Give people an opportunity to escape and they'll take it

The opportunity was given, they took advantage of it. The only jails the Thaksins will ever see will be the outside walls when they ride by in their new adopted country, wherever it may be. Perhaps good riddance, but what a travesty all the same.

YARMULKE

PRACHIN BURI

Bail rates are unrealistic and must be raised

Last year, Thaksin boasted that he believed in the judiciary and was ready to go through the legal process, once his nominee government was moulded into place. For a man who spent a lot of money on an American lobbyist firm to condemn the military coup and to make foreigners look down on Thailand, there was that very desperate, less expensive attempt by his lawyers to bribe a judiciary official prior to the start of the Ratchadaphisek land trials.

The purpose of making Noppadon Pattama the foreign minister has already paid off, with Thaksin's diplomatic passport reinstated, letting Thaksin make his "flight" rather than "fight" response. Remember, this was Noppadon's very first act as foreign minister. It is no wonder that Noppadon's support for Cambodia's listing of Preah Vihar as a World Heritage site is seen as just another foot in the door for Thaksin for his Cambodia investment, or maybe his Plan C exile location, as England may give him the boot.

The failure to put criminals in jail shows that bail must be set at a figure according to the criminals' wealth, or better yet, not even be granted.

As Thaksin is Thailand's 16th-richest person, for only Bt5 million it certainly seems Pojaman will be able escape her jail sentence. Meanwhile, for Thais, it is a very costly situation, as there is still no closure in sight.

CAROLYN

BANGKOK

PM should get to work solving country's problems

Re: Samak accuses Commerce officials of reaping benefits from rice exporters

So, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is accusing Commerce Ministry officials of taking advantage of rice exporters and farmers without offering any evidence to back up his accusation.

If recent memory serves us well, a former commerce minister in the Samak government was responsible for jacking up Thai rice export costs by declaring that world demand could drive local paddy prices to as high as B30 billion per tonne. That action caused exporters to scramble to stock up.

Presently, world demand and prices for rice have dropped, making Thai rice uncompetitive because of its unrealistically high costs. PM Samak should be reminded of that fact.

In fact, it's the politicians who made it impossible for Thai rice exports to stay competitive in the world markets - thus making the farmers miserable. Efforts by PM Samak to shift the blame are thus unacceptable. The PM should stop being childish and start solving the country's problems by being honest to himself and his countrymen. Any accusations he levels at anybody should be backed by evidence.

CHAVALIT VAN

CHIANG MAI

Olympics coverage falls way short of the mark

I have been unable to find any listings showing scheduled times to view the Olympics on local TV, free or UBC.

Am I to believe that no broadcaster is willing to pay whatever the price is to provide scheduled coverage? I saw two news items taken from international broadcast sources: shooting and weightlifting.

It is really hard to believe that the media would be so remiss as to not broadcast the Games in part, if not in full, on a scheduled basis. They have had three years to plan.

JD HARGER

BANGKOK