LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Culprits behind Bangkok blasts may never be found due to shoddy initial police work
Regarding the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok; it was reported that assigned investigators arrived at crime scenes, only to find the scenes had already been cleaned up.
Apparently, policemen had directed street cleaners to sweep up the debris. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last that we hear of police (and others) contaminating a crime scene before a proper investigation can be conducted. Message to police chiefs: instruct your charges about the importance of following procedure. If nothing else, require police cadets to watch "true crime" videos which articulate the investigative process. Taxpayers pay for a professional police force, and are not happy when crime investigations go awry due to ineptitude. Now we may never know who was behind the recent dastardly acts of maiming and killing innocents. Will this be but one more episode in a long list of botched investigations? Let's hope the police start getting their act together. Ken Albertsen Chiang Rai ---------------------------------------- Short junta rule has done drastic harm to nation's image
Re: "Surayud suspects "power losers" as finger-pointing begins", News, January 1. The Bangkok bombs represent a scary start for 2007. The terrorists in the deep South have killed thousands of innocent people over the past three years and now Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont informs us that it is unlikely that Muslim extremists were behind the Bangkok bombs. General Sonthi tells us there are likely to be more bombs in the future. The Council for National Security (CNS) has approved the funding for a 13,625 strong secret force to monitor the activities of political parties opposed to the military junta. This is an eye opener for the international community and if a new election is held in October it will not be a fair election if political activities leading up to it are banned. Is Thailand moving from an internationally respected democracy to banana republic status? The military coup has damaged Thailand's relations both with countries in the region and key allies such as the US. Investors have been scared away by new currency regulations and the latest bombings are likely to lead to lower investor confidence. It looks to me that the excellent reputation Thailand has been able to build internationally for the past 10 years has been severely damaged in just a few months. My New Year's wish would be that politicians and the military stop throwing dirt and start working together for a better future for Thailand. Key elements for creating a better future include fighting terrorism in the South, poverty and corruption. Sokol Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Thaksin and TRT stood to benefit from a major diversion
Re: "Surayud qualifies remarks about bombers", News, January 4. Whether he had an involvement in the New Year bombings or not, the situation clearly cannot be at all unwelcome to Thaksin. The government and the Council for National Security have been embarrassed. It is unfortunate that the stock market has taken another hit and the economy will also suffer, but Thaksin's family has already sold its main business interests. The people who suddenly turned against Thaksin after his 2005 landslide victory in the capital and created the necessary conditions for him to be ousted, the Bangkok populace, have been punished. They can no longer feel safe anywhere in their city and may blame the government and the CNS if the situation deteriorates further. Legal proceedings against Thaksin, his family and the Thai Rak Thai Party are starting to pick up pace and it would seriously damage his interests to be indicted on serious corruption charges or for Thai Rak Thai to be dissolved. It would also be harmful to his image for his family to lose its tax evasion cases. If the bombs and whatever else the planners [behind them] may have up their sleeves - destabilise things to the extent that a countercoup occurs - these legal cases may cease to be a priority. Political Analyst Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Defenders of former PM out to deny his regime's abuses
Some letters to the editor on Thursday showed such contempt for the facts that one cannot refrain from commenting on them. The letters written by Robert ("Journalists ignore possible role of Muslim insurgents") and As Easy As It Is ("Blaming Thaksin seems to be an easy out for government") ignore the problems created by the Thaksin regime. They ignore the cronyism, the undermining of independent institutions and how much Thaksin profited from his position. To accuse the government of blaming Thaksin for the declining economy and the lack of visits by foreign heads of state is "easy", but where is the proof? Thaksin brought on the increase in military spending because the "undercurrents" have to be watched. Editorials in Thai newspapers and other news sources provide information to show that the insurgents in the South are probably not behind the Bangkok explosions and neither is the government. As Surayud said, intelligence sources point to a certain group, and that is all he said. Thaksin's supporters are denying the misery that this man caused for the Thai nation. Egon Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Bangkokians need education on legality of coups
Re: "Royal endorsement for members of charter-drafting panel", News, January 3. How bizarre was the comment made by (political scientist) Prayad Hongthongkham that the state should educate people so they understand the meaning of democracy? Prayad should try to educate Bangkokians and the junta about the meaning of an election, and that it is considered a crime anywhere in the world to overthrow a democratically elected government. It is sad to see that 15 million voters are left out in the cold because they do not like to kiss up to an undemocratic clique and thus have no voice. If the people from the Constitution Drafting Assembly want to show that they have courage they should at least scrap the absurd rule that prevents people without a university degree from contesting an election. That is an insult to a lot of people, not the least Nobel Prize winners like Lech Walesa. De Minister Bangkok ---------------------------------------- Institutions must be able to weed out corrupt individuals
Re: "Law aims to cut official corruption", News, January 3. Good governance is a product of transparency, the rule of law, and a system of checks and balances that are not easily breached. These institutions serve to discipline government and to remove those individuals that cannot be disciplined. It would be a mistake to rely on the honesty or social respectability of individuals to curb corruption. Corruption can be curbed only when the right kinds of institutions exist that can protect citizens from their own government. The system must work even when we have bad people in government because that's what we get most of the time. Cha-am Jamal Phetchaburi ---------------------------------------- Price-gouging keeping visitors away from Vietnam
Re: "Thais flood into Vietnam, but overall numbers disappoint", Business, January 4. The number of tourists going to Vietnam remains disappointing not because Vietnam lacks the necessary infrastructure for tourists but because of the prevailing problem of cheating and overcharging all over the country. I think the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) could learn a lot from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). While the TAT tries their best to expose the dark side of gem scams and other tourist traps, the VNAT tries to give a false impression that Vietnam is a paradise. Most Vietnamese would even think that foreign tourists are to blame for refusing to be cheated by their poorer fellows. Thailand may have the same problem of overcharging foreigners at national parks, but at least the price is written down clearly and I don't have to be overcharged every day. But the story is quite different in Vietnam. Overcharging happens all over the country - at almost all restaurants, shops and street vendors. Hanoi has many guesthouses and tour agencies which have a notorious reputation - check on the Internet and you see a lot of negative comments - but the VNAT has never done anything. While the VNAT is trying hard to boost the numbers of tourists or improve the country's infrastructure, perhaps it is more important to educate the people as to how to treat their guests well. Cuong Lhasa, Tibet ---------------------------------------- Dictator's failing health may mean a new start in Burma
In November of last year, Dr Kyin Ho of the Florida Freedom Fighters went for a medical check-up because he was having chest pains. Cardiologists examined him and immediately performed heart bypass surgery. Than Shwe was also suffering from persistent chest pains and out of desperation decided to travel to Singapore for the first time for medical treatment last Sunday. Although scheduled for a one day medical check-up at Singapore General Hospital, Than Shwe remains at the hospital due to coronary artery blockage. Cardiac specialists told me that heart bypass surgery for diabetic patients like Than Shwe carries a very high risk. Often they do not regain consciousness after heart bypass surgery. The Than Shwe era may be ending. The Khin Nyunt era also ended after he travelled to Singapore for medical treatment. Myint Thein Senior Adviser to the Burmese Resistance Dallas, Texas
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