On August 6, 1945, the United States, on the orders of its president, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, the US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. These actions, history tells us, stunned the world. On the day of its anniversary, I asked myself these questions:

Did this action bring about the surrender of Japan? It did.

Did it save the lives of US military personnel? Since they never went into battle after the bombs, yes, it did.

Were these two factors President Harry Truman's main reasons for using the bomb? No, this was the "spin" after World War II that his administration put out and Truman himself endorsed while adding that he saved the lives of a million American soldiers. The spin continues to this day. Research now emphasises how he stubbornly clung to his demand for an unconditional surrender from Japan and how he wanted to show Russia how tough he was now that he had this special weapon. Some say he also wanted to find out and show the world what the bomb would do in such circumstances. America would then be perceived as the most powerful military force in the world.

Was there an alternative to using these bombs? Yes. Truman knew as early as May 1945 that Japan was willing to surrender on condition that the emperor could remain in place after the war and not be subject to prosecution for war crimes. These same conditions were granted after the bombings and surrender in August. Requesting an unconditional-surrender policy was a big problem. Every top civilian and military adviser, including General Dwight Eisenhower and even Winston Churchill, advised him to lighten up on that policy. If he had, the war might have ended even earlier and without the horror of the bombings.

All of this happened so long ago, is remembering it all that important? Maybe not. For most folk, their interest in world events and memories of them are weak. What is done is done. Despite our "nuclear amnesia", it is said we learn from history. The United States is the only country to have used this weapon in war and has a grave moral responsibility to see that it is never used again.

I have never believed there was a necessity to act against the Japanese in that manner. We must continue to be aware that we now live in a nuclear age. Members of the "club" have enough nuclear weapons to destroy civilisation; any future war may spiral into becoming nuclear. Only two nuclear powers of the "club" have pre-emptive first-strike policies: North Korea and the US. Kim Jong-il is a cunning leader of a country in dire economic straits. President George W Bush, a highly secretive and authoritarian president, is the leader of a country that is in dire straits because of its foreign policy and leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sits on a nuclear arsenal of 200 or so nuclear weapons. Isn't it in our best interest to avoid all wars at almost any cost?

Mr Bill

Bangkok

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Thaksin gets an 'F' for his accomplishments thus far

With another election drawing near, it is appropriate to consider Thaksin's claims to the prime minister's job. Putting all of the unresolved controversies aside and considering only his past achievements, does Thaksin deserve another term? Simply, the answer must be no. The list of Thaksin's failures is just too long.

Bangkok traffic is as bad as it ever was. Reforms of Thailand's education system are desperately needed. Poverty still affects a large number of Thais. Corruption is rampant and unchecked. Drugs are still readily available throughout Thailand. The public-health system is dysfunctional. Violence and unrest in the South are escalating. Democratic reforms have stalled. Accountability and responsibility in the government and public service are non-existent, and the rule of law is inconsistent and plagued by double standards. These are some of Thaksin's more notable failures.

So what has Thaksin succeeded in achieving during his time in office? He has reduced civil liberties and human rights, intimidated the media, wasted public money, enriched himself and his friends, and all of this has led to division in Thai society and damage to Thailand's international reputation. Thaksin receives an "F" for "failure" on his report card. It's time the shareholders sacked the CEO for poor performance. Thailand needs a prime minister who delivers more than empty promises.

Sibeymai

Bangkok

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Night Safari was ill-prepared to house Canadian grey wolf

Re: "Wolf back behind bars", News, August 7. I was dismayed at the report that a Canadian grey wolf had escaped the Chiang Mai Night Safari. You state the keepers "did not notify the public because they believed the animal posed no danger". What level of training did they give their staff in the care of these animals? Simple common sense would tell you an escaped animal would have to eat, and the missing chickens and dogs were a natural consequence of this.

Perhaps the staff thought the wolf would sit outside someone's door begging for food?

A wolf is a cold-weather creature, and it is tantamount to torture keeping this kind of animal outdoors in the tropics. The government and prime minister should be ashamed of themselves for backing this poorly thought-out "money spinner". Amazing Thailand indeed.

Tang On

The Netherlands

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Hizbollah provokes civilian attacks by hiding among them

The conflict in the Middle East is about much more than Israel and Hizbollah, or even Hizbollah's Syrian and Iranian sponsors. What is at stake are the very rules of war that underpin the entire international order.

Sadly, judging from how most of the world has responded to Israel's military action against Hizbollah, these rules have been completely abandoned.

The rules of war boil down to one central principle: the need to distinguish combatants from non-combatants.

Those who condemned Israel for what happened at Qana rather than placing the blame squarely on Hizbollah and its state sponsors have rewarded those for whom this moral principle is meaningless.

Faced with enemies who openly call for its destruction and victimised by unremitting wars and terrorism since well before it was born,

Israel still takes the time to drop leaflets warning civilians to leave the area, as Hizbollah will soon be attacked.

You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to wonder how many of the male "civilians" killed by the Israelis are actually Hizbollah terrorists or whether everything we're being shown from Lebanon is for real.

Sue P

Chai Nat

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Mideast conflict rooted in displacement of Palestinians

Most people know nothing of the background of the ongoing dispute between the Israelis and the Palestinians - the world's best-kept secret. Here's a thumbnail sketch. Arabs, and Palestinians in particular, have been living continuously in the part of the world known at this time as Israel for thousands of years. By contrast, Jewish people did not live there for almost 2,000 years (with the exception of a few Palestinian Jews), from biblical times to around 100 years ago.

In the early 1900s, European and American Jews began migrating to the Middle East, and calls for the creation of a Jewish homeland began to emerge. Thus, Israel was created in 1948 out of British-occupied and UN-controlled Palestine, and the Palestinians, dispossessed of their land, have been fighting for justice ever since. One can only wonder at the media silence. This is the truth no Israeli wants to talk about, and it is in this context that all events in the dispute should be judged.

Isaac Hayes

Bangkok

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Add a fourth car to BTS Skytrain during peak periods

Last Saturday afternoon around 6pm, I waited at the Sanam Pao Skytrain Station for a train heading into town. While I waited, three trains came and went from the station heading out to Mo Chit before one incoming train arrived. Then, at Siam Station the train filled up and was packed like in Tokyo.

I would suggest that Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) add a fourth car during peak periods. The frequency solution doesn't and hasn't worked.

On a more positive note, there were no more television monitors on the train on Monday. This was a great relief. Thank you, BTS Skytrain, for your humanity.

Jon Harger

Bangkok

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Activities outside classroom are a waste of teachers' time

If only our professionally qualified and dedicated private-school teachers could simply get on with what they do best - namely, teaching - I guarantee there would be an immediate improvement in grade-point averages. At present, our poor teachers are overwhelmed with seminars, lunchtime meetings, after-school meetings, teaching for absent colleagues and preparing for "special days". These special days, such as Exhibition Day, English Day, singing competitions, marching-band competitions - that last one is particularly tough, because the students and teachers practise at night - and so on, take up time that could be spent teaching. This is not to mention ministry inspections, local-government inspections, vaccination programmes, mid-term tests at the whims of management, end-of-term tests with hours spent marking papers and calculating results.The list is endless, and all of this stuff consumes an enormous amount of time and energy in planning, preparation and travel. And if the teachers are a few minutes late in the morning, they can forget their miserable pay packet at the end of the month. Please, give our wonderful teachers a break ... and let them TEACH!

Chalky

Chon Buri

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