Re: "Dalai Lama's sister denied visa", March 4.
I read with stoical resignation that the Dalai Lama's sister and her husband had been denied a visa to enter Thailand. I have followed this government's behaviour on similar ethical matters and have sadly found it profoundly lacking.
Chinese officials lobbying for her to be denied a visa is bare-faced interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom, and to acquiesce with such alacrity is not behaviour to be proud of.
This is but the thin edge of a very large wedge as the dictators in Beijing have seen that Thailand will run scared very easily. A bully once encouraged by success will keep coming back for more and more, so we can expect a lot more bullying from the Beijing autocrats and concomitant supine behaviour from their puppets in Bangkok.
JOHN DE LAURENT
BANGKOK
Give up while the going's good
Now that the judiciary has delivered its verdict on Mr T, where now for the do-or-die fighter for justice? What is the end game for post-Thaksin Thailand? Perhaps a WWII history lesson might suggest where this is all leading. Winston Churchill described Hitler as a "poor tactician" and reasoned that the more Germany fought on, the easier it would be to eventually defeat it, for Hitler kept rushing into costly mistakes. Thaksin is no Hitler but seems determined to fight on against the best advice and judgement of a balanced observer.
Everyone knows that in a good fight you reach a point where you realise that to continue further is likely to be more costly to you than to the enemy, so you cut your losses and retire before everything is destroyed.
Defeated in the highest court, convincingly discredited in the international arena, a fugitive begging for justice, and a spoiler willing to drag Thailand through the mud for his own personal exoneration, this isolated figure is now setting up his army of supporters for a final disastrous showdown that will only alienate him further from the majority of Thais.
His rantings sound more desperate, insincere and immature by the day. The red-shirt movement no doubt is depleting his diminished fortune; in-fighting suggests he can't control things from Dubai. And it's unrealistic to imagine he could ever make a political comeback without some audacious political moves that really would bring a million objectors on to the streets. So, what exactly does he hope to achieve in his current state of denial?
Let's move on.
ANDREW BOND
CHIANG MAI
Disaster contingency plan already exists
Re: "Are we prepared for more natural disasters?", Editorial, March 4.
The question has a universal significance, as no country is fully protected against natural or man-made calamities. Consequently, a robust regional and global diplomacy is needed for a safer world.
For Asean there is a meaningful legal basis for an adequate response. On July 26, 2005 all 10 Asean member states signed the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).
This comprehensive legal instrument contains specific provisions on disaster-risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, rehabilitation, technical cooperation and research, mechanisms for coordination etc. An Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management is expected to collaborate with the United Nations and other international institutions.
AADMER must be put into effect in its totality. Southeast Asia is one of the most disaster-prone regions on earth, and it is imperative to consolidate and make use of an appropriate legal regime to properly coordinate and cooperate in cases of disasters. Implementing AADMER should be a cardinal objective for all parties.
There are solid reasons to hope that in 2010, under the chairmanship of Vietnam, Asean will conduct a realistic evaluation of the effectiveness of the existing legal regime in dealing with natural disasters.
IOAN VOICU
BANGKOK
