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Published on September 24, 2007

If anything, Thaksin Shinawatra's commentary in the Wall Street Journal lamenting the democratic situation in Thailand is self-deprecating. Thaksin claimed he was the only Thai prime minister to be democratically elected and re-elected overwhelmingly, which is true, but he didn't say his rule was the most despotic and corrupt of all past regimes.

It's true that the income of the rural poor in Thailand was boosted during his rule. Yet Thaksin failed to mention the 300-per-cent rise in household debts as a result of his government's debt grants, which has put a huge additional burden on the poor as well as financial strain on state banks. The loans extended were spent mostly on items such as cellphones and pickup trucks - not on investment. The consumer-goods companies belonging to Thaksin and his cronies grew richer many times over as a result.

It's strange that he didn't touch on how Human Rights Watch has come to call him "a human-rights abuser of the worst kind". At least he should respond to that. He was accused of pandering Thailand's tax money to the rural poor in exchange for votes and popularity for himself. He was accused of evading taxes on several occasions.

Most ridiculous of all was when Thaksin tried to paint himself as a champion of democracy in Thailand when the fact is he regarded democracy only as a tool for his personal aspirations. He tried every conceivable way to twist and strangle the 1997 constitution to suit his ambitions. That was why some of his most ardent supporters - led by Sondhi Limthongkul - turned against him in street protests to end his rule before the country was torn apart by this once promising politician. Thaksin's popularity is not all-encompassing in Thailand either: his party won only one out of 50-odd Parliamentary seats in the South in the last general election. He is still the most unpopular ex-leader in the strife-torn deep South - a mention of his name still makes tempers flare in the region.

Thaksin took a jibe at the world for not helping him regain power so that he could go on with his brand of politics. He always craves for recognition and is confident of his ability to fool the world.

In fact, Thaksin owes Thailand an apology for being the cause of its democratic setbacks. His call for democracy and development in the Wall Street Journal commentary was for world consumption only.

Chavalit Van

Chiang Mai

Junta failed to live up to public's hopes for the coup

Re: "Columnist ignored coup government's successes", Letters, September 23.

I agree with Piriya Khempon, the acting director-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Information Department, that we are moving towards democracy and this is what the people and government want. Yet, I beg to point out some points that Priya overlooked. First, yes, President George W Bush is happy that we're holding polls - but this is far from understanding our situation, let alone approving it. If, say, the Burmese junta moved towards elections, democracy-lovers everywhere would support such actions - while holding fast to strong reservations about why the coup d'etat was deemed necessary in the first place.

Second, I agree with Piriya that actions speak louder than words. Thus, for example, in a democracy rule of law is vital, and I quote Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont: "We have rule of law. There are no double standards." But those in uniform remain pre-excused from liability for actions in the line of duty - including killing. The generals responsible for the use of excessive force at Krue Se and Tak Bai haven't even been charged - let alone court-martialled.

Third, I agree with Piriya that we should focus more on the future rather than on the past. But, one looks at a person's past achievements to evaluate his performance and how well he's lived up to his potential - and that is where I fear that this government has failed to live anywhere up to its promise. In building our fragile democracy, for example, the government seems to think that elections are the beginning and the end of democracy. It forgets that a vibrant democracy demands free, vigorous, and open debate on issues of the day, and constant political activism by the people. It thinks, even now, that coups are justified under certain conditions - as decided by those with guns.

I thank Piriya for this opportunity to present points that he had forgotten.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

Traffic congestion still the top problem in Bangkok

Re: "Promote bike use for environment", Editorial, September 23.

While it would be terrific to have bicycles dominate transportation in Bangkok, instead of hoards of cars, this is simply unrealistic. 

It is unrealistic to create bicycle paths in the city. There is just not enough room.  Where would you put them? What would you sacrifice for space? And people are way too selfish and lazy to give up their cars for bicycles. Roads will always be dominated by motor vehicles.

The solution for the environment is not to start figuring out a way of adding bicycle paths to Bangkok; it is to determine how we can alleviate our current traffic congestion. More roads, restrictions on street parking, fees for using vehicles during certain times of the day, taxi stands away from main thoroughfares - these are all good places to start.

I'd also put a sense of urgency on street construction. Some of the detours are taking way too long to finish. Traffic congestion is the key problem in Bangkok.  Unfortunately, a procession of Bangkok City governors has done next to nothing to expedite the solution to this problem. Yes, progress has been made - the BTS Skytrain, some road construction, but this is far too incremental.

I'm looking for the day when one of Bangkok's governors will actually make a dent into the traffic congestion problem with bold but practical solutions.  Until this happens, they simply have failed to do their jobs.

Outraged Taxpayer

Bangkok

City-planning gaffes led to high petrol use in North

Re: "Cyclists aiming to break the cycle", News, September 23.

This article mentions that Chiang Mai is among the five provinces with the highest petrol usage in Thailand.

I don't know about the other four provinces, but having lived here in Chiang Mai for 19 years, I have seen my personal mileage increase steadily over the years due to the continuous increase in one-way roadways and lack of intersection signal lights which could regulate left turns. As a result, a person has to drive thousands of metres out of his way to reach his destination.  What should have been a simple errand, turns into a complex, lengthy journey.

Bud

Chiang Mai

Pundits rarely hindered by lack of solid facts

We have heard comments made by social critics and politicians about the performance of the present government and many economic and political issues quite often.

However, facts are often missing from these arguments. One social critic said that this coup was the worst. But how do we really know that? What kind of analysis was used to come to such a conclusion? Another critic predicted that a party connected to the former Thai Rak Thai party would get about 150 seats in the coming election. This prediction was made before any of the parties had announced their candidates. On what grounds was that prediction made? Another well-known economist predicted that the next government would last about one-and-a-half years. The prediction could prove to be correct. But was this prediction made on sound analysis or was this just a guess? We don't even know exactly what the next government will look like.

Any prediction or comments backed up by sound arguments and facts are noteworthy, especially if they come with constructive suggestions. I don't know whether these people want us to believe them without giving us a chance to question their comments. Decades ago, one of our professors told us, the students, not to believe him before careful thought was given to his lecture. It seems this valuable advice can be applied outside the classroom.

Prichar

Bangkok