Events are now moving so rapidly that in one blink, what appeared before your eyes a few moments ago is simply not there any more. The speed with which the deliberations on the April 2 electoral fraud took place and the ensuing decisions were made by both the Election Commission and the 11-member panel of the Office of the Attorney-General was lightning indeed. In a flash, five political parties have been consigned to a previously unthinkable but now very real and frightening fate: dissolution of them all.

While there are many steps ahead in this process, Attorney-General Pachara Yutithamdamrong, to whom the decisions will be submitted for his consideration as to whether to forward them to the Constitution Court, is also expected to act on them swiftly. Meanwhile, acting Constitution Court president Parn Jantaraparn has said the court could begin its work on these momentous cases as soon as next Monday.

This is as it should be. While earlier doubts lingered that haste would make waste and not contribute to true justice, matters must now be seen in a different light. Regardless of what has happened recently, we must move away from the crisis and confrontation that have so plagued our country, dampened our overall morale and rendered all our efforts at an economic recovery ineffectual. Most of all, they have begun to poison the splendid atmosphere of jubilation, peace and harmony emanating from the grand celebrations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne. Have we already forgotten that it is not yet three weeks since the whole world marvelled at His Majesty's accomplishments for our nation and his people?

In treading an uncertain path, which now seems likely, the attorney-general may not act in accordance with everyone's wishes, and he cannot please everybody, including his boss, the caretaker prime minister. But he must go forward. The same holds true for the Constitution Court.

What if all of the political parties, including the two major ones, have to be dissolved, one may ask. The answer is, so what? Their dissolution is not going to cause the collapse of Thailand as a nation; that is for sure. On the other hand, the weak economy and perpetual national division could. Political parties have come and gone before, even under the present Constitution. But if the Thai polity, which is different from Thai politics, has enough resilience, surely Thailand as a whole can bounce back from any crisis it faces?

This process will put the 1997 Constitution under scrutiny as to whether it is the people's Constitution, whether it is a living one or one that requires major amendments or even to be discarded altogether. But my gut feeling is that if everyone did their job properly and justly, then charter reform might not be necessary.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Let us not allow that to happen here in this Land of Smiles.

Prachyadavi Tavedikul

Bangkok

--------------------------

Trial of political parties must be transparent

 Re: "Court ready to go on Monday", News June 29. Acting Constitution Court president Parn Jantaraparn reassures us the court will strictly follow the rule of law in deciding whether to disband the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties. Much as I wish to believe him, I recall that one of his justices five years ago said words to the effect, "How can I forget that 19 million Thais voted for the defendant?" - and so decided to acquit.

So, talk not of how impartial the court will be, Parn: let your actions speak instead. Make all hearings open to the public and press. Shine such a spotlight on the court proceedings and the evidence such that were the defendants' mothers on the bench, they would have to rule in accordance with the law.

Ensuring that justice is seen to be done is the best assurance of long-term peace and growth, for as Dwight Eisenhower said, "Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin." If parties and/or their executives are seen to be guilty and duly punished, it will raise the standards of present and future political conduct, benefiting all Thais. This would be far, far better than letting a guilty party off for fear of a short-term vacuum.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

--------------------------

Bad leaders should be ousted, democratically or otherwise

 Re: "Democratic principles more important than ousting PM", Letters, June 27.

I find the tortuous invocations of so-called democratic principles by some letter-writers often quaint and sometimes amusing. All I can say is forget about the Greeks, Brits, Americans and all the pseudo-"economists".

Each society has to find its own way, especially Confucian societies with their own unique balance of values. If a bad guy is in power, he simply has to be got rid of by whatever means available.

Larry Clive

Chiang Mai

--------------------------

Bhutan's tourism policy not suitable for Thailand

 Re: "Follow Bhutan's example and target only quality tourists", Letters, June 29.

In exhorting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to follow Bhutan's example and make tourism to Thailand costly, there may be a few things Philip Cook is forgetting.

First, remember that Bhutan is an underdeveloped nation, and this policy is hardly going to dig them out. (Though I agree that they are not seeking Thailand's rapid development).

Bhutan's unique policy aside, why is it that developed countries charge more for their visas than Thailand? It is supply and demand: they have enough demand and can charge more for it. The City of London alone gets more tourists per year than the whole of Thailand and doesn't discriminate against different classes of tourists. Thai visas need to be cheap (or free), to attract tourists away from competing nations.

Also, Thailand's main tourist season is the Euro-American winter, when the rich elite goes skiing. Thailand would be too hot and wet for them to want to spend extra to holiday here.

I am sure Thailand wants only rich tourists, but the doors have already been open wide for many years, and to close them now would give the impression that 20 years of market positioning is in ruins.

Cook's ideas will simply mean less income for the country and drive it back to square one. He would be well advised to crack open those economics textbooks and look at how a large volume of anything usually leads to lower prices.

The TAT has gone too far now to change its positioning so dramatically, to the extent that what Cook is asking for would be a national catastrophe.

Richard Jones

Bangkok

--------------------------

Crime is a bigger problem than low-budget tourists

 Re: "Follow Bhutan's example and target only quality tourists", Letters, June 29.

Philip Cook's suggestion that the Tourism Authority of Thailand target higher-value tourists demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the matter and a myopic view of Thailand.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand spends millions of baht on road shows and junkets to lure tourists of various income levels to Thailand. While from an outsider's point of view, the spending of billions of baht spent on these programmes over the years seems dubious and fails to show positive results, this is how things are done here. Initiating new taxes and visa fees to raise the calibre of visitors is ludicrous.

Cook lives in Pattaya, which is the low end as far as tourist destinations in Thailand are concerned. To imply that tourists buying food that needs preparation are virtually destroying the fabric of this country would be funny if he wasn't being serious. I lived in Pattaya for a year, and crime fuelled by alcohol and drugs seems a bit more significant as an issue. It is not easy to find crime reports and statistics, but the assaults, robberies and murders in the Chon Buri area will continue to put off well-to-do tourists from abroad. These crimes are endemic and a bane to the tourist industry.

David Barkdull

Bangkok

--------------------------

Drivers' obstructed vision a major cause of accidents

 Re: "Girl, 9, dies selling garlands on street", News, June 28.

Several letter-writers have suggested that the police, parents or even the girl herself, who was run over and killed by a truck, are at fault. I would like to suggest it was the truck driver's impaired vision that caused him to run over the child and that the fault should be laid squarely there. He probably could not see the child, because his windows were painted and covered with stickers.

It does little good to say, "The police should have done this," or, "The child's parents should have done that," when the death could probably have been avoided if the truck driver could have seen all round his vehicle.

Instead of suggesting jail for the child's parents or fines for drivers who buy flowers from children, why doesn't someone demand that all vehicles and vehicle drivers stop driving blind? Is there no way to get rid of the paint, stickers, advertising, etc, on vehicle windows, to ensure that drivers can see what is happening all round the vehicle?

Just a few weeks ago, an elderly woman was dragged to her death by a bus. As usual, the driver claimed he did not see her. That is probably very true; bus windows are often covered with stickers, opaque materials, etc.

Until Thailand gets serious about clearing the glass on all vehicles and testing the vision of drivers, this type of accident will continue to happen.

Richard Stampfle

President, Safe Driver Education Co Ltd

Nonthaburi