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Published on January 23, 2008

We have basically the same contestants, barring the banned 111, who are arguably less competent than the last lot; the same voters, who voted for TRT three times in the last six years; and the same opposing side.

People in the rural areas still love Thaksin; urbanites still hate him and blame the rural voters for his previous rise and his imminent resurrection. Really, the only things that have changed are that now we have the military always ready for a coup; senators appointed by seven people; an economy in neutral for a year and a half; and one less TV station.

(By the way, a civilian government would never be allowed to do what this government did to iTV.)

Democracy is an evolutionary process and it takes time to make it better. There are no short-cuts and no quick fixes. Coups are never the answer. They are setbacks, de-railing us from our struggle for a better democratic system. If anything is to be learnt from a wasteful 2007, it is that we should do our best not to set the conditions for the tanks to roll in. The military does not offer justice and fairness. It offers order by suppressing freedom under the threat of violence and incarceration. It does not have to listen to the voice of the people and at its worst, it will kill to hold on to power (case in point: Burma).

In the big picture we have come a long way from the days of the dictator field marshals. As bad as it is now, vote-buying is less widespread than in the old days. People are getting smarter and more engaged. Obsolete politicians are on their way out. Quality people are coming in. I wish for a stable government in this highly volatile world, even if I have to make do with Samak for now.

Salin Pinkayan

Bangkok

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'War on drugs' massacre will go unpunished

In our Kingdom, more than 2,000 people can be butchered [during the Thaksin adminis-tration's "war on drugs"] but no one is accountable. What an absolute travesty of justice. I love my country and love my King but I am very sad and ashamed to be a Thai, as this is not what Buddhism is supposed to be.

Not one person is held accountable for this massacre, so no one gave the order?

The people of our nation must rise up and demand that justice prevail in this case. Someone gave the orders to carry out these "random" killings. If this goes unpunished, it will be the end of justice in our Kingdom.

Again, I maintain that if no one is brought to justice for this, our criminal justice system is no longer working in this society. These were our Thai brothers and sisters.

The international community must also demand answers and investigate this extra-judicial massacre. What a sad indictment on our society.

Noppadon

Bangkok

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Worry about service, not a trivial TV show

Re: "Air hostesses urge 'Battle of Angels' to be reasonable", News, January 22.

I laughed when I read that Thai Airways International was protesting against Channel 5's soap opera "Battle of the Angels" because it did not depict air hostesses in a favourable light. This is not a documentary about the life of an air hostess. It is a fictitious TV series, prone to a bit of exaggeration that teases the imagination.

THAI flight attendant manager Phitchitra Thaveerat wants the show suspended because she believes it "destroys our professional image" by showing revealing outfits and fighting in front of the training centre. I don't think that is so far from the truth.

You can't tell me that air hostesses never have conflict dating pilots or passengers. It happens. I didn't hear a peep from female lifeguards when Baywatch showed scantily clad lasses prancing across the screen.

If Channel 5 adjusted its programme in line with THAI's complaints, who would watch the show? The real life of an air hostess, aside from visiting other countries, is hardly glamorous and, in fact, is rather boring.

I fly frequently from Thailand on many airlines and the quality of service, the grooming of the hostesses and my experience has hardly been Oscar-winning material.

Here is my suggestion for THAI Airways: focus on your service and bring your airline back up to world class standards and stop worrying about trivial events. That is the way to really enhance your reputation.

Outraged Taxpayer

Bangkok

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Big people trample all over the little people

Re: "A row over sacred land in Songkhla intensifies", News, January 20.

The story of locals being betrayed by their representatives in Songkhla is the story of all of Thailand. The "big people" in charge simply do not care about Thailand or the Thai people. They care about enriching themselves.

Here we have the story of the last prime minister of Thailand in bed with powerful Muslims in the South, on different sides of the political fence, united by their greed and contempt for Thailand and the Thai people, both Muslim and Buddhist in this instance.

The "problems" in the South have arisen for exactly this reason. The local people have been exploited by the mob from Bangkok for too long and with their backs against the wall have had enough. The same problem applies to a lesser extent all over Thailand and the answer must be more democracy, not less. Please see your own Chang Noi's excellent essay on the subject: http://www.geocities.com/changnoi2.

John Francis Lee

Chiang Rai

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Kids are the victims of adult ineptitude

Re: "You just can't teach hypocrisy", Opinion, January 20.

In regard to Stephen Cleary's article about Children's Day, congratulations on publishing such good sense. I took a job teaching at weekends just to try it out, and while I was impressed with the manners of the youngsters, I was also concerned that we were dealing with a stress on manners and "culture" in the place of substance. Children are the victims of rote learning and learn little in the way of critical thinking.

Children's Day, while good fun (apart from the kids tied to trees), seems to celebrate this education system that grown-ups have put in place. One day I hope to see a Ministry of Education that follows through on the plan to change the style of education in this country.

BF

BANGKOK

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We like you, but you still have to pay

If the rural people in the North and Northeast are so enamoured of Thaksin, the People Power Party and the populist policies of both, why does the PPP have to buy their votes?

DJANGO PEG

Bangkok

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