Are police involved in |airport shoplifting scam?

He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He was arrested for shoplifting and the Thai police extortion price was Bt30,000 for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid Bt500 for an air-conditioned cell, Bt200-300 for each visitor, and Bt11,000 for his final release. The police shared the money in front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined Bt2,000 by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While in jail, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy but were told the embassy was unable to assist.

The man shared a cell with a Singaporean on the first night, who paid Bt60,000 for his release. On the second night there was a Malaysian national who paid Bt70,000. Many Asians are victimised similarly daily, and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. This was not in a shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at Bangkok's international airport. Be warned.

J NIRMAL KUMAR

BANGKOK

No reconciliation without justice in the deep South

Re: "Different approach needed in the deep South", Editorial, April 29.

You cite a number of cases that occurred in the South where the Army killed young men. One of the cases you mention was that of 19 men belonging to a local football team who were murdered at Saba Yoi. These men were, in your own words, "shot dead by the authorities, execution style". You have mixed this up with a number of other cases and said that they were charging in to certain death.

How do you charge into an "execution style" death? When will you insist that the executioners be brought before the courts of justice? When that happens, one might more realistically talk of reconciliation.

THOMAS HOY

NAKHON PATHOM

Rural masses were paid well to turn a blind eye

Re: "Mass media accused of middle-class anti-reds bias", Nation April 29.

Chiang Mai University law lecturer, Somchai Preechasil-pakul is a good example of why we are in the current political mess. His observation - that the Thai media feels the red-shirt Thaksin supporters are "horrible" and are incapable of making independent political decisions - is misleading and inflammatory. Somchai says that many of these protesters "are regarded as needing to be provided with information for correct political decision-making". This is absolutely true. But instead of information, they are given bribes to influence their vote.

Fact is, Thaksin kept "the poor, less formally educated lower class" looking for handouts, rather than looking for objective information that would allow them to make informed decisions about who the best leader was for Thailand. He bought their loyalty rather than trying to convince them to vote for him based on his character and whether his policies were in the best interests of Thailand in the long run. He bought their silence so he could make multi-billion-dollar transactions without paying a single baht in tax. He paid them to look away so he could promote cronyism, nepotism and run roughshod over our country's coffers. He played on poor people's need for money today, not their need for a bright future. He paid the masses so that they would not ask questions and would tolerate his crimes as long as the handouts kept coming. He paid them, took advantage of them, and is now pitting them against their brethren.

I encourage Somchai to express his point of view, especially if it dissents with conventional wisdom. But before he does so, he needs to think through the issues more thoughtfully, and understand the truth behind the evidence and intentions. Isn't that what lawyers are supposed to do anyway?

OUTRAGED TAXPAYER

BANGKOK

Lieutenants now deserting their commander

Re: "Fugitive premier denies urging violence", News, April 29.

Through the office of Noppadon Patama, Thaksin Shinawatra denied having encouraged violence by protesters during Songkran. Unfortunately, his conduct in his phone-ins, interviews to BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera, and his jubilation at the red-shirts' success in closing the Asean meeting in Pattaya tell me otherwise. His call for a people's revolution cannot be interpreted as anything but a call for violence. For the first time in history, a general is capable of flicking his words by dissociating himself from his army. Now I understand why his previous 111 lieutenants want to split from him.

SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT

BANGKOK