HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Writings have a deeper significance

Sold out at favorite shops

Writings have a deeper significance

To the Editor;
Margret O’Conner’s fulsome and generous praise for my inadequate efforts with the pen was both surprising and welcome. It was disappointing then that she could only bring herself to damn with faint praise the contributions of your celebrated correspondent, Mr. Ike Burnett.

Ms. O’Conner appears to be under the illusion that our man in Rangoon merely compiles a mere dairy of inconsequential trivia. Although his writings are indeed delightful they have a deeper significance. Ike Burnett is nothing less than the perfect living embodiment and (one can only hope deliberate) satirist of neo-colonialism in all its glory.

It is pleasing to note that Ms. O’Conner does not dispute what she accurately describes as the “litany of evils and sins” in Burma as they are in fact indisputable, perpetuated en mass and truly mean-spirited. However, in all the mountains of reports, articles and submissions documenting these crimes to an apathetic world, mention is never made of the fact that those who support and seek to profit from the situation also suffer and as your regular readers are well aware, Ike Burnett has indeed suffered. Thus it is entirely fitting that in his regular, and indisputably comic, gems the balance be restored and not a word of sympathy or respect appear for the Burmese people amongst whom he has been sadly exiled, presumably entirely against his free will.

Yours sincerely,
Dave O’Hanlon

Sold out at favorite shops

Dear Chiangmai Mail,
You are on the market now over 1 year and I, since I live outside of Chiang Mai and do not want to read ‘the news’ on Tuesday when they would come by mail, I checked with a department store in town (we go shopping every Saturday night) if they can keep one copy for me.

But, so far I did not succeed. Almost all foreigners buy their meat and extras at one of the Rimping stores but these people are not cooperative at all.

This week we came Sunday and there was nothing. Not one Mail left. The cashiers just shake their head and say – mot leao. Does this help me? I went so far to complain with a supervisor but he told me that they just take a small number because they don’t like a ‘stock of papers’. That’s so ridiculous! All the small shops around Thapae Gate have more papers and are friendlier and more helpful than the so-called international supermarkets.

We finally found a very friendly lady in a small shop where we can stop outside with the car and get our newspaper on Saturday afternoon. But it must have sold like hotcakes this week, since she said to us: I order more - mine - mot leao. So, this week, our neighbor shared our newspaper, since it seemed to be a sold out affair!

Hope you can keep up the good work and hopefully there are more nice market ladies as the one we finally found!

Your faithful readers,
Jon and Sonja van Rosen