If former PM has ideas, he should spell them out

If he really wished Thailand well, he'd lay out his plans chapter and verse, and let anybody who wishes take it and run - for what does it matter who gets the credit, so long as the grassroots people benefit? In fact, he'd get full credit, for it would be obvious to all and sundry where the idea came from - like his OTOP project, which was an excellent one, patterned after that in Japan. The fact that he's mute as to specifics makes me wonder: is it all sound and fury, signifying nothing?

He also said that he would reveal the names of people behind the coup that ousted him, but again, nothing's been forthcoming. If there was anything of substance to say, he should have said it, proven that those named had broken the law, and taken them to court.

Lisa Kirk noted: "A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself."

Thaksin, talk to us about what we should do, not how brilliant you are.

BURIN KANTABUTRA

BANGKOK

West's actions often lack honest commitment

The recent decision of the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for President al-Bashir of Sudan has not led to his arrest for "crimes against humanity" and has in fact just backfired on the poor people of Darfur.

The Western relief agencies have been ordered out of Sudan and in May it is reported that one million refugees in Darfur will be without basic food rations.

It seems that, as usual, a Western-controlled international institution like the ICC follows its own narrow commitment to law and justice by instituting a process to issue an arrest warrant that will obviously hurt the stomachs and even bring more death to the people of Darfur.

Why did they follow such a narrow idea of justice for the Sudanese president without first thinking about the wider consequences for the people of Darfur?

But then it is now obvious that Western politicians, corporations, still controlled by the self-interest of America, are blinded by cultural pride and the urge to maintain their failing geo-political power, financial power to really give a thought to the consequences of their actions to others.

The ICC arrest warrant is just a minor but very deadly example. Another is the financial crisis, caused by the greed of the western financial industry that has produced unemployment around the world.

It seems politicians and media in the West merely celebrate and seek to export to others the West's so-called commitment to human rights, the rule of law, justice and democracy but in fact the West regularly disrespects its own ethics, rules and even international law. Therefore the people of the West find it so hard to acknowledge that they have some criminal liability from their actions, say in the illegal Iraq war, to their blindness and even their eunuch-like behaviour to Israeli colonial rampages against the Palestinians and the Lebanese.

GW FARROW

PHUKET