(Thursday July 30, 1998)
The Mail Sabotaged My Birthday

Recently I received a package with the mail; a birthday present from my parents in Holland. Some authority or maybe the Post Office had opened the package. There was no statement. The wrapping paper of a small box of Belgian chocolates was ripped off and one side ripped open.

I don't know why. Sure I can understand that some packages are being opened if there's for some reason to think the contents are unlawful, but apparently they open packages completely at random. Paranoia can't be an excuse to damage a person's integrity.

It's shameful the Post Office opens mail without any notification and without the least effort to restore the contents to its original form. These are also the wonderful open borders of the European Community.

Dennis Rodie

(Friday July 31, 1998)
The Customs Opened Your Present

Answer to Dennis Rodie who received a package from Holland that was opened.

The heading indicates that the Post Office sabotaged the birthday by opening the package.

Letters and packages to private persons within the EU are never opened by the Post Office.

When it comes to reclamations to the handling, I suggest that the writer of the letter contacts the customs for appropriate information.

Lena Rydenstam
Post Office Communication

(Thursday October 15, 1998)
The Customs reads letters

In June a letter of mine was published in AN, about how a package that was sent from Holland was opened and partly destroyed. The package was not marked with any notification whom had opened it and why.

Recently I received a letter, also from Holland, and again was opened, this time with a sticker that said the letter had been opened and searched by the Swedish Customs. A normal letter, not even a package. Is this really legal? Are authorities allowed to open ordinary letters as they please? What do they hope to find in an ordinary letter? Is it okay with Swedish society to have their authorities invade in the citizens' private lives any way they want? Who is the biggest threat then?

Dennis Rodie

(Thursday September 23, 1999)
Mystical Events Around Letter

Last year two letters of mine were published on AN's page 'My Opinion'. Both times it was about mail (a package and a letter) that had been opened, apparently by the customs.

Now my girlfriend and I have moved and we receive our mail through Adressändring's forwarded mailing.

Again something strange has happened to me. July 8^th we received an envelope from Adressändring, that contained one letter to my girlfriend.

The strange thing is that both my name and my girlfriend's name were written on the envelope, something that has not happened before or after this day if there wasn't a letter for me, too.

A mistake you may believe, but there's one detail that convinces me that this unknown letter actually existed but never reached me.

On the envelope it says 'Rodie voor Dennis', handwritten and because my name is Dennis Rodie and 'voor' means 'to' in my native language, it seems that someone copied my name from a letter and wrote it on the envelope but forgot to put the letter inside!

After contacting Adressändring, they told me that my old post office has the responsibility to forward my mail.

My letter to the post office in Kortedala has not been answered. Who can tell me where my letter went?

Dennis Rodie