In reaction to John Francis Lee's letter, I feel I have to ask him and your readers the following question: Has either the USA or Israel ever threatened or called for the destruction of a member state of the United Nations? (Israel was legally established by the UN.) I can't recall either ever having done so. However, the leader of Iran has done so, and is repeating his call for "erasing the state of Israel from the face of the earth". More so, he is encouraging and physically supporting groups that are not only calling for the destruction of Israel, but are actually fighting for this purpose. Lebanon is another example of Iran's contribution to "world peace".

Allow me to add that I am no friend of the neo-con governments of either the US or Israel. I have never supported the war in Iraq, nor can I support Israel's attitude towards the Palestinians and its occupation of land belonging to other people. I believe that both the USA and Israel together with the EU and other Middle-Eastern states like Saudi Arabia should strive to establish a Palestinian state with safe and guaranteed borders for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.

However, I cannot agree that a state like Iran, which not only calls for the destruction of another state and the deportation or "elimination" of its people, but also denies that the most evil crime of recent history, namely the Holocaust, ever took place, can be considered as "peace loving". I dare say that if Mr Lee had lost most of his family members in a concentration camp, as unfortunately I have (and so have thousands if not millions of Israelis, Americans and others), he wouldn't find the policy and words of the Iranian president "undangerous" for world peace. Quite frankly, I think that the reaction of the world community to Iran's behaviour should be its expulsion, or suspension, from the UN and other world bodies.

Dr Abraham Z Simhony

Khon Kaen

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Skytrain service declines to the point of discomfort for all

How unfortunate for users of the BTS skytrain that the exceptional, even world-class standards of service which were a hallmark of its first years of operation have finally succumbed to the economic realities of operating a mass transport system. Whether due to the ineptitude of management, the greed of shareholders or the demands of the financiers - most likely a combination of all three - the BTS is fast becoming beset by problems found in similar systems elsewhere.

As if Bangkok's reputation for intimate body contact was not well enough established already, the BTS is now bringing this experience to commuters. In time, Bangkok will surely overtake Japan's reputation for fondling and groping as deviant commuters take opportunity. In a society where unwelcome body contact with strangers is avoided, the situation on the BTS is unacceptable, more so for women who suffer physical abuse in shameful and embarrassed silence.

The BTS is also now the perfect occupational environment for pickpockets due to the constant level of body contact in carriages and the crowding on platforms. Unwary commuters stand to lose wallets, telephones and more at the hands of experts with light fingers - thanks to the BTS management for the intrusive and distracting video advertising which only makes the pickpockets' job easier.

Another thank you to the BTS management for limiting the number of SmartPass cards issued. It takes so long for the card to be read, if at all, that widespread usage of the cards will inevitably result in long delays exiting stations. The technology is inferior to the existing flexible cards and should be scrapped before further adding to the commuter's woes. Not only that, the BTS is now intruding on commuter's privacy by being able to track the movements of individual SmartPass users.

Is the commuter's dignity, privacy, protection from abuse and the safety of personal property of absolutely no concern to the BTS management? What about the ease of use of the entire system and the commuter's overall experience? Does the BTS management apply similar poor standards to employees, to the maintenance of the system and the safety of overall operations? How far the BTS has fallen in such a short time. The current level of service is disgraceful and disrespectful.

Sibeymai

Bangkok

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Rein in thugs and transport scams at Suvarnabhumi

The management at the new airport seems to be doing a deplorable job. They can't rein in rogue pseudo "customs agents" who cause disgust and stress for travellers arriving in the Land of Smiles. And management is clueless about how to address the problem of thugs harassing tourists trying to get stress-free and relatively low-cost transport into the city. The airport management should be hauled into court and charged with dereliction of duty.

Heightened stress levels lead to heart attacks, and it's not wildly imaginative to think that a tourist who does not meekly comply with such thuggish demands might be physically accosted. Not far-fetched if you're familiar with airport methods of persuasion. Is this how Thailand wants to welcome new arrivals?

Brahmburgers

Chiang Rai

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Adding to the power of civil servants is not a good idea

Social commentator Prawase Wasi believes that having three pillars of power - the government, the House (Parliament) and the courts - is not enough to provide each with a balance against the others' power. The country needs at least five or six pillars, he says, and he proposes that one of these additional pillars should be the bureaucrats.

Hmmm. The bureaucrats make the fourth "pillar of power". Who might be the fifth? Let me guess ... the military? And the sixth?

John Francis Lee

Chiang Rai

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Entrenched bureaucrats are a threat to development

Re: "Sirote gets the axe after NCCC move" and "We never checked on lotteries, Wissanu says", News, December 13.

These two recent news stories brought home the possible malfeasance of public officials and the importance of speaking out when faced with pressures from those in power. The ruling clique can come and go, but public officials will have to go on forever for their livelihood. The lesson to all public officials now is to care more about legal principles and credibility under whatever political climate.

One party acquiesced to the argument that the gift of Shin stocks of Bt738 million was a wedding gift and therefore free of tax under one section of the Tax Code. The gift was given two years after the wedding and the amount must be the highest on record as a wedding gift. The bent justification of the Code was made when the affected was in power with an unprecedented house majority.

Similarly, we read of one great legal mind admitting that no one in the then Cabinet raised the issue of legal propriety in permitting the government lottery agency to enter the two- and three-digit lottery business. Through the Assets Examination Committee's investigation, it has now transpired that the then Cabinet had no right to approve the scheme and allow the Government Lottery Office to trade in this business. Members of the Cabinet attended the meeting.

Not only are the government's legal minds now in the firing line. This may turn out to be a landmark case and great guidance for public officials. Irrespective of the outcome, the cases are good for our future public administration and the coming constitution.

Spade

Bangkok

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Give police and the public the means to respect each other

Chai yo to PM Surayud for recognising that a top-to-bottom, thorough overhaul of our police force is essential if we the people are to be able to look to our cops with respect and appreciation for being our protectors. Forced confessions, buying of posts, other corruption, abductions, murders - all must not only stop but become abhorrent to the cops on the beat and their superiors. In short, the whole culture must be turned on its head.

Police General Vasit's plan to give regional police the authority to finalise transfer lists is a big step towards decentralisation and making the police accountable to those they're supposed to protect and serve - but it's only the first step.

Give priority to promoting men and women from the locality in which they're stationed. Pay and equip cops just like their private-sector counterparts - and hold them to the same high, transparent, measurable job-related key performance indicators. Use these indicators - which should not include seniority - as the basis for promotion, with any deviations being publicly debated. Strengthen cops' knowledge of and compliance with the legal rights of suspects, and the use of forensic evidence. Make outstanding performance in regional anti-corruption mandatory before elevation to a higher command. Give local elected representatives a decisive voice on regional performance-review boards. Have a robust system of checks and balances, with a strong judiciary system. Initiate a proactive community relations effort that shows our police force has really reformed and is worthy of our trust.

In short, give us a police force we can respect.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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Beer will never be as popular upcountry as 'lao khao'

The Nation quotes Professor Vithoon Eungprabhant, "an expert in health law", as saying that "two decades ago beer was scarce in the provinces, but now it is the most popular alcoholic drink".

Perhaps he could clarify his use of the word "popular" given that the volume of lao khao consumed nationwide is 10 times that of beer?

Graham Catterwell

Bangkok