LETTER: Questioning the values of the UN Conference on Women

From Ms Thalia Campbell

Sir: Today I returned from the NGO conference in Peking and I have listened to and read the media reports. Was I at the same event?

The Chinese I met were courteous and welcoming; the hotels were luxurious. The only time I felt the slightest apprehension was in Tiananmen Square, but that only lasted minutes.

At Huairou, there were volunteers in every lecture space. They took us where we wanted to go, helped us find our way, helped with the technical equipment and most of them could speak English. They were school children or students, and explained to us that the concept of being a volunteer was new to them. At the registration office, where we regularly took taxis, there were English-speakers who made sure the meters were on and the drivers knew where we wanted to go. At every cafe and restaurant we were treated with delight and enthusiasm when they saw our NGO badges.

Can you imagine 30,000 Chinese women in London unable to speak English being cared for so well?

Yours sincerely,

Thalia D. Campbell

Borth, Dyfed