He may be a saviour, but is Piyasvasti really qualified?

There is only one relevant concern: what track record does Piyasvasti Amranand have that qualifies him to run a major airline? The answer, I am afraid, is none.

I'm sure that with his clout he will be able to secure the necessary financing to keep THAI afloat, but this is not the answer. The answer would be to have a strategy that helps turn the airline around. Throwing money at a seriously affected national carrier without a plan to fix it is a sheer waste.

It is worse than the United States' General Motors saga, because at least the business issues of the auto-maker had already been identified - tortuous union financial obligations and cars that did not sell. Turnaround strategies were in place, and a gunslinger of a leader who had management experience was hired.

With THAI, the problems are less obvious but no less serious. I would guess they might include corruption within the airline and a management that does not care about passenger comfort and convenience.

I am hopeful for Piyasvasti, but without operating experience and a clear vision, I fear, he too will squander valuable financial resources.

OUTRAGED TAXPAYER

BANGKOK

Govt should keep unwanted ads off mobiles, the Net

Re: Message mess, Daily Xpress, June 17

It was interesting to read about the government tackling unwanted text messages. They should do the same to enforce a mandatory "unsubscribing" policy to help those who don't want to receive ads on the Internet.

Sending an SMS as soon as you become a client in some company is fast becoming a trend. In fact, even banks send you an SMS every time you make an ATM withdrawal.

Unfortunately, nobody asks if you really want those services. I have been able to cancel every unwanted SMS services, except for Central Department Store, which keeps pestering me after numerous requests to end the harassment.

MARC BOGERD

BANGKOK

Rule of law still prevails in the United States

Re: If only protesting voters had kept Dubya out, Letters, June 18

A Warner may not approve of George W Bush's conduct as president, but that does not give him grounds to suggest that Bush's 2000 victory was stolen or illegitimate.

Obviously the American election had problems, but a definitive study of the disputed Florida ballots, the Media Consortium Florida Ballot Project, noted that Bush was the real winner of Florida's popular vote under any of the standards requested by vice president Al Gore's lawsuit demanding a recount of ballots.

Would we really like to live in a country where street mobs prevail over facts and the rule of law?

JEFFREY S GEPNER

BANGKOK

If mama panda doesn't care, why should you?

Re: "Where's my Bt1 million? Letters, June 18

I can't believe that S Tsow wasted time whining that the name he submitted for the panda cub was rejected. What's worse, he goes on and on to explain why his name and other names were more appropriate.

I only have one question: Who cares? Call the panda cub Thaksin Shinawatra for all we care.

What an incredible waste of time! If Tsow spent as much time on his day job as he does complaining about how the name he submitted was rejected, he could actually achieve something.

Only a parent would be that interested in the name of a baby, which leads me to wonder if Tsow may have more to hide than we think.

MARK JOHNSON

BANGKOK

Still in search of those notorious enemies

Re: Differing opinions are the norm in any democracy, Letters, June 18

Akbar Khodaei is typical of an embassy official who does not agree with an article carried by a foreign newspaper.

His last paragraph criticising the Thai media by saying that it would be imprudent to "to forget the exemplary cordial relations between the two countries and fall in the trap of notorious enemies of the two nations …" assumed to be Iran and Thailand, showed a lack of courage to name the specific nations he considers to be enemies. I am not interested in his opinion on which countries he considers to be enemies of Iran, but I'm sure Thais would like to know which notorious nations are considered by the Islamic Republic of Iran to be enemies of Thailand.

Such inflammatory and wishy-washy statements do not befit embassy officials of any country

CHRIS KAYE

CHON BURI