Stephen Cleary is right to bemoan the dismal and unimproving state of Thai education, but in his article he missed an opportunity to make the connection between effective mass education and a functional democracy.

Democracy needs mass education that works so that citizens can understand in detail about the real world around them - only in this way can they participate meaningfully in political decisions, whether about their village or about world issues. Mass education means information, problem-solving skills, and also "continuing education", in other words media that truthfully inform in detail and in depth about the real world people inhabit.

In both education and mass public information, Thailand is a shadow-world of what it should be. Eighty per cent of Thais rely on electronic media for their information and news, and almost all of this is government PR. Just take a look at the most popular TV stations or read the most popular newspapers, or as Stephen Cleary has, participate in Thai education, and you will end up wondering how Thai students get to know anything at all, let alone have the ability to weigh competing claims with any hope of a rational outcome.

In my experience, most Thai students, even at graduate level, are missing the most basic information about the world; they can't put together a reasonable account of how global warming happens; they know little about their own bodies, about hygiene, disease or health; they often don't even know where important cities are - and the list goes on.

A token of this dearth of accurate and detailed information is the case of the 1932 Revolution and the inability or unwillingness of reporters and editors to convey even basic information about Thai history (a shortcoming by no means confined to Thailand). Although "Undermining the 1932 revolution" (The Nation, June 22) was fuller and more open than similar accounts would have been 10 years ago, the death of Pridi Banomyong's wife in May was reported, both in this newspaper and elsewhere, in terms that would leave an unknowing reader ignorant about what Pridi actually did. Your own account (May 13) described him as "Thailand's first elder statesman and former prime minister" and "the man who led Siam into the era of constitutional monarchy" without saying how he did this. Another newspaper described Pridi simply as a "revered statesman" without further comment, and ascribed to him three achievements - founder of Thammasat University, leader of the wartime Free Thai Movement, and "former prime minister".

With such information on tap, it is no wonder that most Thai youngsters are ignorant and cannot think critically.

Richard Sproat

Bangkok

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It's the end of party politics as we know it

Who terrorists are, depends from what position one is looking from. The terrorists can be the officials, the oppressive governments and the law enforcement agencies.

Human rights freaks, politically correct freaks, judges, police etc, can all  be considered terrorists. We are creating our own nightmare - excessive law.  The whole situation needs looking at before there is a form of anarchy where everyone is fighting each other and the authorities. It is coming. People have had enough. Party politics is partly to blame. The party represents itself and those running it, not the people. This is not democracy. People should, for example, decide on all issues where national security is not involved. People no longer have any respect for, or faith in, the law. It has been abused by those in power and by lawyers. The latter must be reined in and the spirit of the law followed.

It is noticeable that the masses in some countries have turned to religion (considered unassailable by the rulers, who then use it as a tool to control their people) as they have lost faith in their systems of government. They are using religion to further their own ends because they can see no legitimate way to change things. They are denied access to those in power by virtue of a long chain of command. Party politics has become unrepresentative of those that are represented. The interests of the party come first.

David Amaan

Bangkok

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The fine line between satire and vitriol

Sophon Onkgara wrote in his column "Sidelines", and I paraphrase, "Thaksin has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law that his wealth is not ill-gotten". Excuse me? Since when does a suspect carry a burden of proof? Is he not presumed innocent until proven guilty, and is it not the job of the prosecution to prove his guilt? Or maybe Sophon knows something about that proverbial "flag" that CNS is alleged to have set when it comes to destroying Thaksin's legacy.

Next comes his "Sinatra" jibe. If you followed the news from the beginning, he was called Mr Sinatra because many fans do not know how to correctly pronounce his name. In the interview he merely said the fans can call him whatever, as long as they know that he is on their side. The assault on his taste from having had a meal at McDonald's is just plain cliche. I am sure that people from all walks of life have at one time or another visited the golden arches. The ex-premier is in good company with his billions of fellow McDonald's revellers.

Funny, though, that it should please Sophon more that Thaksin dine on endangered species like sturgeon rather than munching on a juicy piece of hamburger. It is fine to make fun of whoever, but sometimes you can get a little carried away. The banter ceases to be fun when a reader detects real venom in the piece.

Salin Pinkayan

Bangkok

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Deal with Iran now or pay the price later

I have been watching Iran play games with the civilised community for years, and if it wasn't so serious I wouldn't be able to stop laughing. Iran just doesn't get it. They have their heads stuck in their religious books and up their buttocks. No wonder they can't "get it". The latest from Iran: it says sanctions won't work. How true, with countries willing to sell them anything at a price. Russia is in a win-win situation. It is building Iran's nuclear programme and getting top dollar, knowing that before it is completed, it will be destroyed. When the nuclear programme of Iran is attacked, Iran has already said it will destroy the oil production of its neighbours.

Oil will go to $200 a barrel and guess who wins? Russia and other oil producers not in the area. The only solution that I can see to the problem is a massive nuclear strike on Iran, destroying the country before it can even think of taking military action against its neighbours.

Bill Cymbalsky

Bangkok

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All professional sport is value- and moral-free

Re: "Thaksin's bid will put UK values to the test", Letters, June 24.

Dr John Symons seems surprised that a British sporting team would consider accepting a buyout with money from questionable origins.

Why? What is any professional sporting team from any country in the world all about except money? Is it the pride in the "Home Team" that the citizens of that city have? What home team? What is a home team? I'd be willing to bet that not one single player on the Manchester City team is from that city, let alone the region. More likely they are from South America, Italy and Nottingham, whose people go wild in the streets when Nottingham Forest win a game as if Robin Hood and his Merry Men won the game when the only player that Nottingham Forest has ever produced is playing in the German League.

In the same issue of The Nation, there was an article about Barry Bonds hitting another home run. Soon he will eclipse Hank Aaron's lifetime home run record, but will there be an asterisk on the record listing the number hit while under the influence of steroids? No. Instead, there will be banquets and speeches and sports fans will admire him and want to be just like him.

Dr Symons, what you are dealing with now are athletes who have expensive sharks to negotiate for them, jump cities with little consideration for fans, charge kids for autographs, gloat over fallen foes and chalk up female "conquests" like they are going for records. But the "fans" keep on going for it, so why not? Do not worry about the present management of Manchester City having or lacking a system of values. I assure you that anyone involved in professional sports anywhere has no system of values. If they did, the players would not accept ten-million-dollar-a-year salaries for playing a game and management would not gouge the poor fools that are buying into it the way they do. Therefore, why shouldn't a British soccer team be owned by a fugitive from his own country using money absconded with from that country? It makes perfect sense to me.

John Arnone

Yasothon

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Will Pojaman join the WAGs club?

With Thaksin set to become a major force at Manchester City Football Club, will Pojaman get into the spirit of things and start referring to herself as Poj Spice?

Boris Loosebrain

Bangkok