Sir, – China's kind treatment of a herd of roaming elephants begs the question: why? ("China's wandering elephants on the move again after day's rest", World, June 9th).
While these wild elephants are permitted to cause significant damage and disruption, the 100 million followers of the peaceful Falun Gong movement are still subject to persecution. Chinese state media covers the elephants’ activities in great detail while ignoring the two million or more innocent Uighur Muslims imprisoned in concentration camps.
Perhaps last week’s statement by China’s president Xi Jinping holds a clue to this paradox. Mr Xi told party officials that it was now important to present an image “of a credible, lovable and respectable China” to the world.
Is it a coincidence that the story of the elephants then took off? – Yours, etc,
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KARL MARTIN,
Bayside,
Dublin 13.