What a keen observer of the Thai political scene Suthichai Yoon is. Yet again, in writing about the current absurdities, he hits several nails right on the head.

He points out, too, that all this nonsense will not end until sense and logic are restored. It is to be trusted that the courts will display the level of sense and logic necessary to end this political quagmire that, he so rightly points out, is the result of the vanity and ineptitude of one man, which in itself is an absurdity.

The whole situation raises a good many questions in regard to sense and logic. For example:

Is it sensible and logical that a party that was not willing to play the government's ridiculous game by fielding candidates in an unnecessary election should now face a charge that it didn't field candidates? Surely the law is not so asinine as to insist a party must field candidates even when it knows the election to be spurious, unnecessary and a foregone conclusion anyway?

Is it sensible and logical that an opposition party should be charged with attempting to overthrow the government of the day? In a democracy, isn't it the political duty of an opposition to oppose the government and if possible, get it out? Isn't that what takes place in every genuine democracy?

Is it sensible and logical that a party, in refusing to field candidates given the circumstances, should now face charges it was attempting to bring down democracy?

Is it sensible and logical that the election commissioners should cling to their office knowing that the nation wants them out and that resigning would be a major step towards restoring normalcy?

Is it sensible and logical that the man who started all of this should, if his party is disbanded, by the devious trick of simply joining another party be allowed to remain in politics?

Indeed, is it sensible and logical that a government, having won a landslide victory in the preceding year, should hold yet another election? For what, if not for the entirely personal reasons of just one man? And look at what has happened as a result!

Henry Ashe

Bangkok

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Election Commission is more at fault than the Democrats

The conclusion by the 11-member panel set up by Office of the Attorney-General to disband both the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties sounds to me like the innocent and guilty are being punished alike. What's more, hearsay has it that the Constitution Court is likely to rule out dissolution of the two big parties.

If this really happened, the mess would conclude in a happy ending for Thai Rak Thai and a false alarm for the Democrats.

Yet, I am full of doubts and suspicions that need to be cleared up. It is only natural and logical for the ruling party to do everything at all costs to meet the required 20 per cent of the vote. It is likewise natural and logical for the opposition Democrats to take action to stop it from happening.

The Election Commission (EC) should have taken all necessary measures, working in cooperation with the Democrats and other independent organisations, to bring any Thai Rak Thai scheme to light, so as to ensure a truly fair and democratic election. Unfortunately, the EC, headed by Vasana Puemlarp, just put the clock back, standing facts on their heads.

What crime is it to cite Article 7 of the Constitution? The Democrats and many academics made the suggestion to find a way out of and end the political crisis, and they had a right to do so.

Conspiring with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to overthrow an elected government? I would like to ask who indicted the PAD as an outlaw organisation? Thai Rak Thai? Vasana? Speaking of overthrowing an elected government, a corruption-prone and anti-democratic one headed by a dictatorial prime minister lacking in ethics must be overthrown.

There are no guarantees for an elected government to stay put once it has lost its legitimacy through its vices. Read history, and you will find many such instances. Some people never learn lessons from history, and they are doomed to follow down the same old disastrous road.

Abee

Bangkok

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Thaksin would make a better football than referee

Re: "Thaksin should consider a career as a Fifa referee in the event he's booted out of office", Letters, June 29.

I totally disagree with the idea of pushing for Thaksin to become a Fifa referee. News of his intended presence at the World Cup finals in Berlin in itself has already sent chills down the spine of at least 10 million Thai punters.

The sight of him sitting up in the VIP enclosure will be enough to cause them to doubt whether the game is being played fairly. Surely the team he has put his money on will win.

Some of us here in the South would prefer to see him come back in the next life as a football, to atone for all the death and destruction he has caused around us.

But I am more charitable and would like to see him come back as another Thierry Henry and miss a penalty in a shoot-out against Brazil.

Natika Chairat

Songkhla

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Ruling party is responsible for its members' actions

We are entering another critical phase in the maze of Thaksin's saga. The Constitution Court will rule whether the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties, plus three smaller ones, should be dissolved, potentially causing key executive members of the parties to serve a five-year political exile.

This time, Thaksin cannot say it was an "honest mistake". He asserts that Thai Rak Thai has not made any policy directives to bribe candidates from small parties, implying that any individual Thai Rak Thai members who were caught red-handed engaged in unlawful activities on their own, and the party as a legal entity did not commit any wrongful act.

The law has a doctrine of "constructive intent" to deal with this kind of defence. The law imputes intent from your action.

For example, if you drive recklessly at high speed, and you hit and kill a pedestrian. From your recklessness, you are deemed to have constructive intent to commit murder or manslaughter.

It is unlikely for Thai Rak Thai to escape liability when many party members have subverted the electoral process many different ways. The Constitution Court would not need to see from the minutes of a Thai Rak Thai Party meeting that they would go around bribing small parties or hacking into the computers of the Election Commission.

The law also prescribes "vicarious liability" on the principal for action of its agent done in the scope and nature of the agency. Here, Thai Rak Thai cannot disown activities taken by its key executive members, who are legally its agents. If Thai Rak Thai can escape liability, the party would exist above the law.

Once more, the credibility of the Constitution Court is on the line. There is no substantive or procedural defence under the sun to exculpate Thai Rak Thai.

Compared with the decision to invalidate the April 2 election, this is an open-and-shut case.

Tunyatape Suwanjindar

Bangkok

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Bhutanese come here not only for shopping

Re: "Cost keeps Thais from following Prince Charming", Business, June 28.

It was extreme of Suchat Sritama to compare the 95 Thai tourists visiting Bhutan last year with 1,500 Bhutanese coming to Thailand "mainly to shop". Bangkok is one of a very few gateways in or out of Bhutan.

A few Bhutanese may come to holiday. Many of those 1,500 Bhutanese are students in Thailand. Some are patients getting government-provided medical treatment not available in Bhutan. Most, including members of the Bhutanese royal family, pass through Bangkok on their travels elsewhere in the world. Of course, all Bhutanese shop, from the lowly patient upward. But isn't that one of the things the owners of Siam Paragon and such like to promote?

Unlike Thailand, this is not a double-pricing policy operated by Bhutan. Irrespective of race, colour or creed, if you have the money, you are welcome in Bhutan. There are no limits on visas. Pay the money, and you can visit. And you will enjoy a unique experience.

Suchat suggests that one country should be given preferential treatment over all the other 200-plus nations of Planet Earth. Should there be a special dispensation for Thai tourists to visit Bhutan as cheaply as the likes of Khao San Road backpackers?

In reality, any Thai tourist who can afford to go anywhere abroad could easily afford the relatively cheap price of such a one-off experience.

Dr Nigel L Hywel-Jones

Pathum Thani

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Stable neighbours good for high-end tourism in Kingdom

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

An improved political climate in neighbouring countries, such as Burma, would provide an attractive alternative destination for budget travellers. The high-end tourism market in Thailand will continue to grow over time, as improved infrastructure, such as Suvarnabhumi Airport, is developed.

In the meantime, Thailand should focus on the positive aspects of its existing international tourism market - the opportunity for current and future hospitality workers to develop new skills, learn languages, conduct market research and train staff. Government and businesses should start sowing the seeds for the tourism market of the future; the high-end tourists (and commensurate profits) will surely follow.

Bronwyn Ure

Bangkok