Sir

We read with interest your article on August 22 2008 about the expected increases for taxi fares in Sofia by .05 leva to .06 leva a km from September 2008).

Our daughter and her boyfriend came to visit us last week from the UK.  On arriving in Sofia, they caught a taxi from the airport to the central bus station, as we instructed them.  We also told them to walk out the airport to the right, to the taxi ranks, and to avoid the “taxi touts” that pester British people arriving at the airport.

Usually the taxi fare is about 10 leva, maybe 12 leva, but no more.  We were horrified to learn they were charged 30 leva and that the taxi driver informed them that his metre was broken!   We were not happy, and suggested to our daughter, that on their return to the UK, when they acquire a taxi from the bus station to the airport, they offer no more than 15 leva.  But to our utter horror, they were charged 57 leva, and presented with a receipt from the taxi driver.  Although they challenged the taxi driver, they felt obliged to pay as he showed them some chart which stated that the taxi fare was 3.56 leva a km.

We have heard of many similar instances where British visitors to Sofia are charged inflated prices.  This practice is helping to give Bulgaria a very bad reputation and many Brits now refer to Bulgaria as “Rip-off Bulgaria” and state that they will never return here.

We do not understand why the authorities do not clamp down on this dishonest practice as clearly, in the long term, it will have a very damaging effect on Bulgaria’s economy, as fewer will people travel here, for either holidays or to re-locate here.
 
Yours faithfully
 
John and Linda Webb
Elena,
Bulgaria 

Sir

A recent article in the National Review Magazine questioning why the world and United States allowed the genocide in Darfur to be so terrible and happen does not have an easy answer in terms of actions and reactions to such a conflict.

When foreign countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia and Rwanda suffer genocides, the political, social, economic, political and policy costs and challenges are so large as well as the level of realistic positive outcomes so costly that the main reason genocides are not ended by the US or other countries is usually that they are just to difficult to end, as well as the reason that there are many politicians who are selfish about their own and their nations’ concerns that they do not support action or allowing actions that would help stop the killings and destruction of genocides.

 It is unfortunate that such genocides happen, and time and time again our nations’ leaders continue to not be able to halt the massive death and torturing of the world’s most violent places. When will our politicians learn that death and destruction have such high costs that the United States’ inability to make and further policies to prevent and stop genocides needs to be addressed?
 
Kevin Beck
Las Vegas,
Nevada