A Trader Who Does Good : LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
International Herald Tribune
October 9, 1997

The recent attacks on George Soros, most notably by the Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, are patent nonsense. Most vile is the attempt to portray Mr. Soros as a reverse Robin Hood, preying on the poor in developing nations to enrich himself.

' While working in Russia last year, I spent some time in Cheboksary, some 700 kilometers east of Moscow, a town devastated by industrial closures and massive unemployment. As a native speaker of English, I participated in a weeklong retraining course for teachers that was sponsored by Mr. Soros.

Teachers from all over the republic packed the classrooms. Their enthusiasm was remarkable and moving. This very modest investment provided an enormous boost to the teachers' confidence and morale and sent them back reinvigorated to share their knowledge with their students.

I wonder how many of the people criticizing Mr. Soros, many of whom enriched themselves during the boom days in Southeast Asia, have used any of their fortunes to help the poor. I hope Mr. Soros continues to profit handsomely from his trading activities. I am sure that others will benefit as a result.

DEREK PROCTOR.

Bangkok.

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