Consulate was negligent in not arresting fugitives

They are fugitives from Thailand and there are outstanding bench arrest warrants against them. Even though the consulate may not have extraterritorial sovereignty over the host country, the consulate's authority over the embassy or consulate grounds is inviolable. There is no higher authority in Hong Kong to prohibit the consulate from apprehending Thaksin and Pojaman.

Is it possible that the couple were not arrested because Thaksin's brother-in-law is the incumbent prime minister? Was the consulate unaware of the opportunity, or authority? It would be difficult for Thaksin to stage the next phone-in or run the government or political party from a jail cell. Thaksin is not a run-of-the-mill fugitive. He still wants to return to power or at the very least get his US$2 billion [Bt70 billion] of frozen funds back, and he does not mind tearing Thailand apart in the process.

VEHARACHAN

BANGKOK

Thaksin is his own worst enemy

If anything, Thaksin Shinawatra's next speech via telephone to a prepared gathering of his supporters will only make matters worse for him. The former leader claims he has been pushed into a corner by his enemies. In fact, Thailand is not Thaksin's enemy. The man is his own worst enemy. He owes Thailand everything, and not vice versa. This country has given him shelter, education and opportunities to enrich himself as has never been seen before.

Compared to everyone else in this Kingdom, Thaksin is the most fortunate in terms of personal success. He should be thankful. Yet he is bent on destroying it.

CHAVALIT VAN

CHIANG MAI

What now for US military industrial complex?

I was most pleased to see The Nation express support for Barack Obama. I concurred and voted for him.

Lame-duck president George W Bush has made no decisions during his presidency. They were made for him by others, principally Dick Cheney. Iraq was invaded to generate business for Republican-affiliated defence industry companies. No war, no profits. The Clinton years were very bad for war. These companies provided bounteous financial support for Republican candidates, including Bush. (They even supplied Cheney as VP.) Think of how many billions of dollars these companies have made in seven short years! The other reason was to divert attention away from crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinians.

Forget geopolitics. Forget political philosophy. If one examines Republican policy during their reign of terror since January 2001, all changes in laws, regulations and enforcement have been to benefit Republican-affiliated companies. The huge US national debt has, in fact, just gone to corporate accounts in tax havens. No trickle-down anywhere.

A DISCONSOLATE AMERICAN

BANGKOK

Rural schoolkids don't get fair opportunities

The very existence of small schools serving poor communities in remote locations is being threatened. The number of student drop-outs or push-outs is climbing at an alarming rate as concerned parents pull their children out of ill-equipped rural schools in favour of urban schools with IT facilities.

According to Dr Darunee Jumpatong (Office of the Basic Education Commission), the number of rural schools with 125 or fewer students accounted for 34 per cent of the total. The number of remote village schools numbers 13,519 or 41.9 per cent of the total. Obec is promoting a "school cluster" policy with close-by schools sharing resources, but the fact remains that glaring urban-rural discrepancies occur.

Since two-room schoolhouses are, in many provinces, the rule rather than the exception, priorities for computer distribution, repairs and programming should compensate those most in need who habitually receive the least attention. The Thai Constitution guarantees that each child deserves a quality education and fair and equal future opportunities.

CHANCHAI PRASERTSON

BANGKOK