Comment on "Mark my words" (China Daily, May 31)

I welcome the condemnation of 14-year-old Ding Jinhao for inscribing his name on a Pharaonic cartouche at the Luxor Temple in Egypt. The Chinese people and media have admirably chosen to expose and condemn this act of juvenile delinquency.

Although his act cannot be defended, Ding's handiwork is part of a long and unfortunate tradition of defacing Egypt's monuments. The oldest vandals were the newly anointed Pharaohs who rubbed off the faces of the statues of their hated predecessors so that they wouldn't be remembered. The Greeks and Romans both imprinted their visits to Egypt by inscribing their names and dates on artifacts. Members of archeological and scientific teams in Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt did the same.

The outcry against Ding should be a timely reminder to visitors to respect relics and artifacts and report destructive behavior to the authorities. More importantly, authorities should use the incident to tighten security at historical sites.

JOSEPH TING, via e-mail

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