Karl Reichstetter in his Sept 26 letter, "Honest feedback", misses the point.
Bangkokians and other Thais have every right to complain about bad public transit and other problems directly affecting their lives.
It is the Westerners and other non-Thais living here who expect to find the comforts of home that they left behind. That is what irks me.
Complaining about poor public transit is one thing, bitching and whining about not finding French or Italian breads is another.
It's time to face up to the fact that Bangkok is not San Francisco, New York City, London or Paris. And for the record, there is a greater variety for special and boutique breads in Bangkok than any American or other city. Let's treat a complaint and who complains about what, realistically.
Jack Gilead
Shame on apologists
Before more apologists for the murderous and brutal Myanmar regime write further letters to PostBag in defence of the indefensible, please read the comments the highly respected Sydney Morning Herald Southeast Asia correspondent, Lindsay Murdoch, wrote in his latest report, titled "Myanmar military using rape as tool of terror against Rohingya women: UN," which was published on Sept 25.
He wrote: "Doctors are treating scores of Rohingya women who have fled Myanmar's violence-wracked Rakhine State for injuries consistent with horrific sex attacks.
"Tasunba Nourin, a doctor with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said injuries include bite marks, vaginal tearing and 'signs that a firearm was used to penetrate women'.
"Tasnuba, who works at a UN-run clinic in a refugee camp near the Bangladesh border said that most of the survivors she had treated were beaten and raped and had bruising on their bodies and bite marks on their breasts and genitals".
Many of the victims report being raped and gang raped in front of their children, who were forced to watch.
This is entirely consistent with all the reports from organisations like the Women's League of Burma and Amnesty International going back years, which made similar claims of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) using rape and violent sexual assault as a means of intimidating and subduing ethnic minorities, not just the Rohingya.
Disgusting and sickening beyond imagination.
David Brown
Falling for hysteria
The Asean chairman's statement, which was issued on Sunday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, had expressed Asean foreign ministers' concern "over the recent developments in northern Rakhine state of Myanmar".
It condemned the Aug 25 attacks against Myanmar security forces, as well as "all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes and displacement of large numbers of people", although Malaysia expectedly dissociated itself from the statement. It further urged the Myanmar government to work towards implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission of the Rakhine State, which it has committed to already.
Likewise, Myanmar's giant neighbours China and India have declared their support for the Myanmar government's efforts to find a long-term solution. They have recognised the complex inter-communal issues with deep historical roots which need viable and long-term solutions. The neighbours have proper information, understand the real overall situation, neither of them are shouting "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" and have balanced and constructive views which will help Myanmar and Bangladesh a long way in solving problems, unlike many Western media hooking on all the manufactured information and sensationalising with shallow analysis deprived of deep understanding, which goes for some Western leaders also, probably looking over their shoulders at their Muslims voters who are uneducated on this issue. Even the secular government of Bangladesh, whose country is bearing the brunt of the exodus, is level headed and does not fall for the hysterical reactions.
These neighbours are responsible governments with real concern for the region.
Aung Maung
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