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The Asian Journey Home
Your special issue on "the asian journey Home" was moving and thought provoking [Aug. 18-25]. It would also have been interesting to read an article by one of the Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents. The victim could have described being forced to start a new life in an alien country and then, finally, being allowed to return to Japan. These Japanese were brutally snatched from their homeland and upon returning there had to leave behind children raised as North Koreans, not Japanese.
Asami Oishi
Osaka

"The Asian Journey Home" was beautifully integrated and touched upon many lives in different ways. Physical alterations alienate the heart forever, and home is a place we preserve in our minds, safe from change. It requires a quantum of courage to revisit one's home of the past. These writers had the courage to take the journey back to a place that was and will never be again. Among all the journeys home, that of Pankaj Mishra and Ved Mehta appealed to me the most. The Indian subcontinent has altered irrevocably over the past two generations; at the same time, however, the people have retained all that is traditionally subcontinental—warm hospitality and a love for beauty. A truly memorable TIME issue worth preserving!
Meenakshi Chawla
Gurgaon, India

I read Gish Jen's article "racial profiling" with great interest. Although she does not believe that racial profiling based on appearance is the right thing to do, this is the rule unfortunately rather than the exception everywhere in the world. Her facial features gave her fellow Chinese in China the impression that she was no different from them, and they were bewildered by her insistence on being American because she was born in that country. I am a naturalized U.S. citizen, and at a conference 15 years ago, I was asked by another participant where I was from. When I answered "Buffalo, New York," he responded with disdain on his face, mumbling something not too polite. The encounter definitely strengthened the "Chineseness" inside me. It is not easy to be an American with a Chinese face, even in America!
Y.K. Leung
Hong Kong

Setting Boundaries
Your report in TIME traveler on the gay scene in Singapore [Aug. 18-25] glamorized a lifestyle that is officially illegal in this country and condemned in the Bible. Not only are Christians against the promotion of the homosexual agenda, but Muslims, Buddhists and people of other faiths in Singapore are also against it. I accept the fact that there are gay people in our society and that we should not discriminate against them. But as Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said, "I do not encourage or endorse a gay lifestyle. Singapore is still a traditional and conservative Asian society. Gays must know that the more they lobby for public space, the bigger the backlash they will provoke from the conservative mainstream." Singaporeans have spoken out on this issue, and the boundaries have clearly been drawn.
(The Rev.) Yang Tuck Yoong
Singapore

		LATEST COVER STORY Japan: Koizumi's Second Act  Interview  Viewpoint September 22, 2003 Issue Past Covers The Saudis September 15, 2003 ----------------- Dyslexia September 8, 2003 ----------------- U.S. in Iraq September 1, 2003 ----------------- Asian Journey August 18-25, 2003 ----------------- Cool Japan August 11, 2003 ----------------- Gloria Arroyo August 4, 2003 ----------------- Women in China July 28, 2003 ----------------- Asian Longevity July 21, 2003 ----------------- Hong Kong July 14, 2003 ----------------- Southeast Asia July 7, 2003 ----------------- Kim Jong Il June 30, 2003 -----------------   BUSINESS  India: Prescription for Profits ARTS  Books: The Bang Devils  Books: From Nothing to Zero NOTEBOOK  SARS: Are We Ready?  India: Striking Back  Taiwan: Itching for a Fight  Milestones  Verbatim  Letters TRAVEL  China: Thirst Come, Thirst Served CNN.com: Top Headlines

Tinseltown Politics
The media frenzy surrounding arnold Swarzenegger's campaign [Aug. 18-25] saddens me. I am sorry to see the low expectations we have established for a political candidate. The citizens of California deserve a Governor who is educated and politically savvy and can represent everyone. The recall election is not a Hollywood-film premiere. It is a costly process through which the citizens of California have much to lose.
Linda J. Robertson
Oakland, U.S.

Grounds for Action
Re your report on an increasingly violent situation in Iraq [Aug. 18-25]: Although U.S. President George W. Bush and his close ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair have fallen under heavy criticism over whether they had sufficient evidence to go to war with Iraq, I strongly believe they were right on moral grounds. The government of Saddam Hussein had enslaved and tortured the people of Iraq for more than 27 years. But the U.S. needs to guarantee the safety of cooperative Iraqis who provide information on the whereabouts of Saddam or his agents.
Ovie Akus
Lagos

Gumshoe Diplomacy
The arrest of the alleged terrorist mastermind Hambali by Thai police [Sept. 1] offers the latest and best rebuttal of Bush's argument that the preferred way to thwart terror is to wage war. Afghanistan and Iraq have been invaded at the cost of uncounted local civilian lives and hundreds of acknowledged American deaths, with the capture of only a few terrorists. But during the same time, police in Pakistan, Yemen and now Thailand have captured terrorist bigwigs. It's hard to avoid the thought that the Bush Administration's policy of war is largely show business. Police investigations are dull, while war is flashy. And politicians are eager to show they're doing something, not just sitting around.
Paul Kunino Lynch
Katoomba, Australia

Support Samui
Your article on the recent Koh Samui Carnival [Sept. 1] only focused on the negative aspects of the event; we feel obliged to point out what was good about it. Our goal was to use the Carnival to promote Samui during the low season, and we were successful in that regard. We wanted a Carnival theme, and what better benchmark than using Rio in a Thai style? The floats used in the parade were made from the heart by the local people of Samui, including children from more than 20 schools. Although they did not match the quality of Rio's floats, we were very proud of them. Because unemployment was up and hotel occupancy down, the community wanted to help make a difference. Its efforts were well noted. The entrance fees alone generated almost $25,000, which was donated to the community and local schools. Although I agree that the Carnival could have been better executed, we were faced with many constraints, unforeseen until a few weeks before the festival. The recent economic downturn—further exacerbated by SARS—resulted in a dramatic drop in tourists. We chose to continue with the Carnival, knowing that it might receive criticism due to the cancellation of some activities, but we felt it necessary to support Samui when its economy was hurting. On behalf of the organizers of the Carnival, Bangkok Airways would like to thank the visitors and supporters.
M.L. Nandhika Varavarn
Senior Director
Corporate Communications
Bangkok Airways Co., Ltd.
Bangkok