POST BAG An awful example

The recent setting up of the Asean Inter-Government Commission for Human Rights does not give me much hope after seeing on television the leaders at the Apec meeting in Singapore being transported by trishaws, humanly powered.

The organiser must think it is cute, but I feel disgusted seeing one man using his pure stamina to transport another man to a destination.

It may be a novelty for tourists but bad taste for Apec's leaders to expose to the world via news on CNN and BBC.

Many in the Western world still believe that we still live in trees and that trishaw rides could support their erroneous contention.

SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT

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Tarnished silver foot

Hun Sen told reporters that he does not have conflicts with Thailand. All the problems arose from his personal problems with Prime Minister Abhisit.

The statement cannot be viewed simply as a Khmer joke poked on his Thai counterpart by the Cambodian prime minister. Hun Sen has been toying with one-sidedly personal problems he probably perceives to have with Mr Abhisit at the expense of bilateral relations between Cambodia and Thailand.

His recent comments seen through the world's media have everything but decency, thick evidence of the rough incivility and crudeness he had amassed from his tough jungle years.

As a former jungle fighter who had joined the Khmer Rouge, but later brought in Vietnamese troops to overthrow his former comrades, he has everything to envy the Eton graduate-turned-polished-politician who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Having been in power for a quarter century should have at least cultured Hun Sen into a finer leader, at least with such a manner tolerable, if not fully acceptable, by the community of world leaders. Sadly for Thais and Cambodians, both peoples have to put up with the thug who has a silver foot in his mouth!

SAI SIMA

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Aiding and abetting

All those sycophantic MPs who met Thaksin in Cambodia to ensure his continuing financial support are/were, thereby, aiding and abetting the flight of a fugitive from justice.

That's criminal, so one hopes all will be so charged and prosecuted.

There's plenty of photographic evidence and probably records at the border and at the hotel(s) where they stayed.

Technically, any Thai who has met Thaksin anywhere since his conviction should be prosecuted for the same crime.

GIBSON MARTIN

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Bring back Vatana

Now that Vatana Asavahame has been sentenced to yet more years in prison for major corruption, it is prudent for the government to immediately submit an extradition request to its Cambodian counterpart to bring the fugitive politician back home and face the music.

If another fugitive from the law in the form of disgraced former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra triggers such action on a much lesser sentence of only two years, it would seem utterly incomprehensible why Vatana, who after the latest verdict is supposed to languish behind bars for a total of 13 years, would not warrant such a move.

An arrest warrant, issued some time ago, just will not do unless our government intends to come across as measuring with two different yardsticks.

What could possibly make Thaksin potentially more deserving for an extradition request than Vatana?

Since Thailand's government, despite its access to much more sophisticated intelligence resources, always appears to be clueless on the whereabouts of its fugitives, here is a hint: everybody on the street _ from scrap collector to fishmonger _ knows that Vatana hides out in his casino in Poipet, a mere couple of kilometres across the border.

THOMAS SCHMID

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A man of Bangkok

Fifty-three years ago the seminal novel by Jack Reynolds, A Woman of Bangkok, was published in London and New York. Twenty-five years ago this last Sept 8, the author (born Emrys Reynolds Jones) died in Thailand aged 71.

The book reputedly sold more than a million copies and is still much talked about, even though it has been out of print since 1992. However, its author never published another novel, and apart from the fact that he worked for some years for the Bangkok Post, very little is recorded about his life. Most material on the internet generally asks, ''Whatever happened to Jack Reynolds?''

I am now writing a short account of his life which, if I can find out enough information, will be made public in some way. This letter is therefore a plea to readers for any information about his life and family. If you can tell me anything or give me any leads, please write to Post Bag or contact me at arhicks56@hotmail.com.

His was an extraordinary life and he left behind a unique novel that skilfully evoked Bangkok of the fifties as seen through expat eyes. There must be people who still remember him and I thus very much hope to capture these memories before they are irrevocably lost.

My critique of the book and more on why I'm interested in Jack's life appear on my blog at www.thaigirl2004.blogspot.com.

ANDREW HICKS

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New dog trade?

On a walk along Leab Chai Thalay Road to the Air Force base wall in Prachuap Khiri Khan town on No 10, we saw a pickup truck with a blond middle-aged American man and an Asian woman arrive.

The man, with a big stick in his hand, and the woman hunted down two dogs.

The man tossed the dogs brutally up on to the pickup flat-bed.

We approached him and told him to unload the dogs, because they were wearing leashes and probably belonged to someone in the neighbourhood.

We also told him we are involved in dog rescue in Baan Huay Yang and he responded as follows: ''I have been in the US Army and we live in Vietnam. We are going to crush their heads and eat them.'' Then they drove away with the dogs.

We think it could be an organised activity, because they are not going all the way from Vietnam to Thailand to only catch two dogs.

Please publish an article in your paper requesting it be stopped by the authorities so that Thai dogs can roam around free and safe in this beautiful country where they belong.

GORAN AND MIA

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