On Bali's tolerance

I am writing in response to Putu Yasa's letter of Oct. 23 entitled Disgusted by Bali's tolerance. Despite being confronted most mornings with letters written by the bigoted, the uninformed and the intolerant, I had not, until Putu's letter, been moved to respond.

Putu seems enraged by tolerance: a strange opinion in itself. Perhaps he would prefer to live in a world dominated by the kind of bigotry and hate that led to the attack on Bali; most open- minded people would not.

Throughout his letter Putu refers to "aliens". By this does he mean tourists, or guests, whose dollars support Indonesian families and the Indonesian economy, leading to investment in education, medicine and general infrastructure?

He then goes on to state that Bali has "suddenly allowed itself to belong to foreign governments". Most practical people would see this as positive assistance in the identification of victims and the search for the murderers responsible for their deaths.

Putu further insults the Balinese by referring to them as "servants of these outsiders". I was under the impression that such "servants" are gainfully employed and that that employment provides for the basic needs of many local people.

Bali is then portrayed as a "haven for Javanese prostitutes". Does Putu choose to ignore the hundreds of prostitutes that populate bars, clubs and hotels throughout the country? Such workers are not solely to "satisfy the sexual desire of foreign tourists" as he suggests, but also the urges of local men.

Putu seems to take particular offense at Balinese religious rituals being used "for tourist attractions". Would he prefer the Balinese to exclude any non-Hindus from such rituals and for religion to be used to separate and divide people? Many world religions welcome interest by followers of other religions and do not find such interest a threat or a reason to hate.

Putu ends his letter by stating that Bali is "the face of the Indonesian nation". In my opinion, it is not. Bali, for most foreigners and tourists, is seen as "separate" from the rest of Indonesia: a haven of peace and gentleness amid islands of violence and bigotry.

ADRIAN SWEENEY, Jakarta