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Published on September 12, 2007

As a director of the Open Forum for Democracy Foundation (PollWatch), the umbrella organisation for the People's Network for Elections (PNET), I have to protest openly on what she said on camera to the media on Monday, September 10.

Sodsri said: "In the past, PNET's performances were not satisfactory. Particularly the general election in the year BE 2549 [2006] when it was allocated Bt800 million and the amount has not been settled."

I wish to set the record straight here.

PollWatch and PNET have not worked with the EC for the past five years.  We recently discussed with three members of the EC our observation of the charter referendum, undertaken by over 4,000 PNET volunteers in 43 provinces. The EC did not fund our observation of the referendum. Sodsri was not present in the meeting.

Our board members have extended experience in observing elections overseas, by invitation from host countries' election commissions. They provide neither funding nor special security protection. International observers have to abide by local laws of the host country and have no special rights beyond that of an ordinary foreign tourist.

Valid proof of Sodsri being a loose cannon can be found in the April 2006 general election that was later annulled. The previous EC chairman and certain commissioners were slapped with jail terms for leaving voters exposed to onlookers because of the way the EC set up the balloting booths. PollWatch board members led by retired General Saiyud Kerdphol confronted then EC chairman, Police General Vassana Permlarp, at its headquarters, witnessed by two dozen journalists.

Sodsri confused PollWatch with the various NGOs that queued up for EC handouts as "contract observers", which require them to "settle the bills". On the other hand, PollWatch is self-funded, and has been the only NGO in Thai history to return unused funds - in this case Bt23 million provided by the Anand Panyarachun government - after accomplishing its Senate election observation (before the time of the first EC). Our respected board members comprise a former rector of Chulalongkorn University, a National Human Rights Commissioner, a member of the Assets Examination Committee, a professor of Chulalongkorn University, a retired admiral, and a former supreme commander, just to name a few.

Board members of the PollWatch Foundation have requested a meeting with Sodsri this afternoon to challenge her to produce alleged evidence that "PNET has not settled funds allocated from the EC for the 2006 general election".

If she fails to prove her allegation, or stages a no-show at her office at the appointed time, our nationwide network of PNET volunteers shall consider filing police complaints throughout the country. Let us see how she copes with defending libel lawsuits in every province we have a presence.

Chamnong Watanagase

Director, Open Forum for Democracy Foundation (PollWatch)

Bangkok

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Dam building causes more losses than profits

Re: "Sustainable hydropower benefits all", Opinion, September 7.

Mr Porter's praise for large-scale hydropower development ignores the entire history of dam construction and in particular the dubious role of the World Bank in support of this technology from the middle of the last century till today.

Large-scale hydropower projects always have massive impact on the environment and will continue to do so. The question is how these impacts can be minimised through good planning, good design and responsible implementation. The present focus on the Lao PDR as a new beginning in support of this technology - in an attempt to reduce poverty and boost economic development in this country - shows that the World Bank has nothing learned from its past.

Not a single dollar from the revenues of the already completed hydropower projects has been spent on schools or hospitals by the Lao government.Even before completion of the highly praised Nam Theun 2, Bank internal reports show that implementation of the social and environmental programmes are already a failure. A supporting agricultural development project funded entirely by the World Bank in the same province is also a failure.

Technical design flaws of Nam Theun 2 will result in serious interruptions to its operations within the first five years. The resulting consequences of this failure, beside the financial losses for the investors, are yet to be seen. Nam Theun 2 is nothing more then a very high-risk but large-scale experiment. The technology used for electricity transmission is a cheap but outdated technology with high losses, for which, at the end, consumers in Thailand will have to pay.

If the World Bank intends to use Nam Theun 2 as an example of good, responsible implementation of hydropower projects, it has chosen the wrong country and the wrong partners.

F Pelegrin

Bangkok

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The march of the greedy people

Re: "Airport protesters give ultimatum", News, September 10.

It is time the government put its foot down to tell these either greedy or stupid people that they can go home, as there will be no compensation from other taxpayers' money for them. If they complain about the noise of planes, on which planet have they lived before? To all those who moved there because ex-PM Thaksin promised them that Suvarnabhumi would become a "Golden Land", let them be told that greed never pays.

If I were to decide on noise reduction measures, I would accept the complaints of people living there for 10 or more years, as at that time the airport was still a distant reality. Also, schools and universities should be equipped with soundproof windows. But for the rest, let them suffer the noise. After all, they went there voluntarily. The taxes I pay should be used for more useful things like education.

Sam Munich

Bangkok

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Come to Yasothon, the crime-free rural utopia

Re: "Police rank and file do a good job under severe pressure", Letters, September 11.

John Arnone writes to say, "I have lived in Yasothon for eight years and have never been harassed by a policeman, nor have I had a crime committed against me." I, too, have lived in Thailand for a similar number of years but cannot give such a glowing report. Though my local police generally seem to do their jobs well, I did once suffer harassment. Actually it was an over-zealous group of seven plain-clothes policemen who arrested me on suspicion of not having a valid visa in my passport. One particularly large member of the gang tried to physically haul me to a back room in a police station. I resisted, while uniformed policemen watched with their arms folded in benign amusement. To make a long story short, they weren't able to strong-arm me to the backroom, and it was proven that my passport and visa were in order. The least oppressive member of that gang of seven later whispered an apology to me.

It's good to hear that John has never had a crime committed against him, though I can't say the same for me. Mr Arnone goes on to write that he's never "… heard of a crime going unsolved" and "… our accident rate is no better or worse than anywhere else in Thailand, or the world for that matter". Really? If crimes are always solved in Yasothon, and their vehicle accident rate is no worse than anywhere in the world, then Yasothon is an exemplary place indeed.

Ken Albertsen

CHIANG RAI

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Book review right on target

Re: "Self-righteous rantings", Books, September 9.

Oh thank you, thank you James Eckardt for your review of John Arnone's book, "Why I Left America", for publicly exposing Mr Arnone as the whining bore I always suspected he was. I can just see him now after reading that delightfully scathing review in Sunday's edition, angrily slap-ironing the kids' uniforms, cigarette pasted to his indignant bottom lip, the stink of stale smoke permeating the entire household.

Mr Arnone is quoted, "White European males built America ..." totally dismissing - as is the white supremacist's fashion - the possibility that white European males' largest contribution came from the induced slavery of African peoples.

I would suggest that it was upon their millions of backs over a 300-year period that America was built.

Christy K Sweet

Phuket

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