I'm glad to see that the public prosecutors have indicted 19 red-shirt leaders and their supporters on charges stemming from their street protests some months ago. But one of the reds' key demands was that there be no double standards, and though they themselves practised double standards galore, their grievance remains legitimate and important.
Prime Minister Abhisit must not, of course, influence the courts' verdicts - but he should make every effort to expedite the glacial pace of the judicial system, particularly in key cases. The yellow shirts' closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport is now over two years old. When can we expect the yellows' trial to begin - or are we, again, practising double standards?
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
Patriots' group will not be reasonable
Re: "Patriotic network just stirring the temple pot", Letters, August 16.
Guy Baker is definitely correct in calling anyone naive to expect Veera Somkwamkid and his Thai Patriots' network not to play patriotism to an extreme. We could read their extremism in the televised debate with Prime Minister Abhisit. They hardly listened to the PM's rationale, and steadfastly believed in being hawkish and unchanged on their prepared notes and materials. However, it would be wrong to give much credit to this group - to their disappointment, after the debate, they had to disband their demonstration with lame excuses because of lack of support.
According to opinion polls, most Thais have called for reasonableness prior to using force. I am proud to state that Thais have matured so much since 1962 when we lost the temple at the International Court of Justice. It is our neighbour that has shown a lot of immaturity and unreasonableness.
Songdej Praditsmanont
Bangkok
Thai Democrats, an international joke
The fact that the Foreign Ministry is seeking a bilateral resolution to the Preah Vihear question is really becoming quite an international joke, as the Cambodian government has begun asking for help from other countries to resolve the question, and this is the joke: No one in the world sees disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple except the current Thai government, led by the Democrats, and Thailand has no control whatsoever over the allegedly disputed land.
It is like demanding bilateral talks because the next-door neighbour claims to own the apples on the apple tree on the neighbour's property.
Guy Baker
Bangkok