Developers being pandered to at citizens' expense

Noticeably absent is any pedestrian sidewalk or other safe passage, rather between Park Chidlom and a new condominium complex, it appears that the road has actually narrowed.

In an area already overly congested and often reduced to a vast parking lot, it is irresponsible for the party issuing the permits to have permitted a new behemoth (over 25 stories and more than 400 condo units) to be built.

Restrictions on Soi Somkid should have limited the new condominium to a height of eight stories.

So the question has to be asked: how is the investors in this project, which is a publicly listed company, able to build 25 stories. Either way Bangkok and its residents once again suffer for the failings of BMA.

In this day and age, it would be a welcome relief to see the BMA put the welfare and future of the city and its residents ahead of short-term gains and the interests of developers. This would not be tolerated in other major cities.

Concerned Resident of the Area

Bangkok

Thaksin a problem of Thailand's own making

Regarding the responsibility of the UK government in bringing Thaksin to justice, may I remind readers that Thaksin is a problem created entirely in Thailand by Thais.

The Thai electorate overwhelmingly voted him into power, not once but twice. It was the Thai military that let him slip out of the country before they deposed him. And which regulatory system let him get away with his financial shenanigans and secrete billions of baht out of the country in the first place?

So my message to Thailand is that it is both unwise and unfair to blame foreigners for your own mistakes. If you now expect the UK authorities to remedy the ills of failed political, legal and financial systems then you should at least address your own mistakes first and then wait for the UK authorities to make a considered judgement in the proper manner. If Thaksin were judiciously returned to Thailand by the UK authorities, would he ever be punished appropriately? Never! It is the current Thai government that evidently advised him to leave the country to get rid of a problem and remove the possibility of setting a precedent for all future corrupt politicians.

Peter Moseley

Bangkok

Election law not applied retroactively for TRT

Re: "Extradition unlikely given coup origins of charges", Letters, August 22.

Meechai Burapa wrote: "One may argue that if Thaksin is innocent, why did he run? I would too if the law here can be enforced retrospectively to dissolve Thai Rak Thai and disqualify its 111 members."

This is purely a misunderstanding. The law was applied to deal with many electoral violations by Thai Rak Thai. Following Meechai Burapa's reasoning criminals would go free because their crimes were already committed and the law cannot be retroactively enforced.

Meechai also needs to understand that impeachment is a parliamentary procedure, separate from constitutional, criminal and civil offences from which Thaksin has fled.

Netirat Intira

Bangkok

School English programmes about status, not learning

Having read about calls for education reform I feel compelled to report my own midterm test scores. I teach a class of 28 English programme students in a public/state school in Chiang Mai. In each of my midterm exams for English, maths and science, six got 100 per cent (suggesting that the exam was too easy) but in English and maths (which were not multiple-choice) five and nine students respectively failed to achieve even 20 per cent. Even in science, nine got less than 50 per cent. This suggests to me that there is something seriously wrong with the English programme. Children with learning difficulties, who should be in special education programmes, are put into challenging (but prestigious) foreign-language classes because their parents can afford to make generous gifts.

Concerned teacher

Chiang Mai