'No' to sex trade

THAI Acting Consul-General Srirat Vathesatogkit tries very hard to defend her country by casting aspersions on The New York Times reporter's story on child prostitution in Thailand (Sunday Morning Post, April 17). I sometimes read Marlise Simons' articles and find her reports balanced. She certainly could not have invented the facts or the pictures in her piece.

As a former resident of Thailand, I know very well prostitution there is commonplace. It seems incredible a Buddhist country allows its women and children to be prostituted in such large numbers. It is taken for granted girls from poor families can be sold into prostitution.

No amount of excuses by Thai diplomats about the despicable prostitution of their women and children can erase this dreadful image of that country. Ms Vathesatogkit should be expressing outrage, not at truthful reports, but at the fact her sex goes on being degraded. ELSA MORALES Central