June 16, 2000 VOL. 29 NO. 23 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK

Letters
Power 50

Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee deserves the pat on the back ["Power 50," May 26]. The world can expect some real miracles this year and the next few from his leadership. India always had the skill and the brains, but the self-centered Nehru family didn't take care of the country and the people.
Jatinder Taneja
New Delhi

I wonder why the following were excluded from the Power 50: Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila, George S.K. Ty, chairman of Metrobank Foundation, Inc., and Andres Soriano, founding chairman, Philippine Business for Social Progress. They have tremendous influence in the Philippine religious and/or business environment as well as in Asia.
Gil G. Gundayao
Caloocan City
Philippines

Move over Li Ka-shing. Across Asia, who doesn't know about Jackie Chan? More people know him than politicians and businessmen. You always focus on them. Entertainers are put aside. Think again, Asiaweek.
"Pendi"
via the Internet
Malaysia

For the sake of fairness and logic, the Power 50 should be divided into two arenas: political and business or professional. This would also avoid embarrassment to those chosen.
Henry Y. W. Fong
Hong Kong

We protest your choice of Velupillai Prabhakaran as one of the 50 most powerful people in Asia. As Sri Lankans we are shocked that you have included in your prestigious ranking a terrorist who has been responsible for so much bloodshed. We are particularly outraged that you say, "Who says ruthlessness doesn't pay?"
Sunari Silva
(and 15 co-signers)
via the internet

Your ranking of Prabhakaran (No. 48) above President Chandrika Kumaratunga (No. 49) was beyond belief. Placing a mass murderer, who is responsible for the assassinations of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa, over the elected leader of the country in which he is on a destruction spree, is disgusting. He is not a power but a disease of Asia.
Asoka Mendis
Kandy, Sri Lanka

We received many letters about the rankings of Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and President Kumaratunga. The Power 50 ranks people by the power they have amassed - by whatever means. Inclusion of a person in the Power 50 does not imply support by Asiaweek.
Editors

Charging the Tigers
Thank you for "Time to Tame the Tigers" [EDITORIALS, June 2]. For far too long the LTTE has pulled the wool over the eyes of the world by falsely crying "genocide" and "racism." The Tigers themselves have carried out ethnic cleansing and massacres in the North and East of Sri Lanka. They do not represent every Tamil. If they did, they would be able to gain their power democratically.
S. Dhanapala
via the Internet

Your EDITORIAL on the Tigers did not point out that the Sinhala government has historically discriminated against the Tamils, and tortured, raped and killed them. One must not shy away from denouncing atrocities, but please be evenhanded by also relating the horrors of Sinhala rule over the Tamils.
Sanji
Barcelona

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