We have foreign investors who bring in cash to buy shares and sell them six months later for capital gains, and those who buy shares for long-term investment just to earn dividends.

We also have foreign investors who set up factories here to produce goods for export, employing and training a lot of workers, and earning foreign exchange for the country. It's not difficult to understand that some investors contribute a lot more to our GDP than others. Some contribute a large sum to our tax revenue, directly and indirectly, while some contribute almost nothing. Some will help create other businesses, which also increases employment. These investors also contribute to the development of our human resources as well as technology.

Since these investors have different goals, they may prefer different sets of policy. Some policies favoured by certain types of investors might work against other types of investors. In discussing issues concerning foreign investors, we should listen to all types of investors and take into account these differences so that we have a complete picture of what we are discussing in order to arrive at the optimal policy that is most beneficial to our country.

Prichar

Bangkok

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PM's request for Malay help a positive first step in South

Re: "PM urges Malaysians to invest in deep South", News, February 25.

The request made by the prime minister of Thailand for Malaysians to invest in the deep South is one great step towards restoring peace and normalcy in the southern region.

As we know very well, southern Thailand has been a war-torn region for quite some time. It seems that peace is not on the horizon yet. This latest step taken by the premier is very bold and pragmatic.

Having similar cultural traits as people in the deep South is not enough to entice investors from Malaysia to come and invest without the government providing assurances of security and positive investment packages for economic development.

It is much easier for Malaysian investors if the Thai Board of Investment identifies suitable economic sectors that could be developed rather than them having to find out themselves what type of investment would be suitable.

IT Malaysian Investor

Bangkok

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Negotiations to end southern insurgency are doomed to fail

I have been reading a lot of letters lately regarding the South and it really surprises me that people simply do not understand, or do not want to accept what is going on there. Their only solutions are either to negotiate, or apologise and they continue to harp on the so-called injustices that occurred there, which only occurred as a result of civil unrest.

In an effort to get things back into their proper perspective, I would like to remind everyone that the people in the South have suffered no more severe maltreatment than the people in Isaan, and certainly less harsh treatment than most of the hill tribes of the North. But no one sees the people in those areas running amok. The reason for the strife in the South is because the Muslim population wants their own country with Sharia law. They recognise no other authority. You can "negotiate" from now until doomsday, assuming that you can find anyone to negotiate with, and you will get absolutely nowhere.

There are only two possible solutions to the problem. One is to place martial law on the entire area and turn it into a police state and the other is to draw a line across the middle of the three southern provinces and give it to them.

Then, and only then, will you have peace.

In the meantime, I would request that all of these people who keep talking about "negotiating" head South and see if they can find someone to negotiate with.

John Arnone

Yasothon

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More pressing matters face country than Somkid ordeal

Re: "Surayud facing a crisis of trust", Editorial, February 25.

You imply that Somkid Jatusripitak's appointment created an uproar because people may have believed that Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and the Council for National Security had an ulterior motive in using him as more than a mouthpiece to explain the sufficiency economy theory. You mention that the real reason may have been for Surayud to field a viable candidate to take him and his team to victory in the next general election. So what if he did? What's the big deal? You can't vote for Somkid without getting his political supporters, ie Surayud, with him. There is nothing surreptitious or sneaky about this. Thai people know that if they vote for Somkid that they will vote in the people who brought him to us.

You also write Somkid "has all but become a hero". Really? I disagree. First the man sides with Thaksin. Then he switches horses and rides with Surayud. Now, under the pressure of criticism, before he has even had a single coffee at his new desk, he resigns. What kind of a man is this? He just goes where the wind blows. He has lost a lot of respect in my eyes.

We need to stop gossiping, spreading rumours and worrying about things that are more suitable for gossip magazines. What is important is what Surayud and his government are doing, not speculation about what might happen in the future. We need to force the interim government to put a plan in place and start making healthy changes that will put us back on track to a full democracy. Speculating about the intentions of Somkid and Surayud does not do this. Let's spend our time and attention on more salient matters.

Outraged Taxpayer

Bangkok

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Junta more law-abiding than democratically-elected rulers

Re: " 'Old Ginger' team losing sense of purpose, direction?", Opinion, February 25.

The columnist is justified in feeling disappointed with the seeming lack of resolve and decisiveness of the present Cabinet but he suggests no alternatives. Maybe Thailand will have to wait until it gets a new democratically-elected government before anything decisive happens. Maybe the present government is acting in a caretaker capacity till an elected government comes.

If the writer is really that impatient, would he prefer a military government that rules by decree, arrests people, seizes property and assets at will and executes people it suspects are corrupted or on the wrong side by firing squad in public?

Actually, the very fact that a military-backed interim government acts so cautiously, patiently and tolerantly tells me that it is abiding by the rule of law. You are very lucky in Thailand. In Malaysia, the elected government would send the police and quite possibly the Federal Reserve Unit (riot police) to smash the launching of PTV just as they bloodied peaceful protestors against the fuel price hikes.

Also, I've not heard of anyone in Bangkok being detained without trial recently under an Internal Security Act like we have in Malaysia. The Act allows for two-year detention without trial, and can be extended after that. Your appointed interim government is an angel compared to the elected governments of Malaysia and Singapore. Boy, how I envy you.

Charles F Moreira

Bangkok

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'Old Ginger' critics need to give poor, old guys a break

Sopon, please give us a break. One day you too will be old, it's no fun you know. No longer do you spring out of bed like you did when you were a youngster, it takes time for them old bones to find where they live.

It's not only the fact that the memory just isn't what it used to be that makes life very difficult indeed. There are other problems as well that come with advanced age -just keeping abreast of modern technology such as flushing toilets, radio, etc really taxes the resources. As if we don't have enough to deal with, people like you journalists are critical of us, and that hurts.

Now as I mentioned before, it takes some time to get things into place and moving in the morning. By the time it all falls into place, it's lunchtime, then after you've eaten and settled back in your nice padded ministerial chair, you feel rather comfy and the eyes just seem to get heavy. Next thing you know, it's time to go home. Ahh well, there's always tomorrow. Please Sopon, do learn to be a bit charitable in future.

Old Ginger

Bangkok

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Bible not the source of values that resulted in slavery's end

Re: "A man who had the faith to end slavery", Opinion, February 23.

This article is wrong to conclude that William Wilberforce and others fought to abolish slavery because of their religious beliefs.

There are numerous references in the Bible of God's approval of the slave trade, as Sam Harris quotes extensively in his "Letter to a Christian Nation". These can be found in the Old and New Testaments.

To quote from Sam Harris, "It should be clear from these passages that while the abolitionists of the 19th century were morally right, they were on the losing side of a theological argument.

As the Reverend Richard Fuller put it in 1845, 'What God sanctioned in the Old Testament and permitted in the New, cannot be a sin' ". Harris and Dawkins both assert with some very convincing quotations that wherever we get our moral code from, it certainly isn't the Bible.

Alan Lewis

Bangkok