Dear Editor,

This letter is in reference to the unsigned opinion slipped into the "Letters"

segment of the October 27 edition of the Post.

The caption under the photo of the Youth Club pool stating that the 50 meter Youth

Club pool is a "pool open to the rich" is both false and runs contrary

to both the substance and intent of my letter which ran alongside the photo.

Such a caption next to a reader's letter submitted to you in good faith would surely

have had a deterrent effect on readers potentially interested in my letter's message.

Indeed, the title you chose for the letter, "Save the Youth Club" was itself

misleading and inappropriate. "The USA poised to usurp priceless Phnom Penh

sports site" would have been much more accurate.

We hear much about America's quality of life, but how much does the USA care about

our quality of life in Phnom Penh?

The US Ambassador indicates he has the culture to clearly conceive the negative impact

that the proposed US Embassy at Wat Phnom will have on Phnom Penh's urban planning

and future development if the Embassy proceeds with its plan to acquire the Youth

Club site.

There are three billion people in Asia, 1.5 billion under 25 years old, and half

a billion categorized as "middle-class" by the West. The Youth Club site

principally addresses the needs of the young and aspiring middle classes, not "the

rich".

Does the Phnom Penh Post wish to perpetuate the stereotype of "poor Cambodia"

or pretend that only the poor can have valid causes?

Are we to bear crosses of guilt because we spend US$50 a month for physical culture?

Finally, considering the nature of the subject, it might be pertinent this time to

retain the qualification appended to the signature of my original letter.

- Damien Morrison, Australian Institute of Sports, Center Management (AISCM),

Diploma holder

Phnom Penh