OPINION

So-called democracy

Re: "Poll agency targets MFP for dissolution", (BP, March 13).

Noted with interest the call for the dissolution of the Move Forward Party. In the background you could hear the sound of a hammer driving the last nail into the coffin of Thailand's so-called democracy.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before this happened and the voices of the people who voted for change were finally silenced. Thaksin has returned and our PM is scheduled for his second meeting with the former PM. The PT MPs are lining up, clamouring to be the first to bend a knee in service to the patriarch.

The appointed Senate still has seven weeks left of its term. Plenty of time to make sure that not only is the coffin nailed shut but, in collusion with the EC and judicial mechanisms, buried deep in the graveyard of the people's hopes and dreams.

A truly sad time for Thailand as we wait for the final economic crash that will truly seal the fate of this once-promising country.

A day of reckoning

Re: "Election agency 'obliged by law' to seek Move Forward's dissolution", (BP, March 13).

It was apt for Election Commission chairman Ittiporn Bonnpracong to say in an interview with the press, "What directs the EC is the law. We function in compliance with the law. Otherwise, we could be held derelict in doing our duty".

Mr Ittiporn stopped short of saying that, since the evidence against the Move Forward Party is so overwhelming, if the EC fails to ask the Constitutional Court to disband the party, the EC itself could face punishment -- and that could include a jail sentence -- for dereliction of duty.

It is fair to say the Move Forward Party has started off on the wrong foot from day one in its fierce attacks against the monarchy. For all the tricks the party has pulled, it has failed to realise that politics is a tricky business.

Hence, if the MFP finds itself more successful in the next election as a result of the court rule this time, that will be its day of reckoning.

We can be sure it will immediately turn this country into an autocracy -- to exact revenge against its perceived "enemy"!

What sort of tourist?

Re: "Wrong targets", (PostBag, March 13) & "TAT eyes B24.4bn from Songkran", (Business, March 13).

For once, I am in total agreement with the sentiments expressed by Eric Bahrt about plans to promote and extend Songkran festivities.

Songkran in Thailand has been so distorted and corrupted from its original gentle and meaningful ceremonies, that sane people stay indoors during Songkran and avoid the mayhem.

A couple of times I have had the good fortune to be in Cambodia during Songkran, and here the festival is conducted with dignity and decorum. Young people ceremonially wash the hands of their elders with scented water and dab a little thanaka paste on their faces. In return, the elders give blessings to their children.

As a foreigner, I consider it a privilege to have witnessed these traditional ceremonies and given an insight into the culture of the Cambodian people.

You do not get that during Songkran in Thailand, so as Eric said, what sort of tourist does Thailand want to attract?