Sir, - My Chinese acquaintances watched the scenes from North Belfast on CNN and Star News Asia with incredulity. The first question they asked was, who could do these things to children? The second was, why did the authorities not take action to stop, not just contain, the violence?
The only interpretation that seemed to meet their understanding was that in my country there were a few very stupid people who don't have a lot to get up for in the morning other than a diseased tradition which has its roots in a dual heritage of colonial siege mentality and a tribal perspective of "otherness" which has long outlived any good it might ever have done.
Unfortunately, the authorities too have suffered from that heritage, and are thus weakened in their response. In a situation where both community and police are not caught in conflicts of loyalties it would be hard to imagine the disgraceful scenes of the past few days. The police would make an impartial, effective (and if necessary appropriately forceful) response to the public disturbances, arrests would be made and charges properly brought.
The majority of citizens would respect such positive action, future disturbances might be discouraged if the deterrent of stiff sentences were implemented, and the process of investigating both sides' grievances could begin. Parents could rely on the police to forestall another situation where they would feel it necessary to risk their children to advance social change or just to make a point.
Implementing the Patten Report recommendations properly, and not in a greatly diluted form, might help. As several observers have noted, the question of "policing" is one rarely best left to the police alone, particularly where those many good men and women can be hampered by conflicts. - Yours, etc.,
John O'Driscoll, Shanghai, China.