Why is it that every time there is a coup our constitution is dissolved and we have to wait until a new one is drafted before our rights are returned? In many other countries the constitution belongs to the people and not the government. In these places any change to the constitution requires an overwhelming majority of the people to make even the slightest change.

To protect the people of Thailand in the future I respectfully make the following suggestions.

Our constitution should contain the clauses of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. This document covers all of the basic rights that any person on the planet should have, including equality of the sexes.

The constitution should be presented to all Thai people and if they accept it, there should be a declaration affirming that the accepted constitution cannot be nullified on a whim. This will stop the next military upstart from summarily removing all of the basic rights of any Thai person with a command.

Part of the constitution should declare that any changes must be accepted by say a two-thirds majority of the population in some kind of referendum. At the very least the basic rights of the Thai citizen should be protected in this way.

Without this kind of protection any new constitution will not be worth the paper it is printed on. Years after the last one was drafted many of the laws implementing its basic rights were not ratified and this process also needs to be sped up.

Any anti-American sentiment aside, the people of Thailand are long overdue for a constitution that is for the people and by the people - not a document that is for the powerful minority and by them.

Krisidah S

Bangkok

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Steps for Thai-Malay efforts to reduce southern violence

Re: "Queen's aide escapes death in South attack", News, February 22.

The recent wave of bombings and the attack on Her Majesty the Queen's aide-de-camp, Thanpuying Viriya Chavakul, is an indication of the incompetence of the junta in resolving the terror gripping the deep South. Every chance must be given to Muslims in southern Thailand to adjust to the fact that they are now citizens of Thailand. Any notions of separatism must not be entertained. Further steps must also be taken.

1) Thai Army units must be permitted to carry out cross-border raids, when necessary, just as the Malaysian Army was allowed to cross over to Thailand during the communist emergency in Malaysia. This will be an indication of the Malaysian government's commitment to the Asean spirit of solidarity.

2) The press here in Malaysia should be tipped off and warned that the term "pejuang pemisah" (separatists) should be substituted with the term "pengganas" (terrorists). Further usage of the term separatists may signify to Malaysians, especially those bordering in Thailand, that the acts of terrors committed have legitimacy.

3) The Thai military junta should consider the Malaysian experience of using relocation to new villages to eradicate the threat of terrorism. This technique managed to degrade the threat of communism in Malaysia. The Malaysian record speaks for itself.

4) The military junta must ask the Malaysian government to shake its police force from their stupor so that they can track down those Malaysians who actively furnish materials and provide financial assistance to these terrorists. If they can resolve a bank robbery involving Thai citizens in less than 24 hours, we cannot fail to see why they are unable to arrest supporters of Muslim terrorism in southern Thailand under the Internal Security Act.

5) Surveillance equipment previously installed in the southern provinces, now used to monitor certain politicians in Bangkok, should be used for their original mission of preventing terrorism. The recent Chinese New Year bombings could have been prevented, or at least detected, if the surveillance equipment was in its proper place. The military junta must reorder its priorities by putting the safety of Thai citizens first.

Sabai

Malaysia

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Why do away with envoy position after Somkid's exit?

Re: "No replacement for Somkid: PM", News, February 22.

I have a question for the government: With regard to the government's decision not to employ another envoy for the sufficiency economy theory in the wake of Somkid Jatusripitak's resignation, I would like to ask the prime minister if there really is no better person than Somkid for this job? Somkid resigned and the panel is abolished. Is it no longer important to explain the sufficiency economy theory to the international community?

Arun

Bangkok

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Understanding of sufficiency economy needed at home first

Re: "Decision to step down was for 'good of country'", News, February 22.

The resignation of Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday has yet again strengthened international opinion that the government is confused and inept.

The rationale behind his appointment was dubious to say the least; it was merely a half-baked attempt to counter Thaksin's murmuring from afar, which neither wounded nor affected the government's reputation - they are only too capable of shooting themselves in the foot without any external sniping.

This farcical debacle stems from the notion that foreign governments misunderstand the ideals behind the sufficiency economy. The government seems to think that a country like Britain doesn't understand the "middle way", which is preposterous taking into account the history of the Labour Party. For a sufficiency concept to work there must first be cultural change. Look at the manner in which the generous handouts to the rural poor during the previous government's tenure were spent: new cars, new phones, gold. That was hardly the middle path. There is nothing either "sufficient" or "economic" about common attitudes to living humbly.

What needs to be explained is where and how this concept is being applied. So when the government appoints a special envoy as its spokesmen to rattle on about educating the international community, which is seen as somehow too dense to grasp why Thailand has retreated into itself, please go further and give positive examples of how it operates empirically. The special envoy needs to be dispatched amongst the people to help explain and make the necessary changes on the ground before arguing the government's case with the foreign desk of The Economist.

Sucatash

Bangkok

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Nepotism rears its ugly head once again in appointments

Re: "New police chiefs for capital, South", News, February 22.

I suggest that evaluation and promotion in the civil service, military and police be merit-based, rather than depend upon connections. Our leaders say that we the people deserve only the best, but why is it that it's often their classmates, kin and cronies who "happen" to be the best chosen? Why should anybody's kin, etc be better than yours or mine? If you want to promote your sister at your private company, that's only your firm at stake, but in the public sector, it's our country at risk.

So, I was dismayed and disappointed to see that in the latest police reshuffle, generals close to the new police chief and the interim government (eg, an in-law of the prime minister) were promoted, replacing intimates of ex-premier Thaksin and ex-chief Kowit Watana.

The only good things about such reshuffles are that it's traditional (but that doesn't mean that it's good for Thailand), and at least General Seripisut Temiyavej has a team he trusts.

If those ousted were poor performers, prove it to the people, and show us why their replacements will do better. In other words, make connections a liability, not an asset.

General Seripisut should work hand-in-glove with Pol General Pratin Santiprabhob, who's overhauling the police force, to isolate and insulate the cops from politics, both external and internal to the force. Start with your overall mission - "To protect and to serve", and derive key performance indicators (KPIs), being careful to omit information like year/place of graduation and kinship, and including only data that is measurable, transparent and job-related. Cascade the missions and KPIs to each smaller unit. Evaluate and promote transparently, with decisive input from elected representatives of the locality being protected.

If General Seripisut doesn't completely overhaul our evaluation and promotion system, then the next chief cop will probably simply reverse all the good he's done, bringing us back to square one.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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India owes Pakistan an explanation on train disaster

The relief and happiness brought by measures like the establishment of the Samjhauta Express train route, which makes possible the meeting of people on both sides of the India-Pakistan border, should not be vitiated in any way.

However, Sunday's tragedy in which 68 people (including Pakistanis) were burnt alive on this train has the potential of damaging this confidence if India does not immediately clear up the following doubts:

1) Whether reported allegation levelled by Pakistan that these coaches were locked from outside is true? If they were, then Indian authorities must state whether these coaches were locked on Sunday only or if is it a regular practice to lock the coaches of this train from outside?

2) Allegations that some Hindu extremists were behind the explosion need serious investigation.

3) Why were victims not able to break the emergency window open or access other emergency safety features on the train?

4) Whether India was operating the train according to safety and security requirements expected on international routes.

Pakistanis who survived the incident and the family members of those who died in the tragedy deserve not to merely be compensated by India and Pakistan - but they deserve answers to the above questions so that both countries can again feel secure when travelling on the Samjhauta Express.

Hem Raj Jain

New Delhi

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