How to make the banned ad balanced

It repeatedly shows smoke billowing out of charred buildings as if to stress that the red shirts are evil. It also focuses on blaming the poor (most are Thaksin devotees) for selling votes, and for their dependence on handouts. The rest is vague and irrelevant. The ad is likely to divide rather than unite.

What I'd like to see is a video clip of tanks rolling on streets of Bangkok on the night of September 19, 2006 with a voice asking, "Have we been too hasty?" Or a clip of Abhisit announcing the boycott of the April 2006 election, with a voice asking, "Have we done our duty?" Or a clip showing Abhisit and Newin hugging each other, with a voice asking, "Have we forgotten ethics?"

Those are facts that would make the ad complete and balanced.

SOMSAK POLA

SAMUT PRAKAN

Election unfair under emergency decree

I don't see how the Constituency 6 election this weekend can be considered free and fair when, under the emergency decree, security forces have the authority to prohibit gatherings of more than five people or prohibit distribution of media or publications deemed to affect security or public order. Candidates cannot be assured that they can campaign (unless to four persons or fewer at a time), and the Election Commission (EC) has announced that it intends to monitor, and perhaps censor, Pheu Thai candidate Kokaew Pikultong's election speeches, appearances and videos. As of seven days before the election, the EC was still reviewing three short audio recordings by Kokaew, so he doesn't know when or if he can use them to seek votes. Agreed, the candidate is an accused terrorist and rabble-rouser, in detention, but under the rule of law, which PM Abhisit rightfully emphasises, a suspect is considered innocent until proven guilty. So why has the EC not announced that it will monitor, and perhaps censor, the other candidates' activities? Why has it required only the opposition candidate to submit his audio recordings for review?

Two key elements of the Seven Pillars of Sustainable Democracy are freedom of expression and political tolerance, and to me, holding an election under the emergency decree is a clear violation of both pillars - as shown by the EC's actions.

If the Democrat candidate wins, neutral observers will have a good case for believing that he won because of a perceived atmosphere of intimidation. If the opposition candidate wins, many unbiased observers will believe that he won despite such an atmosphere - and that, therefore, actual support for the opposition is much more than the vote count would indicate. Either way, democracy loses; again, we shoot ourselves in the foot, this time deliberately.

Show that my reasoning is wrong.

BURIN KANTABUTRA

BANGKOK

Egat buses still causing chaos

Six months after my letter to this column about the Egat commuter buses parked on the Rama VII bridge, nothing has changed. The buses, belonging to the Cherdchai bus company, are still parked during the morning hours.

Apart from the legality of parking at that place, the question about public safety also appears to be nobody's concern. Will we have to wait for an accident to happen before the authorities decide to take any action?

IN THE JAM

BANGKOK