The controversy in Britain's House of Commons - the primary chamber of government there - provides an opportunity for the Thai government to ensure that money from money laundering or ill-gotten gains is secured even though it has passed abroad.

If evidence can be passed to the UK government by Thailand to indicate that all or part of the funds used for the purchase of Manchester City Football Club by the former prime minister is from either of those categories then powers exist for the purchase to be halted. Even after completion of the purchase, the UK courts can, if a case is proven against Thaksin, require Manchester City to return the funds.

The fact that Thailand has not done this already does rather weaken the case against Thaksin, as there does not appear to be a record of an application for the UK government to freeze his assets.

David Harrison

Bangkok

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AEC must seek mandate to intervene overseas

Re: "AEC declines to track money for deal because it has no mandate", News, June 26.

The Assets Examination Committee has suddenly become timid. If they feel they lack the mandate, they should seek to obtain it. If they can freeze Thaksin's funds in Thailand, on behalf on the Thai government they can also seek a court injunction in the UK to stop Manchester City from selling the football club to Thaksin.

Money is fungible. If Thaksin has a few billion dollars, who is to say that the half that is in Thailand is ill-gotten and the balance overseas is clean.

Netirat Intira

Bangkok

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Army land in Bangkok ideal for capital buildings

Re: "Row over Nonthaburi site", News, June 26.

Why look so far for a new location for the National Legislative Assembly, or Parliament? Very near to the current location are many, many Army installations that don't belong in Bangkok, so far from the borders of the Kingdom they are supposed to be protecting.

Since the Royal Thai Army generals are such ardent supporters of democracy, I am sure they would be willing to provide the land required to build a new Parliament building with sufficient space for all the facilities needed.

Should the Army wish to be compensated for providing the land, fine, that money could go into their budget, which will be rising by some 23 per cent next year, thereby helping conserve taxpayers funds by recycling the funds within the government.

Since Thailand has no external enemies, therefore, no external threat, one cannot help but wonder why the Army needs to be so large and to use so much of the national budget. Perhaps the Royal Thai Navy has a real role, because it serves a coast guard function, including search and rescue, as well as defence against piracy.

And the Royal Thai Air Force would also seem obsolete for the same reason as the Army: no enemies to protect against. But, then, the Air Force could support the Navy's role.

Please consider using some of the vast lands the Army has in metropolitan Bangkok for the new Parliament building. It makes sense and it's the right thing to do. It certainly would demonstrate sincere support for one of democracy's most important institutions: the legislature.

Gibson Martin

Bangkok

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'Killing zone' label better for ex-PM's rule

Re: "'He won't return till after election'", News, June 27.

In the ongoing debate about Thaksin's return to his home country - which he claims to love a lot, though he prefers to invest his billions in an English football club - his lawyer Noppadon Patama is quoted as calling Thailand "the killing zone".

I agree very much with the lawyer. Thailand was a " killing zone", but under the regime of the infamous former prime minister, especially in 2003 and 2004 when he was prime minister and the extrajudicial slaughter of more than 2,500 so-called drug addicts and a number of rebellious Muslims in the South.

The term "killing zone" is very similar to "killing fields", the name given to a notorious site in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge carried out killings in the 1970s. How could Thaksin's lawyer make such a comparison?

Concerned

Bangkok

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Implementation key with revised civil service bill

Re: "Civil service set for big restructure", News, June 27.

My congratulations to the Office of the Civil Service Commission, and, in particular, PM's Office minister Khunying Dhipavadee Meksawan.

I'm heartily in favour of the reform bill that would classify civil servants by skill levels instead of seniority - provided that it's implemented as intended, and not corrupted by saying that a person's advanced in skills when, in actuality, he's only advanced in years.

I suggest that a given person can earn advancement of from zero to four steps each year, depending upon how well he's met measurable, job-related, transparent key-performance indicators (KPIs) mutually agreed-upon at the beginning of the year. To encourage stars to stay in the system, there should be no limit to the number of times a person can win a given number of steps. Where people work in teams, one or more of the KPIs should be related to team accomplishments.

This evaluation system should be extended to the military and police. An officer should not be held back or advanced because of class year or personal connections. If one of ex-premier Thaksin's police kin goes after crooked Thai Rak Thai Cabinet ministers with as much fervour as he goes after dope dealers, more power to him.

Let's base promotions on performance, not longevity.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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Iran's insecurity shows with bullying over film

Re: "Iran pressures Bangkok festival into dropping film", News, June 27.

What a shame that Thailand has given in to Iran's demands to ban "Persepolis", a film about Iran, which was supposed to be the opening film in next month's Bangkok International Film Festival. I fail to see how the world would be a more peaceful place if Iran, which is so weak and insecure that it feels it must prevent anyone from seeing an animated film about it, develops nuclear weapons. If Iran is able to bully countries into banning cartoons now, one can only imagine how much more aggressive it will become when it is armed with nukes.

Yet, we should give credit to Iran as it seems to have come a long way in 20 years as it has not issued a death fatwa against the makers of this "dangerous" cartoon, like it did to Salmon Rushdie for his daring to express himself artistically.

Rushdie Rocks

Bangkok

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Cleaning and calibration needed for sobriety tests

Re: "Breath test law toughened", News, June 27.

The amendment of the traffic law as approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday giving the police the right to detain motorists who refuse an alcohol breath test is the right step to reduce traffic accidents. However, I'd like to suggest to the police that, for the sake of hygiene, the breath analyser should be fairly clean before being forced into the mouth of the next motorist in line, drunk or otherwise.

And, like all scientific instruments, the breath analysers should receive regular maintenance and calibration, otherwise the reading will be meaningless and can be questioned in a court of law.

Also, at each checkpoint, the police should take the opportunity to provide a "one-stop service" and not to let various other type of crooks get away.

Vic Phanumphai

Bangkok

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