do-gooders - are they?

Dear Editor
With reference the letter "Envoys state their case on Syria", I was quite perplexed to see the two envoys voiced out their protests on the editorial of ST, trying to state that indeed, their heads of state and the other heads of state who supported the UN security Council Resolution on Syria were do-gooders with no hidden agenda.
If so, please enlighten people like me on:
1. Why no word of censure and sanctions in the UN from these do-gooders on Bahrain when the regime suppressed the riots brutally with fatalities with the help of foreign troops.

2. Why no word of censure and sanctions in the UN from these do-gooders when some of the gulf countries' treatment of women is far below any human right norms?

3. "People should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to the streets and to make them safe for the law abiding," "This is criminality pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated." Who spoke these words? None other than Mr Cameron after the London riot. What did he mean when he said, "do everything necessary... it has to be confronted and defeated...."? If the rioting escalated, would he then resort to more brutal means(even send in the commandoes, the army) to squelch the riots? And when other countries did what they thought was necessary to bring in the rioters, they were being labored as a REGIME suppressing its "innocent" people. Is there a tinge of double-standardness and hypocrisy in these different discourses?

4. The latest Koran burning incidence in Afghanistan has also incurred fatality on the parts of the innocent Afghans, the voices of censure of the insensitive act and the subsequent use of force to control the riots were feeble at best. Why?

The world is not just black and white - that I know very well. I was surprised these two gentlemen from Europe still thought that we were living in the world of yester-year, where the West exerted ideological and materialistic dominance over the East; whatever the West proposed, counted. And I was more surprised that they couldn't even restrain their urge to stamp their superiority on a local newspaper's opinion piece over a controversial(at least in this part of the world)current-affair issue. Are they expecting to be invited to write the editorial of our newspaper?

Thanks,



THE editorial ('Syria veto: No heroes, no villains'; Feb 8) described the deep international concern over the 'pogrom' in Syria. But it also accused those who castigated Russia and China, for vetoing the proposed UN Security Council Resolution, of false indignation, and went on to refer to our two countries, along with the United States, as 'self-proclaimed do-gooders'.


The resolution supported Arab League efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria and called for an immediate end to all violence. It did not impose any sanctions, nor did it authorise military action. There was nothing in the draft to warrant Russia and China's veto.


Russia and China faced a simple choice: Would they support Syrians and the Arab League or not? They decided not to, and instead sided with the Syrian regime and its brutal suppression of Syrians.


Our efforts, and those of the vast majority of the international community, to bring an end to the violence will continue. On Feb 16, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to back the Arab League's plan for a Syrian-led solution. The resolution, which explicitly endorsed the Arab League Plan, was co-sponsored by 72 countries and supported by 137 assembly members, including Singapore. Only 12 voted against.


This sent a clear signal of the international community's condemnation of the Syrian regime's actions and intention to hold to account those responsible for the ongoing atrocities. The message is unambiguous. The killing must stop immediately.


The chances of it happening are lessened by accusing those who are seeking to achieve it of false motives which only gives succour to those in the Syrian regime responsible for these acts.

Antony Phillipson


British High Commissioner, Singapore

Olivier Caron


Ambassador of France to Singapore