As the Suvarnabhumi Airport pantomime continues, I have a novel idea on how to solve the problem once and for all: abandon it and let nature take its course and get back to Don Muang.

After all, millions of travellers now avoid Bangkok, so old Don Muang's capacity will be more than adequate to cope with demand for a few years to come.

As for Suvarnabhumi, let it become overgrown with greenery. I have heard that if you spray warm surfaces with liquid manure moss forms within weeks - this would give the place a more eerie and mysterious look. It could then be marketed as a tourist attraction, something like Angkor Wat.

 "The Cobra Swamp Project" has quite a nice ring to it and it has 40 years of interesting history behind it. After a while, I guess even wild animals could be released indoors making it something like indoor jungle zoo, which would have the paying tourists rolling in and at least covering the cost of the electricity bill. In years to come, the fact that it was supposed to be an airport may well be forgotten and give the new government a few decades to think up another plan to make Thailand a credible travel destination.

A Warner

Bangkok

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Contractors' role in airport debacle lacking in reports

I'm a German and have spent a lot of my time in Thailand for business and on holiday. Thailand's "door" to the world is Suvarnabhumi Airport. And the world is looking to it.

Why don't we read about construction companies and their statements? What I read and see covered in the news are basically technical problems. As far as I know, the responsible engineers of a company have to look over and sign off on all drawings, calculations and documents before starting such a huge project. Most Thai people know that the problems were caused by corruption, but why we do we hear only lopsided reports?

My best wishes for Thailand to solve all of its problems as soon as possible and to have a successful future.

Claus Gaidzik

Dubai

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Web users are doing their part to counter Thaksin's spin

Re: "Foreign media need a history lesson before praising Thaksin", Opinion, February 2.

This was a wonderful article by Thanong Khanthong. I've always admired the thinking of The Asian Wall Street Journal and The Economist, but their recent editorials on the merits of Thaksinomics are wrong. And, I can't believe they have minimised the terrible corruption and nepotism allegations under Thaksin's administration. Part of their carelessness might be from sloppy reporting or erroneous data.

Fortunately, in this day and age, the Internet provides more reliable sources than those that these two publications may have relied on to provide them with supporting evidence on the happenings in Thailand. For example, when CNN reported that New Year's Eve explosions rocked through Bangkok, we were quick to point out to friends overseas (via email) that the blasts, while frightening, did not destroy the city as they had inferred from television reports.

 In its own quiet way, the Internet is spreading the truth and providing an accurate contrast between Surayud's government and Thaksinomics. Without front-page headlines, concerned taxpayers are using blogs, e-mails and website postings to render a true picture of Thailand for the rest of the world to judge. Thaksin might have hired some professional public relations guns to shine his image, but he cannot squelch the voice of millions of citizens who will continue raising hell against his nepotism, corruption and lies.

I still respect The Asian Wall Street Journal and The Economist. But no publication is always right. In this case, I'll give their editorial board the benefit of the doubt and say the problem may have been: garbage in; garbage out. Check with your sources and facts and then render your opinions. And don't forget. We are watching you.

Outraged Taxpayer

Bangkok

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Suggestions to make new charter more democratic

I hope charter writers will attend to these measures to do away with some undemocratic portions of the 1997 constitution:

1) Abolish the Senate. The Senate failed, was corrupted, and became merely a maid-in-waiting for Thaksin. Having an appointed Senate is undemocratic.

2) Abolish the party-list system. This was a main source of corruption as people bought seats in high office. An alternative would be to minimise the number of party-list MPs to three to five senior party members.

3) Halve the number of electoral constituencies by merging two or three constituencies that neighbour one another. Consequently the number of MPs would be reduced by half as well.

4) Abolish the requirements for academic achievement. Requiring that an MP hold a bachelor's degree or better is undemocratic.

A watcher

Bangkok

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Foreign govts need to help junta rebuild democracy

Re: "No questioning EU-Thai friendship", Opinion, January 30

Prior to the coup, the Thai state was labelled a democracy but in the bottle was anything but democracy. During Thaksin's regime there were so many violations of democratic rules.

It makes me upset and I'm very ashamed of my German home country and the EU that they urged the CNS to return to "democracy". Of course, I didn't expect any reasonable reaction from Bush's incompetent administration. How could Thailand return to democracy (measured by objective criteria) when there was no real democracy under Thaksin? I ask the ambassadors of these states, if they are staying here with their eyes and hearts closed. Instead of lamenting the current state of Thai politics, they should support the interim government very intensively.

In the last days and months we have read so much about the irregularities of the previous government, its cronies and allied companies. As justice is a shelter of a democratic state all violators should be punished for their wrongdoings. Thailand needs another mega project: building new prisons for these culprits.

These days responsible people should consider the unity of the state and find some compromise to make peace between the camps. I think it's a serious problem for the present and next government, not yet discussed in public.

The wrongdoers shouldn't get away without punishment. The present and next government must clean up the house. Therefore, dear readers, have some patience with the interim government.

Eckhard Helbig

Mae Hong Son

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Thailand in league with other nations in drug-patent stand

Re: "World hails Thailand's drug-patent violations", News, February 3.

Controlling the selling prices of expensive prescription drugs is not new. Many countries around the world are already doing it. Canada, for example, does a good job in limiting profits of pharmaceutical companies by strictly controlling the prices of their products. The government also insists doctors prescribe and pharmacists supply equivalent generic versions of any medicines where such products are available if they want to get reimbursed by the provincial health insurance programmes and drug plans.

Many American individuals and even state government agencies are now buying medicines from licensed online Canadian pharmacists instead of local pharmacists in the US because there is a big difference in prices between these sellers. WalMart has also recently announced that they will sell generic drugs wherever and whenever available to help their customers lower the costs of their medications.

While making reasonable profits in business is not wrong, pharmaceutical companies have been making obscene profits on their blockbuster drugs to bolster their bottom lines and make their top executives multimillionaires through options and bonus awards, all at the expense of the consumers at large. This is being done with the help of corrupt American public health officials and the powers-to-be at the US Food and Drug Administration who are very much influenced by the very strong and well-funded pharmaceutical lobby in Washington DC. This is unacceptable for any socially-responsible governments or individuals.

I personally support any legitimate moves by any government, including the Thai government, to lower the cost of healthcare for its citizens and residents while maintaining a high quality level of such healthcare programmes.

Bangkokian

Bangkok

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Public health must come before drug jackals' greed

I do not see any reason why the government cannot import less expensive generic drugs from overseas manufacturers or manufacture these locally if they have the technology to do so. This is a positive step, as long as the result is to help local people who suffer from debilitating diseases and cannot afford to buy the super-inflated priced original drugs from very selfish and very profitable pharmaceutical companies. The important thing is to make very sure that these generic drugs are as effective and safe as the original drugs.

As for investment in Thailand by the big pharmaceutical companies, they can go and invest anywhere they like, since they have historically not done much investing in this country anyway. The retail selling price of their products must be strictly controlled and monitored because these companies are jackals preying on poor and sick people most of the time.

Old Bangkok Hand

Bangkok

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