Not only because he is King, but also because he is a loving, caring, peace-loving and dedicated monarch. Thais should rejoice and be glad, for they are blessed with a wonderful and caring King.

When Thais rejoice, His Majesty the King rejoices. When Thais are sad, His Majesty the King is sad. This great monarch is never blinded to the needs of his people. He is always there to rescue them in times of trouble.

No wonder on this 60th anniversary of His Majesty's accession to the throne, people all over the world, Thai and non-Thai alike, royals and religious leaders have sent congratulatory messages to him. People all over the world appreciate His Majesty's love and devotion to his people.

When his subjects are faced with political chaos, the King of Thailand rises up to the task of giving them fatherly advice, which brings peace to the land.

I admire the love the King of Thailand bestows on his people. What a caring King, who does not see it as a burden to be involved in solving the problems that jeopardise the peace of his people. In order to alleviate poverty among the Thais, His Majesty initiates myriad aid and sustainable development projects that improve the quality of life of his subjects. His Majesty the King visits difficult-to-reach rural areas so as to be aware of his people's needs and supply their needs. He is a great King, who shows love in action.

His Majesty's aid is not limited only to farmers and the poor. It is also extended to academic institutions. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has received support from His Majesty the King. Through this generous support by His Majesty, students all over the world are able to achieve academically. No wonder the people of AIT thought it wise to invite Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to preside over AIT's 105th graduation ceremony. This helped AIT join the Thai nation in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty's accession.

The King of Thailand has won the praises of many people. His Majesty the King has a ceaseless love, a caring touch and a protecting hand.

I have been in Thailand for 15 years and never heard anybody make bad comments about His Majesty. Every man and woman honours His Majesty. If you have no love for monarchs, if you consider kingdoms a nuisance, take a trip to Thailand. Ask the people in Thailand, both citizens and foreigners, about His Majesty. After hearing the praise they will pour on His Majesty, you will be interested in monarchs; you will love HM the King of Thailand.

We congratulate you, the loving King.

For being a channel through which many people, young and old, have been blessed, we honour you.

For not being a self-centred King and for giving your all to the improvement of Thais' lives, we thank you.

For your love and kindness to Thais and foreigners in Thailand, we praise you.

For the 60th anniversary of your accession to the throne, we celebrate you.

Long Live the King of Thailand!

Long Live an excellent King!

Dr Elizabeth Ogunlana of Nigeria

Asian Institute of Technology

Bangkok

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Be it sport or politics, boycotts are counter-productive

Re: "Referees' decisions generate more serious consequences in politics than in football", Letters, June 14.

Apisake Monthienvichienchai's disagreement with Somsak Pola's football analogy ("World Cup has lessons that Thai opposition parties should learn", Letters, June 13) reminded me of the contrary view of the former manager of the Liverpool Club, Bill Shankly: "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that."

I thought Somsak's analogy to one opposition leader boycotting the April 2 election was most fitting. Mass boycotts by opposition parties spoil the correct flow of politics, which is also a national game in choosing who is to govern us.

Another analogy could be the threat to walk out of the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games made by the Russians over alleged judging bias against its athletes in 2002. One Russian official even said, "Without Russia, the Olympic Games will be lost." The threat was subsequently withdrawn by the Russian chief, who stated, "Everybody understood we had to stay." At least the Russians had a sense of responsibility towards world sportsmanship. Similarly, Thailand has never dared boycott the Asean or SEA Games, even though biased judgements in favour of the host countries' sportsmen were sometimes predominant, especially in boxing and games requiring discretionary calls.

Yes, sport sometimes helps us think straight. I sense the current leader of one opposition party must be having hard time living down that boycott decision.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok

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Some newspaper columnists already think independently

Re: "Newspaper columnists must learn to develop independent opinions", Letters, June 12.

Very interestingly, Meechai Burapa was teaching columnists, specifically Suthichai Yoon, to learn to think for themselves, look at things from different perspectives and with an open mind. It is generally acknowledged - and as I, a regular reader of The Nation, have observed - that Suthichai and other columnists at The Nation enjoy their fame and deserve praise only because throughout their career in the press, they have never been told what to think. Instead, they have always looked at things as they saw them and never concealed their thoughts.

To them, independence is not for its own sake. They use reasoning and are guided by the ethics that are required of journalists in airing their opinions on important problems. They do not simply follow suit, like so many nowadays who monotonously parrot one another on the various television channels.

No one knows exactly what the Election Commission (EC) did wrong. Many common people with their common sense know exactly the many wrongdoings of the EC. Many common people with common sense just turn a blind eye to the things the EC did wrong, only because of their partisan spirit or vested interests.

Let's take a small example. The head of the EC, Vasana Puemlarp, has argued many times that the EC did nothing wrong in restructuring the ballots in the April 2 election, saying only a small number of ill-intentioned people would steal a glance at what others were ticking on their voting forms. But I would ask why the EC felt it had to restructure the ballots. And why didn't the EC simply make the voting booths flat tables without any partitions if that would not pose a problem to the majority of the voters?

Then there were the stills from the closed-circuit television footage allegedly implicating Thai Rak Thai in conspiratorial activities. First, the Democrat Party was accused of editing the pictures, which later were confirmed to be true and correct. I think Suthichai and other columnists certainly do have independent opinions, ones that would certainly diverge from how Meechai may look at stuff.

Abee

Bangkok

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BTS TV advertising blitz fails to impress commuters

I am horrified at the recent invasion of television sets on the Skytrain. The monitors in the trains that I have taken were marked "Test Run", and one can only hope the test failed resoundingly.

Sound being the point. Without even venturing into the deeper waters of the effects rampant materialism is having on the Kingdom (the on-train televisions carry only adverts), there is the simpler but no less pernicious matter of the harm being done to Bangkokians at the purely physical level.

Not counting the half-dozen significantly loud noises that are a normal part of train operations - only the most deafening (if understandable) of which are the ear-splitting whistles the guards aim at passengers venturing over the safety line - we already have, in addition, the mobile-phone rings (many of them now the equivalent of mini-rock concerts), the loud conversations they initiate and, early and late, the dear, screaming schoolchildren.

At the central Siam Station, there is also the electronic billboard perched atop a nearby building and which blasts waiting passengers with the sonic fury of a fighter jet. The few days of its malfunction a few months back were sheer bliss.

Do we really need ads inside the trains, as well? No one on the trains I was on was watching them, and the people that acknowledged them at all seemed to sport a facial expression that said something to the effect of: "What next?"

What these television monitors really do is raise the already-high ambient sound level within the train cars to the point that the people already making most of the noise have to shout above it.

Perhaps before the test is deemed complete, the Public Health Ministry could remind BTS operators - and the general public - that as things stand today, the average level of hearing loss in Bangkok is 30 per cent. Are we so lacking in hucksterism, as we apparently are in shopping complexes, that it's worth pushing that percentage up?

Arai na khrap?

Jeremy Hadanough

Bangkok

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Guantanamo suicides are a blot on American justice

Re: "Three kill themselves in terror prison", News, June 12.

The news that three detainees being held at the United States military prison at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba committed suicide early on Saturday is revolting.

Our American justice system is falling to a new low. We don't really support the principles of justice; only somewhat for Americans, not at all for anyone else. Is there no shame at all in our present administration? The only redress now is to release all the prisoners at Guantanamo and close this blight on civilised society, period.

Come on, my fellow Americans, let us have our voices heard. We are better than this atrocity, aren't we?

Murray Brill

Athens