The BBC, an organisation I generally hold in the greatest respect and admiration, is, however, once again causing mischief and damage to our dear Thailand in reporting the political demonstrations in Bangkok inaccurately and with the usual dramatic twist so beloved of all journalists.
On Tuesday, a programme on BBC radio at 8am featured an interview with some ill-advised, smug and egocentric person (I did not hear his name but he was British) who spoke about the present situation as though the whole of Thailand was in flames with violence in every corner of the land.
The interviewer did not question any of this tirade but appeared to accept it verbatim.
The interviewee said tourists and business would go to the Philippines and Cambodia and other countries, and that we would suffer the consequences of the appalling behaviour of the demonstrators.
Clearly the BBC is again allowing misguided, ill-informed people to spout forth their mindless nonsense on one of the most respected platforms, the BBC World Service, which has a massive audience.
The BBC should be made to answer for these damaging, inaccurate opinions being aired.
I have to say this is a wonderful and completely safe country (like my native Ireland and England) and inhabited by beautiful, elegant, warm and friendly people whose welcome to foreigners is as legendary as it is warm-hearted and inviting.
Unlike the BBC reporters, I have known Thailand since 1964 and lived here since 1992. God save the King!
BRETT BATCHELOR
Thaksin's just a symptom
Thaksin Shinawatra is not the cause of all the unrest in Thailand, he is a symptom. He is a symptom of a system. A previously forgotten, unenlightened majority of the electorate who could be bought financially and influenced simply by receiving recognition of their very existence, gave Thaksin his chance. He seized it with gusto and exploited it.
But in a democracy, it's only the numbers which matter. The majority vote allowed a dictatorship to exploit them and their country.
So what is the solution? It certainly is not ousting the Shinawatra family and their cronies. They could be replaced by others unless fundamental changes are made. No, the answer is to introduce a true democracy. The democratic vote without an established democracy is a complete sham, as history clearly shows. A new constitution must be drawn up and distributed to the whole country so every single person has guidance of how government and all those in authority must behave.
It is a matter of people understanding right from wrong and justice from injustice and the authorities will have to act accordingly under the law and within a democracy. A democratic charter is the paramount law. Those in power can then either conform or fade away to Dubai.
Failing this, other Shinawatras will appear and corruption will continue to degrade the country and its people as it has done for 80 years.
JC WILCOX
Get a grip on democracy
Why does democracy work in America but not in Thailand? Politically speaking, Americans are as divided as Thais. The big difference is that Americans know that in a democracy you simply can't overthrow every government you don't like.
Even when you have popular presidents or prime ministers, there will always be millions of citizens who don't like them. Therefore getting one hundred thousand, or even a million people, to join a street protest doesn't necessarily mean anything. And anyone who believes such a demonstration is a legitimate reason to overthrow a government has an appalling lack of understanding of what democracy is about.
ERIC BAHRT
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