsunami TV show", News, June 4.

I was one of the victims of the tsunami. I lost a shop, two cars, three motorbikes, a kitchen, hundreds of trees and two Christmas guests. If this film is to go ahead, I would request a few more starring roles for Thais.

We need one for the interior minister who threatened to fine, jail and deport the foreign volunteers who were rebuilding the Sea Gypsies' homes. We need one for the village headman who pocketed government money for new homes, to build houses for his three children on public land. We need one for the schoolteacher who put her children on a list of orphans to get education allowances from a German charity.

We need several dozen for the unaffected villagers who drove up in their remarkably unscathed SUVs to collect government rehabilitation cash. We need several more for the land-"owners" who suddenly remembered they had tin-mining concessions up and down the coast and evicted the villagers who had been living there for generations.

But on top of that, we need tens of thousands of Thai extras not just for corpses, but to play the parts of the wonderful ordinary people of Takua Pa district who worked together to rebuild their lives and somehow managed to retain their smiles throughout.

All this would make the film highly educational, and I would give it my support.

Nigel Pike

Phang Nga

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Report on tsunami series simply stirring controversy

 Re: "Thais hired to play corpses in BBC tsunami TV show", News, June 4.

Thanks, Vincent MacIsaac, for creating hype over this BBC-HBO production. First of all, it's not a show but a serious portrayal of what happened in the five days after this horrible event. Furthermore, Thais are playing main roles, as well, not just corpses. The corpses were only filmed during a small part of the production; don't make it appear as if this is all there is.

If he really feels that bad about anyone using the tsunami to make money, what about a travel agency and a restaurant in Phuket that are called Tsunami? It's very inflammatory to write that the production "has stunned and horrified residents". Really, where? I didn't see any of this when I visited Phuket three weeks ago. Don't make it appear as if everyone is involved. This is whipping up emotions, and for what? To justify a paycheque?

The story quotes Robert Reynolds, the director of a charity for tsunami orphans, as saying he has written seven letters to the executives at Kudos asking them to show sensitivity. He reportedly also asked them to donate money to a legally registered charity assisting children orphaned by the tsunami, but received no reply.

I wonder if Reynolds would have complained if he had received some money; now it appears he is grinding an axe.

Andre M

Chon Buri

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Thai staff at Finnish Embassy being made to work too hard

 I am a Finnish national holidaying in Thailand. I had to visit the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok recently and was shocked to see how hard the Thai staff were being made to work.

There were quite a lot of people waiting to be served, and two Thai women were working non-stop - answering the telephone, dealing with inquiries, providing information and running between the front and back offices - and quite obviously under a lot of stress.

As a Finn, I am ashamed to see natives of another country being made to work in an environment like this for our government. I think it reflects badly on Finland and the Finnish people.

As a taxpayer, I would like to suggest our foreign ministry increase its budget to staff its embassies adequately.

Ashamed Finn

Bangkok

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Chiang Mai lovely but needs more English-speaking locals

 I am a student from Burma here to study for my master's degree at Chiang Mai University. I arrived a few days ago and find Chiang Mai a beautiful hill town with fine weather. I like it and am happy to go round town by bike and enjoy delicious spicy Thai food. The only thing I am not satisfied with is that most of the locals, including chefs and waiters at small restaurants and shopping malls, don't know English.

It is a big problem to order food in a restaurant. I have to use the universal language: gestures. What's more, nearly all billboards, road signs and warning signs are written in Thai. So it is a problem for foreigners to learn more about your town and lives to the fullest satisfaction.

Chiang Mai is a well-known city in northern Thailand, and many foreigners are interested in visiting it. But the language problem is the main barrier to enjoying it.

I think one reason the local youngsters are weak in English is that everything they want is available in Thai, even the latest movies and international publications.

Kyaw Kyaw Tun

Chiang Mai

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Thailand is not the place for Net-based business

 Re: "Despite tall claims, Internet providers are not up to speed", Letters, June 5.

My reaction on reading the letter bordered on apoplexy. Running an Internet company in the "Hub of Not Very Much" is trying enough, but the daily frustration of having site updates fail is infuriating if, as the letter suggests, the true motive behind it is that company policy dictates capacity being deliberately inhibited.

Last week, I was working on an Austrian website hosted in Switzerland. The client was e-mailing me for a whole day, saying changes that had been made were wrong. I had to post the entire site onto our own server in Thailand and reference the website in Switzerland so he could see what had been done. It was another 24 hours before I could view a new header graphic.

The Web happens to be my business, but no one in his or her right mind should ever consider using Thailand as an outsourcing base until this very real problem is addressed.

Seething

Bangkok