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Published on August 15, 2007

Virtually every publication in England and beyond will be carrying this story. An excerpt from thisislondon.co.uk already states: "However, when he and his wife Pojaman failed to abide by an order to appear before a special section of the Supreme Court that hears cases involving political officeholders today, the attorney-general sought permission to issue the arrest warrants and seek cooperation from England to send them back to face trial."

The last part of the paragraph is the most telling but it all depends on how far the British government is prepared to go in protecting Thaksin from the warning General Sonthi Boonyaratglin issued in June that "the former prime minister might be harmed by his enemies if he returned to Thailand".

Major newspapers, including The Times, Guardian and Independent have all run negative reports on his human-rights abuses and timesonline.co.uk commented: "The UK and Thailand have had an extradition agreement in place since 1911 and, under Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003, the Thai embassy in London could seek the help and advice of the Home Office if Thaksin refuses to return to his homeland. Every case is judged on its own merits, however, and the fact that the present Thai government is not democratically elected and that Thaksin is said to fear for his own life and that of his family if he returns to Bangkok could well work in his favour ..."

Whatever stance the British government and Manchester City choose to take on this matter, who knows whether Thaksin will make a dash for Taipei and leave Manchester as it has been rumoured, or play the waiting game and try and second-guess the Home Office's deliberations.

James Groveway

Bangkok

Financial discipline, not xenophobia, required

Re: "Keep on consuming what you don't need", Letters, August 13.

John Arnone's well within his rights to be anti-big retail chain, anti-credit card and anti-"foreign economics" - but he should back his assertions up with facts.

Arnone says that the retail mega-chains are not good for Thailand, that foreign businesses encourage customers to buy what they can't afford, and firms offer credit for this purpose.

First, I suggest that nationality has nothing to do with such unethical selling practices. Second, are we Thais collectively so financially naive and ignorant that we cannot be taught financial planning or how to buy wisely, so the government has to deny us the opportunity to choose what we want to buy or whom we want to buy from? What a pessimistic outlook you have, sir. Third, yes, credit is often used to live, short-sightedly, beyond one's means. But mature people can learn to use credit to enjoy things they could not otherwise afford, while still living frugally - eg, buying a TV set, or for housing or an education. I suggest the key is not to rail against credit, but to teach people how to manage their finances - like, for example, the Stock Exchange of Thailand and Education Ministry spend many millions of baht on doing each year.

You claim that, "Foreign economics has little substance to most of it. It is based on consumption. Buying what you really can't afford in order to continue to keep the wheels turning". I confess that after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics, and several decades in using or organising training in economic and financial analysis, I still don't know what "foreign economics" is as opposed, I suppose, to "Thai economics". Is there such a field of study, sir?

John Arnone, please collect your facts, take a balanced view of things, then take a stand. You'll make a much bigger impact that way.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

No absolute truths in foreign business debate

Re: "Foreign business has obvious benefits", Letters, August 13.

I share George Morgan's view that foreign investment can support the development of an emerging market, but this is not an absolute truth; every country needs some restrictions, some need a lot. Morgan wants greater freedom for foreign investment than the US gives to Thais and others.

Maybe Thai people don't want so much investment as Morgan suggests. Maybe they don't like the dollar signs in the eyes of some investors.

Eckhard Helbig

Mae Hong Son

The 'American empire' now in its end stages

Re: "Weak America equals weaker Europe", Opinion, August 13.

Christopher Bertram writes, at first sight, a convincing argument that Europe should rally to a wounded America's aid, even though and probably because the wounds are entirely self-inflicted. But while Bertram eloquently agonises over America's discomfiture and alludes to the reasons for its current predicament they somehow do not ring true.

Since emerging as a world power, and subsequently becoming a super-power and ultimately the only super-power America has behaved consistently in a juvenile and self-interested way. Swinging from isolationism to interventionism with not much of consequence to speak of in between. Its diplomacy and ability on the world stage has always reflected its youth as a nation. Its scant understanding, despite being a rag-bag of immigrants, of other cultures is therefore difficult to comprehend.

One would have expected there should have been a strong "understanding of the other man's point of view" in the national psyche; but there is scant actual evidence of this. The country's immaturity in dealing with the world seems not to improve.

He examines in some detail the empirical evidence that shows that despite having a huge arsenal at its disposal "rogue" nations, as they would be termed by the administration, simply do their own thing. He further contends that Vladimir Putin is skilfully playing the anti-America card across Europe. Firstly, it needs little skill to play the anti-American card at present and secondly I feel this shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the current Russian psyche, which does not seek primarily to undermine America as this would actually be counterproductive to Putin and Russia's long term aims.

He is right however in his assumptions that there is no quick fix available as perhaps the damage is done and the decline unstoppable.

In the 21st Century there is little stomach, let alone need, for a world policeman that promulgates a Frankenstein Judeo/Anglo-Saxon-Christian-capitalism-driven democracy with all its inherent faults in areas of the world of which it has no cultural comprehension.

He concludes with a plaintive plea to European leaders self-interest to support the wounded behemoth because apparently if they don't they will irritate America and destroy any chance of "rebuilding" the West. He suggests that the leaders of the UK, Germany and France seem aware of this problem but I suspect they are indifferent in different degrees for diverse reasons towards it.

The great European nations had empires, which rose, declined and fell; in a later timeframe America enjoyed influence which is now in latter stages of that inevitable cycle. The sub-prime debacle is indicative of America and how its inability affects the wider world. Its aircraft carriers look impressive but are becoming irrelevant. The other great pillar of Americanism the dollar will, as more countries switch to the Euro for their foreign currency reserves, join the USS Ronald Reagan as an instrument of a past glorious age.

Daniel W Delaware

Bangkok