Madam, - In light of China's deafening silence about the crackdown by the military junta in Burma, is it time that the international community looked at the possibility of boycotting the 2008 Olympics? - Yours, etc,
THOMAS KING, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.
Madam, - Nobody could fail to be moved by the latest scenes in Burma. The record of this brutal dictatorship was plain for many years before the latest unrest, but the response of the international community has been lethargic.
The US and UK can plan and implement military action aimed at "regime change" in double quick time when it suits. It is this blatant double standard which undermines faith in the international system. Talk of an "international community" rings hollow if there is no consistent and transparent scheme of dealing with the worst regimes and the worst behaviour, whether that be in Burma, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Saudai Arabia or China. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McLOUGHLIN, Riverwood Heath, Castleknock, Dublin 15.