Provincial administration organisations and Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya are strongly against Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham's community councils. If I were a kamnan, village head, or other local administrator, I'd be against the councils, too - because it would increase my accountability to the people whose interests I was supposed to look after. It'd mean that I'd have to be more responsive to them and transparent in my dealings.

If I were a kamnan or village head, I'd much rather be accountable to the provincial governor appointed by the Bangkok mandarins, and canvass for them at election-time, because they've already rewarded me by approving me in my post until retirement. Why should I care for the local villagers?

But, dear reader, I am not appointed by Bangkok politicians, and, I trust, neither are you. Thus, you should be able to see why the community councils are vital if the locals are to be heard, if we are to have, as Abraham Lincoln said, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people".

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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

Post-coup hopes diminish as old systems re-emerge

My exuberance for the coup has been depleted by the poor showing of the Surayud government. Morality alone is not sufficient to lead a country. The verdicts of the Constitution Tribunal to disband Thai Rak Thai and exonerate the Democrats gave me new, high hopes for Thailand's political future. I really was convinced that the overwhelming and clear evidence was such that no one in his right mind would ever vote again for Thai Rak Thai and its politicians. I only have to blame myself for this incredible naivete.

First General Sonthi Boonyaratglin suggested amnesty for banned Thai Rak Thai politicians. Now Banharn Silapa-archa is telling the press that when he leads the government he will look for a way to give amnesty to the banned politicians. A better example for returning to the old, self-enriching, system of corrupt, power politics is hard to find. Muddying the political waters again for better fishing supported by an uninformed, ignorant population selling their votes to keep fraudulent politicians in power.

In the beginning I blamed the voters for their unbelievable gullibility but after I saw the abject poverty they face I started to realise that every Bt100 is important to them and to blame them is hardly justifiable.

Moreover the policies of the last six years to create demand and the perception the government was like a father helping his children, caused the population to become focused on spending and consumer products, instead of becoming self-sufficient - they doubled their debts! The only decent party, the Democrats, will not be able to form the next government, as their clean politics is not in favour of handouts.

One of the many reasons why we all should support Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham's proposal to form village councils is to build a countervailing power to negate the influence of godfathers and their likes and to give information to the population and educate them, enabling them to carry the luxury of democracy. As this will take time, the immediate future of Thai politics looks bleak.

Egon

Bangkok

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

Thaksin made to answer for his ill-gotten windfall

I find it admirable that the interim government has finally seized Thaksin's assets after due deliberation and research. I am sure we are all well aware that Thaksin's government usurped the country and after due diligence the current administration can proceed with the appropriate litigation against him.

Selling the Kingdom's assets and reaping Bt70 billion is scandalous. The courts' punishment will be seen in due course and will acknowledge this heinous crime.

Forever Hopeful

Bangkok

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

Psychic forgot to give Pojaman the heads-up

Re: "Thaksin will return very soon: lawyer", News, June 13.

I am a little surprised over Thaksin's apparently shocked reaction when he learned of the freezing of his family's assets by the Assets Examination Committee. Surely his wife must have warned him about the impending danger after her recent visit to a prominent fortune-teller in Chiang Mai

Now, it seems unlikely that this poor, oh so unfairly treated family will have to starve anytime soon. After all, Khunying Pojaman was reported to have left Thailand for Singapore shortly after the coup with a somewhat flabbergasting 28 suitcases in tow. Those certainly didn't just contain dirty laundry.

Thomas Schmid

Bangkok

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

Will Egat live up to its nuclear-power promises?

Re: "Egat ready to pump $6 bn into nuclear power", Business, June 12.

My first reaction to the news that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) plans to spend Bt204 billion to build a nuclear power plant was positive. I thought that maybe finally we will be able to leave behind power failures and blackouts every time a small thunderstorm occurs; taking into consideration the "silent" damage this has done to our various electrical appliances and equipment over the years, not to mention the feeling as if we're living in the "third world". But then on second thought, with the mega-amount of Bt204 billion, wouldn't our power bill go up tenfold? Egat did say that with nuclear power energy, consumers will pay less, but I really did not expect Egat to say otherwise.  The question now is whether the nuclear power plant really will improve our lives as Egat stated.

Supreecha D

Bangkok

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

Smoking bans clear a path for further govt meddling

Re: "Smokers are free to foul the air in their own homes", "Smoking in public shows a disregard for others", Letters, June 12.

Obviously Songdej Praditsmanont missed the beginning of this debate. It began because the head of one of the anti-smoking organisations is pushing to outlaw smoking in your home. As every other push has been successful, I see no reason why they will not get away with this one.

As for Copper Johnny, it is rather pointless to argue with someone who carries a boombox and listens to "Metallica" because we obviously don't frequent the same establishments, although some of his arguments were kind of interesting.

He says he comes from California where it is illegal to smoke in restaurants, bars or any indoor place except for your own home, not to mention it also has regulations regarding some outdoor venues such as the beach. And yet despite his having won his battles and thus never having had to face cigarette smoke, he is upset with me. Oh, and I might add, smoking is not allowed in any bar including sole proprietor bars, family employees or otherwise.

Copper Johnny is proud of himself that he doesn't inflict his boombox on others. Why would he need to, because I can assure you that the type of bar that a "Metallica" fan would go to looking for "hot babes" already has music guaranteed to make your hearing hammer pound on its anvil. As for smoking, they don't need it in those bars either because there is an ample supply of cocaine or amphetamines to be had in the restrooms.

These people do not realise that what I am arguing here has nothing to do with smoking or not smoking. It has to do with what happens when people's rights clash. And all of it is based on a report from the Surgeon General of the US government.

The same government that convinced us that there were "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq, has convinced non-smokers that smokers are carrying "weapons of mass destruction" in their pockets. That is where the disagreement lies. No non-smoker has ever really thought about that report and how one could actually determine how much second-hand smoke any given person might be exposed to, or at what point it might be fatal. Yet they post second-hand smoke fatalities every year and everyone buys the accuracy of these figures in a country where the air in every single major city is foul from automobile exhaust.

It is really rather pointless of me to argue this with people who want to believe what they want to believe, but if anyone out there believes that the government has the right to tell me what to do in my own home, I feel sorry for them. They simply don't understand that today it is my habit that is under attack. Tomorrow it will be Copper Johnny's boombox, whether he is considerate with it or not.

John Arnone

Yasothon

Send us your views in an instant E-mail your opinion, with 'Letters to

the Editor' in the subject box, to: letters@nationgroup.com