Don't politicians ever realise that there are places in this country other than Bangkok when it comes to doling out large amounts of public money on infrastructure projects?

Thailand is Bangkok and Bangkok is Thailand on this issue right now, and it has always been that. Soon there will be 77 provinces and the number is fast growing with doubtful intentions in the eyes of the beholders.

Besides being used as places to canvass votes - the North and the Northeast for Thai Rak Thai and the South for the Democrats, and half each in Bangkok - main provincial communities are usually left to the will of God and powerless or weak local administrations.

Efficient and affordable public transportation is vital for the economy and quality of life, no matter where you are and a few major towns are already in need of some good systems - and fast, before becoming yet another Bangkok to be solved and resolved endlessly. So, could the two main parties stop their current squabble as to who initiated the bright idea or who copied who regarding new rail routes, new extensions, new fares, etc?

How about a new place for once? How about establishing a system in say Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Hat Yai for a start. The list could go on till you have an OCOPT (One City One Public Transport System) to complement OTOP - an integrated means of commuting daily within a major city in any province.

Keeping almost all of this infrastructure in Bangkok only serves to render a jargon of "Users Pay" in transportation mere hypothetical hype. For those residing in the countryside who have to toil and pay taxes out of their hard-earned money to support the capital, this is more like a "You Use and I Pay" principle.

This is not to say that our dear capital needs not be further improved. What it means is that other towns in the provinces are in need of it too and we would be grateful if a fair share can be given to us instead of your vying to stuff all rail projects in the place where people shout the loudest. Do we country bumpkins have to shout too before you in the capital will hear?

Wiwat Sutiwipakorn

Department of Civil Engineering

Prince of Songkhla University,

Songkhla

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Having friends in high places key to the 'Thaksin system'

I have been racking my brains for a long time for a brief and concise definition of the Thaksin system, which I can put across to everyday people, particularly his grassroots supporters. I wasn't able to find it until the other day when I heard on a television news report that Thaksin recommended a book called "Never eat alone" to executives of the new generation!

Over the past five years or so of his premiership, he has talked a great deal, but this time, with just a few simple words, he laid bare the essence of the Thaksin system: to be successful, you must make friends, establish networks. Your friends will come to your aid when you are in need. Of course, this is not the usual way we interpret the expression "a friend in need is a friend indeed".

Thaksin succeeded in building his empire through using the Thaksin system, by founding his Thai Rak Thai Party, bankrolling core members of other parties and putting them in key positions to form networks throughout the country, winning over bureaucrats and most independent organisations and above all, with populist policies winning the support of grassroots people.

True, the Thaksin system is so fortified with conflicts of interest, particularly with the grassroots people who it uses as a shield for protection, that it would be very difficult for us to destroy it. However, we cannot expect Thaksin to turn over a new leaf. The only way out is to use the Thaksin system, unite, and get rid of this leader. As the old saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys, the hangers-on, scatter.

Abee

Bangkok

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Transport upgrade must include motorist training

Re: "Intelligent systems bring relief in new ten-year plan", News, September 4.

Electronics are fine and good but what about the human factor? Shouldn't this plan also include a re-education campaign aimed at the average motorist in Bangkok, particularly those notoriously irresponsible bus drivers?

A programme to retrain Bangkok's finest would also be welcome. I suggest sending some of them to Singapore for retraining and replacing them in the meantime with the same number of officers from that country. No plan to ease traffic will be complete and totally functional if driving and law enforcement habits are not in line with the developments.

Sagittarius

Bangkok

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Article perpetuated Thai prostitution stereotype

Re: "Internet sex victims", News, September 3. When foreign media outlets refer to Thailand in terms of its sex industry in any way, they are accused of being biased and of doing damage to the country's international reputation.

Let's take a look at how The Nation depicted Thailand in this front-page article: "It is a little past midnight, and three girls in different places are chatting online to men on the other side of the world. Noi is a bar girl in Chiang Mai's Tha Phae Gate area, Daeng is a go-go dancer in Bangkok's Patpong district and Jean is a waitress in Olongapo City in the Philippines."

Is it surprising then that foreign media outlets can't get this stereotype out of their minds?

Chul 'Cho' Chang

Nakhon Pathom

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Source of university rankings casts doubt on findings

Re: "University rating list backfires", News, September 4.

In 1998, the National Corruption Commission ranked the Education Ministry as the most corrupt in Thailand. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is part of that ministry.

How can any list prepared by such an agency be taken seriously? What were the terms of reference? Who was ensuring transparency? Until an independent authority - I suggest one external to Thailand - examines the higher education centres in the country using a standard set of measurements how can any results be believed?

In addition this ranking system will have no value for admission to universities in places such as the UK, Australia and the US.

The certification process for a new international school in Thailand can take a number of years but it takes the HEC no time at all to rate many different facilities.

I don't think students should worry. Any business or organisation that takes this list seriously is not the kind of company I'd want to work for anyway. Any business that would believe the HEC is not one that understands the value of valid information and is unlikely to last very long in the real business world.

Krisidah Suwansri

Bangkok

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Despite faults, rankings have potential to be of great benefit

Re: "University rating list backfires", News, September 4.

First of all, let me congratulate Commission of Higher Education secretary-general Pavich Tongroach for his courage to produce the first ranking of Thai universities ever. At the same time, I also would like to encourage the commission to listen to criticism from all sides and use these criticisms to adjust next year's ranking in order to ensure a more accurate picture of Thai university education.

In the meantime people should not be upset if their universities are not up to their expectation. Certainly no ranking is completely accurate. The most famous ones like those of US News and World Report continue to receive negative comments even though they have done their rankings for several years. Instead, I suggest people to look at the methodology of the ranking. If this recent ranking system aims to encourage Thai universities to constantly improve themselves to reach "world-class" standards as Dr Pavich said, research and teaching are the most important criteria.

Even though Thai universities also have other objectives besides teaching and research, these objectives such as community services are not going to aid Thai universities in attaining that "world-class" status. If we consider the goal of this ranking system, the result is pretty accurate. Mahidol, Chiang Mai, and Chulalongkorn universities are leading universities in both research and teaching and are known internationally for their academic rigor. I am sure most academics agree with this statement. Most Rajabhat universities, on the other hand, are not known for research -particularly at international level. This may be because Rajabhat universities have never set out to become research powerhouses due to the universities' different missions from those of Mahidol or Chiang Mai. The public understands this fact and will not regard Rajabhat poorly because of their low rankings.

Next year, I suggest that the ranking system should have several categories according to the missions of the universities. Universities like Chiang Mai should not have been in the same category as Rajabhat universities. But the ranking system must continue to exist because I believe that it has already created an impact that will improve Thai education in the years to come. I also would like to cite an example to encourage universities that performed poorly in this recent ranking to continue to improve themselves. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a world-renowned institute of higher learning, is only 141 years, while Harvard University is 370 years old. Now MIT competes on an even footing with a much older Harvard. Hopefully this can be an inspiration to all Thai universities, new or old.

Sanpawat Kantabutra

Chiang Mai University

Chiang Mai