Gazza and the law .sx From Mr John King .sx Sir , The " Gazza " case ( reports , May 20 , 21 ) raises an interesting point in the context of sport and the law .sx In certain contact sports such as rugby the referee has a duty to protect players from both others and themselves ; a concussed player can be 'sent off' by the referee and substituted .sx In the play on Saturday it is arguably clear that Mr Gascoigne was in a hyper-excited state as evidenced by his first tackle .sx Had the referee shown the yellow card it is most likely that the player would have modified his mood , especially given his world cup experience .sx This is not to say that the Hotspurs board should now sue the referee for their lost millions , but it is time to remind all arbitrators that they have a duty to protect players from damaging others and themselves .sx Yours faithfully , .sx J.B. KING ( Director ) , .sx The Academic Department of Sports Medicine , .sx The London Hospital Medical College , .sx Turner Street , E1 .sx May 21 .sx Soul contribution .sx From the Reverend Canon .sx A. C. Roberts .sx Sir , The report by Kerry Gill ( May 15 ) concerning the request of the crofters on the island of Foula for the reappointment of a missionary by the Church of Scotland refers to the church seating " about 50 souls " .sx In view of the stated fact that sometimes there were only two islanders at Sunday worships it must be comfort to the pastor to know that 50 souls were also present .sx Or did the two bodies leave room only for an assembly of 48 souls ?sx Yours sincerely , .sx A.C. ROBERTS , .sx Shotton Vicarage , .sx Deeside , Clwyd .sx From Mrs Valery Rees .sx Sir , I always thought it was bodies that required the seats , not souls .sx Perhaps the islanders would be sending missionaries to the church ?sx Yours faithfully , .sx VALERY REES , .sx Conifers , .sx 12 Sandy Lodge Way , .sx Northwood , Middlesex .sx Aid for Bangladesh .sx From Captain D.J. Ellin , RN ( retd ) .sx Sir , Because Bangladesh possesses 40 F6 aircraft , Dr David Le Vay proposes ( May 10 ) that Britain should withhold air to this Commonwealth country suffering from a massive natural disaster .sx The values and fears of the Third World are not always the same as those of the West .sx Recently achieved sovereignty is very precious .sx Military power is universally regarded as its best defence and its very yardstick .sx The crushing superiority of Western arms and technology in the Gold crises have probably reinforced these views .sx If viewed by Western standards , Bangladesh and the other least developed countries lack the economic viability to be independent sovereign states .sx Nevertheless , born in the spirit and by the will of the bulk of the United Nations in the era of decolonisation , that is what they are .sx As such they have the responsibility and right to ensure the security of their territories and people .sx Dr Le Vay considers that " there is no conceivable use " for the F6s .sx It is doubtful if anyone in authority in Bangladesh would agree .sx Throughout its history the country has had to contend with armed insurrection in its hill tracts .sx The fear , distrust and hatred between Hindu and Muslim in the sub-continent , may seem undesirable and irrational to outsiders but they certainly exist .sx Although relations between Bangladesh and India are currently quite good , a number of important mutual problems are still unresolved and many Bangladeshis fear that India has expansionist aims or that their country's freedom of action may be proscribed by India's extensive military power and ambitions as the regional power .sx The possession of some armed forces as a deterrent against such contingencies is believed to be essential .sx The whole question of how impoverished countries can exist economically as independent states is one for which the world has yet to find an answer .sx The creation of a new world economic order has long been a foremost Third World aspiration but nothing approaching a practical suggestion as to what that order should be has yet come forth .sx In its absence the need for economic aid from the affluent nations will persist .sx Yours faithfully , .sx DUNCAN ELLIN , .sx Balnald House , .sx Kirkmichael , Perthshire .sx May 16 .sx Language on air .sx From the Managing Director , .sx Network Television , BBC .sx Sir , Your thoughtful leader ( May 16 ) about the broadcasting of strong language makes many of the same points that underpin the BBC's own guidelines in this area .sx We are alert to public sensitivity over the use of bad language and in the case of feature films ( the subject of a recent study by Mrs Whitehouse's Viewers Association ) there is a careful monitoring procedure that often involves the editing out of bad language where it is judged to be gratuitous .sx This is a rigorous process which also ensures that appropriate decisions are taken about scheduling and the need for pre-transmission announcements about the nature of particular films .sx Many films are rejected as unsuitable for transmission on BBC television in any form .sx Often these same films are available on other television services and from video shops .sx Our 'watershed' policy is based on the belief that parents must take some responsibility for what their children are allowed to view after 9 o'clock .sx We have to bear in mind that more than two thirds of the homes in Britain do not have children and that the adult audience has a right to expect a full range of programmes on BBC1 and BBC2 .sx There are many films which must include strong language if they are to deal with their subject matter realistically and honestly .sx Each film has to be judged on its merits and decisions taken accordingly .sx In the meantime , it is worth placing on record that only four of the 44 BBC feature films listed by Mrs Whitehouse contained the strongest elements of bad language .sx They were all placed after 9pm and preceded by clear warnings .sx And only ten of the 44 prompted any calls to the BBC about language .sx Yours faithfully , .sx WILL WYATT , Managing Director , .sx Network Television , .sx British Broadcasting Corporation , .sx Television Centre , .sx Wood Lane , W 12 .sx May 20 .sx From Mr R.N. Sainsbury .sx Sir , " Theatregoers .sx .. seem not to trouble themselves overmuch about a few four-letter words " you suggest in your leading article .sx Is there any researched basis for this statement ?sx Is it not likely that the strong antipathy to crude language on television extends also to the theatre ?sx Please do not suggest that the buying of a ticket is proof of satisfaction with the product , for one does not hear the language until after entering the theatre - when it then becomes an all too frequent cause of regret at having spent the money and committed an evening .sx Yours faithfully , .sx ROGER SAINSBURY , .sx 88 Dukes Avenue , .sx Muswell Hill , N10 .sx May 20 .sx Service In Punjab .sx .. .sx From Sir John Lawrence .sx Sir , I write to correct an error in your interesting obituary ( May 10 ) of Brigadier Jimmy Green .sx That very distinguished corps , the Piffers , were not the " Punjab Infantry Frontier Force Rifles " but the 'Punjab Irregular Frontier Force Rifles .sx ' I am an honorary Piffer , as the great grandson of Henry Lawrence of Lucknow - as he is known to history , although his life was much more bound up with the Punjab .sx In what sense were they 'irregular' ?sx Only in the sense that they were not bound by the too-stiff rules which applied to the rest of the Indian army .sx In particular , this made it possible for Indians to be given real responsibility as officers , instead of becoming NCOs as the height of their ambitions , and to serve with great distinction .sx The Piffers are now a corps d' e lite of the army of Pakistan .sx They have preserved the traditions which they inherited from the British and have improved them .sx I remain , Sir , your obedient servant , .sx JOHN LAWRENCE , .sx 24 ST Leonard's Terrace , SW3 .sx Widening scope of HIV tests .sx From Dr Robin Russell Jones .sx Sir , The realisation that HIV affects one in 500 women of child-bearing age in inner London , and in some areas one in 200 ( report , May 18 ) is a cause of considerable concern , and should lead to a reappraisal of present medical practice .sx Current policy is for epidemiologists to establish incidence figures rather than identifying infected individuals , which casts them in the role of passive observers rather than active participants .sx The medical profession would like to test patients but cannot do so without informed consent .sx Counselling of patients at risk consumes considerable time and manpower , resources which are unlikely to become more available in the new-style NHS .sx It would , for example , make sense to test all women attending antenatal clinics .sx Even the most ardent right-to-life campaigner cannot be so heartless as to wish for HIV-infected children to be brought into the world when the means to avoid such a calamity are readily available .sx Patients admitted to hospital for major surgery should also be tested , not only to protect medical staff , but because certain elective procedures such as tonsillectomy might be contra-indicated if a patient is found to be immuno-suppressed .sx As a society , we surely have a responsibility to identify HIV-infected individuals , if only so that they and their partners can be made aware of the appalling risks associated with unprotected sexual intercourse , and so limit the spread of the virus .sx At the present time both the government and medical representatives such as the BMA seem intent on burying their heads in the sand , rather than risk criticism from those well-motivated but vociferous interest groups that have made Aids their special preserve .sx Yours faithfully , .sx ROBIN RUSSELL JONES , .sx Cromwell Hospital , .sx Cromwell Road , SW5 .sx A drain on the well of our charity .sx From Mr Frank Kennedy .sx Sir , One of the most treasured and truthful posters in this office , frequently requested by visitors , is that of Dom Helder Camara , former archbishop of Olinda and Recife , remarking :sx " When I give food to the poor , they call me a saint .sx When I ask why the poor have no food , they call me a communist " .sx It is clear that there will be no end to the colossal and unnecessary wastage of human life in so much of the world until that fundamental question has been addressed .sx Oxfam , Cafod ( Catholic Fund for Overseas Development ) , Christian Aid and several other agencies have increasingly been attempting to do that .sx The recent report of the Charity Commissioners on Oxfam ( details and leading article , May 10 ) appears to threaten this vital aspect of the work of these organisations , the ultimate aim of which should , after all , be to render most of their work unnecessary .sx While it is gallingly apparent that today , more than ever , dire emergencies must be met with the 'Band Aid' response of huge relief packages , the recipients' long-term future depends on the achievement of 'sustainable development' .sx This means enabling poor people of Third World countries to work for , and win , the basic human rights and social conditions most of us here take for granted .sx Any consequences of the Charity Commissions' report which inhibit the independent aid agencies from being instrumental in this must be challenged in forthright debate .sx The Christian churches with their close formal or informal links with the agencies , and their traditional emphasis on works of charity , have a clear role to play .sx Yours faithfully , .sx F. KENNEDY ( Fieldworker ) , .sx Archdiocese of Liverpool , .sx Justice & Peace Commission , .sx 152 Brownlow Hill , .sx Liverpool 3 .sx May 14 .sx From Mr Clive Hollands .sx Sir , So-called " compassion fatigue " ( letter , May 6 ) may have other causes than the " expensively-produced " appeals sent out by charities .sx From my own experience of charities over more than 25 years , although I still find the unfailing generosity of the British public almost beyond belief , I cannot imagine that there is a response anywhere in the world that can match the enormous sums raised by media-backed appeals such as Comic Relief , Children in Need and the Telethon .sx However , I would suggest these appeals are perhaps one of the main causes of a drop in income among some charities .sx The more the public respond to their emotional impact and excitement , the less there must be available for weekly , monthly or annual contributions .sx Charities more and more have to rely upon legacies from the dead rather than gifts from the living .sx Yours faithfully , .sx CLIVE HOLLANDS ( Secretary ) , .sx St Andrew Animal Fund , .sx Queensferry Chambers , .sx 10 Queensferry Street , .sx Edinburgh 2 .sx May 10 .sx