Letters: Travel in Indonesia

Sir: In the past The Independent has been famous for offering an ethical stance on its travel pages by refusing to accept freebies and by encouraging tourists not to visit Burma. Yet whilst your front pages and editorials express support for the people of East Timor, your travel pages continue as if nothing untoward was happening (Travel, 18 September).

The British are the sixth biggest group to visit Indonesia. Tourism is Indonesia's third biggest foreign exchange earner. Many of us are disturbed at the lack of ethics in the practise of British foreign policy, and yet we contribute constantly to the undermining of any ethical practise by proving that we are indifferent to it even when it comes to the choice of our holidays.

PATRICIA BARRLETT

Director

Tourism Concern

London N7