Officials will probably not be able to resolve these problems before the September 28 opening date. The list includes such critical safety-related areas as taxiway signs and lights and markings. Safe areas at the ends of runways should be expanded and KMIT Lat Krabang's tower, which could pose safety risks, should be lowered.

However, Deputy Transport Minister Chaiyanan Charoensiri assures us that all is ready for test flights. Who to believe?

Consider that all six airlines conducting test flights could be easily influenced by political considerations, as they are all Thai. Not one foreign carrier has volunteered to join this exercise. Consider that of 70 plus airlines now using Don Muang, only two have indicated that they will be ready to move by the end of September.

Our new airport has been three decades in the making. Let's do things right the first time, this is especially important on a project of this magnitude. Set the opening date for His Majesty the King's birthday, giving everybody time to make sure all is really right - including lowering the tower and expanding the ends of runways.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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

Ambassador's defence of Arroyo had a familiar ring

Re: "Comparison of Thaksin and Arroyo was 'devoid of insight'"

As a careful reader of The Nation, I am grateful to the Ambassador of the Philippines, HE Antonio V Rodriguez, for his assurance that there is no similarity between President Gloria Arroyo and our Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

I am certainly not in a position to challenge any of his assertions about his president, but would just like to point out that our prime minister wrote a letter to George W Bush recently making exactly the same assertions about himself - that he is the true defender of democracy in Thailand and will prevail against the unscrupulous special-interest groups who are out to get him.

The exact purpose of Thaksin's letter is still unclear, but the implication is that he, like George W Bush, is an upright, moral and decisive leader who will never let the Thai people down - what's more the foreign investors lining up for Thailand's mega-projects.

The Philippine ambassador concludes his president's defence with a well taken caution to The Nation readers: "Continuing to believe otherwise would only yield editorial insights that are simply, in his [Thepchai Yong] own words 'a stretch of the imagination',"("Thaksin and Arroyo, two thick-faced devils, on top for now", Opinion, July 25").

Word has it that the Philippine president too received a letter from our prime minister like the one he sent to President Bush. If so, we the people of Thailand would be very grateful if His Excellency could point out to the Thai PM as well the limits of the imagination.

Lung Kip

Chiang Mai

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

Bush advised to ape Thaksin and fight his wars in court

I have come to the conclusion that US President George Bush is doing it all wrong. No, I'm not talking about Iraq or the Middle East; I'm talking about him not following the example of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of sue, sue, sue.

Just think of all the people in the US who badmouth George including high-ranking Democrats and the public. George needs to follow Thaksin's example and sue the heck out of these people for defamation of character. A billion dollars here and a billion dollars there should in a short while make him even richer than Thaksin.

Charlie Brown

Chon Buri

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

Student wants fourth commissioner taught a lesson

Anti-Thaksin critics admire the courts for punishing the three election commissioners for their misdeeds, but what about the other Election Commission (EC) member, Charupat Ruangsuwan, who resigned earlier? I recall that the Democrat Party dropped their allegations against him.

The law is applicable to anyone who has committed a crime. The Criminal Court found that the three election commissioners were guilty of violating election laws, wasn't the fourth commissioner part of this violation as well? If he committed a crime, he should be punished.

If this is not the case, then any punishment for misconduct on the part of those working for political institutions can be avoided if they decide to resign from their positions. To me, that is leaving without punishment. To me, that is illogical.

After speaking to many people about this, I received unsatisfying answers, which boil down to "he showed his responsibility by resigning".

By that logic, if I am a doctor who kills someone on the operating table and I resign from my job, does that vindicate me? Similarly Charupat, who resigned earlier, should still be punished for what he has done. Resignation is not enough.

What guarantee is there that no one will attempt to copy this trick in the future and an EC commissioner displays extreme bias for a political party, then goes on to resign and be vindicated for their actions. Receiving praise for having taken responsibility would be absurd.

Vexed Student

Boston, Massachusetts

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

Reader moved by summit of university presidents

Re: "Harmonising global university standards", Opinion, July 27.

As a participant in the recent World University Presidents Summit, I commend The Nation's initiative of making known to its numerous readers the results of this extraordinary event. Indeed, the summit was an exceptional platform for discussing many relevant issues in the presence of nearly 1,600 people from 87 countries and representing a great variety of institutions of higher education.

Beyond its obvious academic and educational importance and specificity, the summit had also the merit of reaffirming during its proceedings that our common fundamental values, including freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for all human rights, respect for nature and shared responsibility, are essential to international relations and vital for the future of higher education.

During the current turbulent times, it was rewarding to hear again and again the prophetic words from the Unesco constitution that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed. It was also cogently reminded that peace must be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.

Universities are considered to be the last bastion for the maintenance and promotion of generally accepted values. They can bring hope to a hopeless world. Education is expected to develop within a culture of peace and learning that is holistic, academic, cultural, spiritual, vocational and traditional and founded on values that are both national and universal.

There are solid reasons to believe that if there is genuine consensus to give tangibility to universal values, success may be expected in addressing many problems confronting higher education on all continents, including the complex task of harmonising global university standards and respecting diversity without condoning mediocrity.

Ioan Voicu

Bangkok

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

Politicians use 'terrorism' to get away with murder

The conflict between Israel and Lebanon is not a "war on terror" as the Israel prime minister stated. It is a war on aggression. They have taken a page from the Bush administration and pushed it one step further. Certainly Israel has a right to protect itself, but this is too much.

This is also a huge pie in the face to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and all of her cronies. They think, as the US certainly believes that they alone can control their region and any other country. This is indeed very wrong. As an American I am very angry with all of this useless war.

The fact is there will always be terror or whatever word you wish to use, as there has been in the past. The fact that they use the word "terrorism" gives them the right to do what they please. This is wrong.

JSF

USA

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

Teacher says Thais have never grown up

Re: "Thai kids rank 'below average' on world IQ rankings", News, July 20.

You cannot teach those who do not want to learn. Many schools are zoos. A lot of homes are worse.

Little Somsak is allowed to do anything he wants. He's not fed properly, just allowed to gnaw on scraps, and eat sweets all day. He lives in filth and watches TV most of the day.

His parents won't let him play properly, if he goes out, his mother will push him along on his bicycle and when he refuses to sit on it he will be carried everywhere. If he tries to play with his peers, some adult will interfere so that he can't learn even anything from his play. So his play consists mainly of fighting with his friends.

He's never scolded or told to do his homework. The standard of education provided by many schools, including the one I work at, is incredibly bad. The schools have no proper equipment, and this is because the school's budget is usually pocketed by the governors or headmaster. People are aware of this, but nobody thinks it is their responsibility to say anything.

Most adults in this country have not matured properly and often behave like children themselves. Just take a look at those in politics and you will see that even many of the rich here are not immune.

Spoon-feeding? I have one kid who goes home at lunchtime to suck milk form his mother's breast. He is nine years old! He can barely talk, let alone read or write. His family blames the school.

A Teacher

Bangkok