I couldn't agree more with the gist of the article 'Why do we need tanks?' (#145). As a former military man myself, I can tell you that a country does not ensure its security by amassing military hardware-especially when the threat is an internal insurgency. The answer is for the rulers in Kathmandu to make sure that all Nepalis have equal opportunities, no one is left out, everyone has enough to eat, has affordable and proper health care, decent jobs and a decent livelihood. And for hard-working and generous people like Nepalis (it's only the governing elite in Kathmandu which is lazy and selfish) that is not such a tall order. Tanks and helicopter gunships will just fatten some arms merchants, make the military more macho and ensure that in future we kill our own brothers and sisters more efficiently.

GB Thapa,
Hong Kong

. Thank you for 'Why do we need tanks?'. It seems things in Nepal are just as bad there as elsewhere. I wonder what the army is going to do with the tanks and helicopter gunships. The soldiers probably need better boots and food.

R Thapa,
Texas, USA