Exhibit shows Thailand is free

It wasn't the exhibit's attempt to paint the government as the villain during the red-shirt protest while absolving the protesters of all blame for the violence. It wasn't even the opposition's invitation to diplomats to attend their pathetic display. All those things - the agitprop, the revisionist history, the PR games - were to be expected.

The most notable thing was the fact that this exhibit was held freely, without any interference from the government. It was the fact those foreign dignitaries who chose to attend were able to do so without hindrance. It was the fact that no one threatened those who attended, no one blocked their path, no private individual or government agent intimidated them in any way. This exhibit, highly critical of the government, was held in complete freedom, even while the government-imposed state of emergency is still in effect.

And this is something that red-shirt sympathisers and critics of the government, foreign and domestic, fail to notice: Such a phenomenon could only happen in a democracy. Some have taken to calling Abhisit's government a "dictatorship", "junta" or "regime". In reality, a dictatorial or an authoritarian regime would never tolerate such freedom of expression. Those staging such a blatantly anti-government exhibit would be arrested, jailed and possibly killed. Any local citizen attending such an event would meet the same fate; while diplomats would certainly be stopped from going.

The key problem is those who call Abhisit's government a dictatorship and refer to the PM as a tyrant are utterly ignorant of what these terms really mean. Most Thais have never been deprived of their political freedoms, and they haven't got a clue what it means to live under oppression. Incessant red-shirt propaganda, coupled with poor understanding of democracy, has created a mindset among many Thais that equates law enforcement with oppression. Freedom now means freedom to do whatever you want, with no consequences for your actions. This is a very dangerous mindset.

But critics should stop for a moment and look carefully: The most notable thing about the recent Pheu Thai anti-government exhibit is that it took place in a free country - and that it could only have taken place in a free country.

BANGKOKDAVE

BANGKOK

Shackle them only if need be

I back Truth and Reconciliation Committee chairman Kanit na Nakorn in his call for the Corrections Department to follow the law in the treatment of prisoners, regardless of shirt colour. Kanit, a former attorney-general, alleges that law enforcement officers broke the Corrections Act by shackling red-shirt leaders who appeared in court - even though the prisoners had surrendered to the police and hence were unlikely to seek to escape.

Law-breakers must be held accountable. Thus, the Corrections Department superiors who ordered that the protest leaders be shackled must face possible disciplinary action for abuse of power. Also, the red leaders should note that unless they protested, their lawyers do not know the law, and allowed their clients to be illegally restrained.

Of course, if a suspect seeks to escape, as Chalerm Yoobumrung's son did, or Thaksin did, then the Corrections Department should use shackles or other restrictive measures.

BURIN KANTABUTRA

BANGKOK

Unable to learn the lessons of history

Re: "War in Afghanistan is unwinnable", Letters July 23.

Not disagreeing with Richard Bowler at all, I must add some points to his letter which said: "The Russians got into Afghanistan, but with the help of US weaponry the Afghans booted them out."

There was a detailed plan formulated by US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, under former US President Jimmy Carter, to use the CIA to train and supplement Afghan rebels, and among other things the concept of "jihad" was reinterpreted for Afghans by the CIA to mean not just "spiritual battle" but also terrorism - and thus the people aforementioned in essence created al-Qaeda. The plan was to draw Soviets into their own Vietnam quagmire, and that is basically what happened. Although there are voices in the US against this war, the US created the whole mess to begin with - not suggesting the former Soviets were completely blameless.

The US did not invite communists to invade Vietnam, but the US did in essence create, train and equip the prototype al-Qaeda, and after the former Soviets left Afghanistan, the US did not fill the void, letting the Taleban take over.

Americans not only have the bad habit of not studying history, they have the extremely bad habit of rewriting and erasing historical events that are distasteful, and thus if there is a pull-out from Afghanistan the US will do the same again, somewhere else.

GUY BAKER

BANGKOK