No justification for rape

In his Dec. 17 article, Ethnic statistics negate humanity, Mr. Alphonsus Sirait mentions that I "seem(s) to justify the rapes of Chinese women and girls and any wrongdoing against Chinese by alleging that the Chinese business community is very corrupt..."

I do not at all think that corruption justifies rape, and I never wrote this. Rape is indefensible and abhorrent. Period. But compassion for rape victims who are Chinese should not, I think, have a chilling effect on people's criticism of corruption, whether that corruption is in the Chinese community, the pribumi (indigenous) community or the expat community.

DONNA K. WOODWARD

Medan, North Sumatra