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Published on December 15, 2007

National reconciliation and political settlement in Burma are urgently needed. The military regime has not started a substantive dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders. The regime has reaffirmed its intention to continue the policy of a unilateral "road map" that will lead nowhere. The people of Burma continue to be subjected to severe and systematic human rights violations by state agencies. In non-Burman ethnic areas, in particular in the Karen, Karenni and Shan States, the regime continues to mount military offensives deliberately targeting civilians, leading to renewed waves of internally displaced people and bringing new refugees into neighbouring countries.

If the SPDC is allowed to continue its severe violations in Burma, the credibility of the international community, Asean and especially the UN will be in jeopardy.

Stronger and concerted efforts of the international community led by the UN must be made for Burma. Mediation efforts of the UN, critical engagement by individual countries of concerned and regional groupings, diplomatic and economic pressure and stepping up support for the democracy movement must continue.

In this critical situation, we, the people of Burma, sincerely request the UN and the international community to make all possible efforts to help Burmese people to be freed from all human rights abuses once and for all.

Sann Aung

Member of Parliament of Burma

Bangkok

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Shambolic utterings of frothy politicians

Re: "More important things in Thai life to worry about", Letters, December 14.

Sunida's feisty broadsides always stimulate improved blood circulation among our foreign population. I'm sure that there is a direct causal connection between the high divorce rate of Thai ladies from their foreign husbands in Khon Kaen and the husbands' inability to get decent Internet connections. A typical dialogue:

Husband: Another lousy Internet connection! It's a Thai system, and you're Thai, so it's all your fault. I want a divorce.

Wife: OK. I get the house, the car, the kids, the dog, your entire life savings, plus child support and alimony for life. Thank you, TOT and CAT.

You can see that this situation is not altogether unfavourable for the Thai economy. But there is a more pressing issue, and that is Sunida's confession that one of her sentences might be viewed as a clumsy construction: "As if we Thais didn't have enough to put up with from the frothings at the mouth of our politicians."

That is not bad, construction-wise, although it is not really a sentence, but a sentence fragment. The awkwardness is caused by the positioning of the phrase "at the mouth", which interrupts the flow of "frothings of our politicians".

How can we solve this problem? I offer the following alternative constructions for the edification of readers who may be connoisseurs of English prose:

"We Thais have enough to put up with from our politicians' frothings at the mouth."

"... from the frothings of our politicians at the mouth".

"... from our frothing politicians at the mouth".

"... from the mouth-frothings of our politicians".

"... from our politicians' mouthy frothings".

"... from our mouthy politicians' frothings".

"... from our politicians' frothings, mouth-wise".

An additional problem is caused by the fact that we are talking about multiple frothings from multiple politicians. It follows that, since each politician has one mouth (some might have more), we are talking about multiple mouths here. So in each of the alternatives cited above, a proper respect for accurate biology requires that "mouth" should be changed to "mouths".

It is also possible to render the statement into a dialect known as Yoda-speak: "Frothings, have we Thais enough to put up with, from politicians of the mouths."

And finally, a rendering with a truly Churchillian ring: "Frothings of our politicians at the mouths are enough up with which we Thais have to put."

And you're right, I do have too much free time on my hands.

Ye Olde Pedant

Bangkok

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Political parties fall short on environmental issues

On Thursday, Greenpeace activists deployed a banner proclaiming "When nature collapses, we will realise that our survival doesn't depend on money. Vote for the Environment" on the railings of Rama 1 Bridge to highlight the lack of importance accorded by the major political parties on pressing environmental issues.

Greenpeace's analysis of environmental policies of the Democrat, People's Power, Chart Thai and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana parties clearly indicates that all of them lack realistic plans to tackle pressing environmental problems. Thailand is vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change, and its water sources are seriously deteriorating from chemical pollution. The agricultural sector is also threatened by GMO contamination. Instead of promoting policies that will ensure environmental protection and sustainable development, it is extremely disappointing that money seems to dominate the agenda of all the political parties.

On the issue of climate change, none of the parties has any clear strategies for adoption of a low-carbon development pathway or adaptation measures to prepare vulnerable places in the kingdom from the worst impacts of climate change. None of the parties has displayed any commitment to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while most of them are vague on the issue of nuclear energy.

On the issue of the unprecedented pollution of Thai water sources by industrial and agricultural chemicals, the parties have merely proposed economic instruments, and a promise to improve environmental legislation. None has shown specific programmes or priorities. The parties also contradict their proposals to lessen pollution with policies that promote industrial development at all cost.

Despite two major GMO contamination scandals, none of the parties has called for an outright rejection of GMOs. This is bad news, because GMOs have not been proven safe for the environment or human health.

We are calling upon Thais to force parties to commit to solid policies for the environment. Without the political will to implement environmentally sound development plans, our leaders are guilty of undermining the country's future.

Tara Buakamsri

Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Thailand

Bangkok

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The fateful day approaches

If the general election were a beauty contest, there is a young and relatively inexperienced party leader who would likely win a resounding victory, and I do not refer to Khun Prachai.

Thinking voters will remember it was partly the Democrat Party's abstention from the last election that brought about a coup with its abysmal aftermath. They will also be reminded of the stick-in-the-mud government provided when this party had earlier led coalition governments of different hues. These failed to reduce a vast income gap and place the country in its rightful place among the nations.

But most telling of all, they will also re-live the past year of inept dictatorship and consider the coup ill-advised. It was primarily based on four specific allegations that many months of frantic digging for dirt have failed to prove in the courts, other than in one debatable instance. Voting for inexperienced beauty or promoting junta-backed candidates on this occasion could well commit the country to even more of the immediate past. Let your conscience be your guide this time. Have the current unelected powers that be provided a level playing field for December 23?

When you vote, hoping for prosperity, do not forget the past, when the country was in effect ruled by a small elite at the expense of all others. Governments were their puppets. This is what so upset them when a new party was created under "democratic parliamentary government"; attempts were made and partly succeeded in narrowing the gap between a few "very rich have-alls" and the vast majority of "have-littles".

Do you really want a further chapter of political meandering, or a strong, but maybe not so beautiful and innocent helmsman?

Solomon

Bangkok

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