The rule of law essential for Thailand's survival

This article is certainly topical and provides an excellent background on how the law and the practice of law has developed in Thailand. However, I will take issue with the conclusion that Thailand's current efforts at judicial reform are entirely about the game of power.

What the majority of educated middle-class people here understand is that the Thai economy is becoming more and more integrated with the global economy. In the global economy almost every kind of transaction is based on legal arrangements between offshore parties and people or institutions in Thailand. Legal systems which can support the ever increasing sophistication of these interactions must be developed in order that Thailand can survive in a globally competitive environment. This is what is at stake with the current round of Thaksin-era prosecutions. Thailand stands to lose out heavily in future economic benefits unless corruption in business, in the education system, as well as policy corruption, are cleaned up. This is why the Chinese and South Koreans are both putting a very high emphasis on the suppression of corruption right now.

The financial crisis of 1997 is a case in point. It was precipitated by rampant corruption in Thailand. Ultimately the law was unable to deal with it and, in the end, outside agencies such as the IMF were needed to rehabilitate the country's economy. It took a long time to recover and was particularly demeaning to Thailand's national self-esteem.

Effectively Thailand is faced with much of the same issue that faced King Chulalongkorn - a judicial system that is too lightweight to support international trust. Advances in the rule of law are imperative for Thailand to be able to go ahead and be economically successful. Power is simply a local issue.

Jonathan Peter

Pathum Thani

PAD's motives and movements seem suspect

The PAD's true aims and motives are far from clear, since it keeps altering its demands and, very effectively, improvising its tactics at a moment's notice.

So what does PAD really stand for? Despite the name, democracy does not seem to be its principal cause. Sondhi, Chamlong, et al remained pretty quiet during the recent period of military rule, which was hardly democratic. The suspicion is that, just as Samak was by his own admission a nominee, so the PAD itself may be a proxy. But for whom? It appears to enjoy remarkable freedom of manoeuvre at the moment.

Citizen Jane

Bangkok

Bored with politics for

the wrong reasons

Re: "Politics is upsetting the people, poll finds".

So, 78 per cent of people are bored with politics (for an apolitical country like Thailand, that's worrying), 25 per cent are depressed (no doubt about debt), 20 per cent feel constrained (about Samak's recipes?), 17.8 per cent are stressed (about the cost of living?) and 8.7 per cent feel annoyed (about the wretched state of the nation?). But no one said they were bored with the Assets Examination Committee's collapse, nor that all cases against Thaksin and his cronies have all but collapsed, nor that the PAD demonstrations will inevitably sally forth.

And while Thailand burns, Chalerm shows off his hideously ostentatious Gucci sunnies.

James Groveway

Bangkok