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Published on October 8, 2007

I find it acutely ironic that a group who used to call themselves People's Alliance for Democracy should be plotting to delay the election. It is quite clear that most of us Thai people want the election as soon as possible (at first it was to have been within one year of the coup) and start afresh. Even if there is "old wine" and all that, at least people will have new hope and try again. Why else would there be such a big turnout for the referendum?

Creating schisms and power struggles among the ranks only goes to show that the struggle is purely for self interest. With his seniority, Prasong Soonsiri should be ashamed of himself for not knowing he is merely a puppet - or is he so foolish as to think he is the puppet master? His time was up a long time ago. He has no business in politics and never did.

I commend Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont for standing by his principles and always trying to act on his words. His is an impossible task: to keep the game fair and honourable. I fully sympathise with him - mistakes and all - and hope that he can achieve what he has set out to do. The people were promised an election; we want to move on, and if we should get back the same old clique, then we will get rid of them again, if needs be!

Full democracy means we can choose our governments and we can get rid of them too! This we have demonstrated many times, while many countries - mainly ones that boast of strong constitutional powers - can only choose a government but are quite powerless to get rid of them, sometimes for eight or 12 years!

Sunida

Bangkok

Burmese refugee pleads for Thailand's support

Dear Thai friends, I know you're busy preparing for an election right now but please stop for a moment and pity us poor Burmese. We haven't had elections for 19 years.

I'm a teacher who has been living for the past 15 years in Bangkok as a Burmese refugee. After the 1988 uprising, all civil servants in Burma were asked to sign a statement saying they supported the military junta. Like many of my colleagues I refused. Result: the sack. Without a job, I had to leave my homeland and find work in Thailand.

The fate of my country, particularly in the past 10 days, moves me to tears. I'm sure you all watched TV footage of a Japanese photographer with his hands up being shot to death in the main street, simply for taking photos. What you didn't see were the bodies of hundreds of young monks which were hidden from view, nor did you hear the piteous cries of the thousands more captured monks being tortured.

Imagine for a moment, dear Thai friends, having to spend 90 per cent of your salary on food, going without electricity and unable to afford fuel for heating, lighting or simply cooking your evening meal. That's daily life for the ordinary Burmese family. How would you react if the Army opened fire on your venerable monks?

It was left to the monks to take part in the mass protests this past fortnight. There are no university students left in Burma. All universities are closed.

Our Burmese families are helpless. We need your support. I'm sure you've seen the movies "Hotel Rwanda" and "The Killing Fields". We don't want the events of those movies to be repeated in Burma. Please ask your Asean leaders to put pressure on the UN to intervene, not just send an envoy. They are torturing the demonstrators now. We need to save them before all die.

In gratitude for my survival here,

Tha Mee Chit (Beloved Daughter)

Bangkok

Thai govt must take a firm stand against junta

I have taken a close interest in the response of Thailand to the appalling criminal actions of the military forces in Burma.

At an official level, I just wonder whether the military authorities who expelled Thaksin have considered it prudent to keep a relatively low profile on issues pertaining to democracy and human rights.

If so, such caution is unfortunate, as I believe that a predominantly Buddhist nation and powerful neighbour like Thailand must at every level express its absolute outrage at the treatment of monks and peaceful demonstrators. The generals in Thailand should not underestimate the abhorrence felt internationally at Thaksin's extrajudicial "War on Drugs" and his treatment of the southern Muslim states. In my view, they have a perfectly valid moral platform to confront the military regime in Burma.

The barbaric killing, torture and imprisonment of Burmese citizens exercising their internationally recognised right to peaceful protest is criminal and Thailand must do its utmost to ensure that it stops immediately. To this end, Burma must be exhorted to establish and comply with internationally recognised standards for the rule of law.

When an order is given to use lethal force upon an unarmed civilian for simply exercising the right to peaceful protest, both the soldier and the person giving the order are committing murder. They should be left in no doubt whatsoever that those committing such crimes can and will be tried before international courts.

I am sure that all Asean countries are endeavouring to find diplomatic solutions behind the scenes. I urge the Thai government to join the international community in making a robust public stand to help urgently re-establish human decency and the rule of law in Burma.

Nigel Grimshaw

Cambridge, UK

Direct US action could end impasse in Burma

Sanctions against the Burmese generals are certainly well intentioned, but unfortunately won't accomplish much except compel the creeps to go deeper in their mud holes. After all, money and lust for power is what motivates the blood-splattered generals.

I recommend that the strongest military power and the staunchest supporter of freedom in the world send an aircraft carrier group and park it as close to Rangoon as possible. It's called "gunboat diplomacy" and it has worked with Asian nations in the past (Japan, among others) and is not too outdated a means of leverage to work today. Several things will happen when the generals see a carrier group on their doorstep:

1) They'll quake in their boots.

2) It will show the Burmese people that the outside world actively supports them.

3) It will show the Burmese generals to be paper tigers, because they know they don't have a squirt gun's chance in hell of thwarting the show of force.

4) It will enable the Americans to go to the second phase.

The second phase is to airdrop a million pamphlets on military bases throughout Burma.

Written in Burmese, they would address soldiers and middle-ranked personnel to explain in simple language how they (the soldiers) are only serving to protect a few very rich generals at the top of the pyramid, and that the Burmese people roundly abhor those guys. It would give a brief description of what democracy is, and how soldiers' lives will improve if they work to assist the people and not for a few heavies at the top who only seek money and power. The message would mention that all monks detest the junta and soldiers will gain merit by doing the right thing. The pamphlet would end by showing pictures of Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai soldiers living in nice houses and owning late-model cars, and describing how soldiers' lives will improve when Burma becomes a free country - including how many rich countries in the world will gladly invest in Burma when it becomes democratic.

Brahmburgers

Chiang Rai