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Hazardous waste
The Cover Story explains clearly why the French warship Clemenceau should not enter the ship-breaking yard at Alang ("Deadly Vessel", February 10). Even if the French government is prepared to take the asbestos in, the risk and hazard will be high for the workers. It is also a question of the rich and developed countries using developing countries as dumping yards of hazardous waste.
A. Jacob Sahayam
Casteist assault
The story on the "casteist assault" clearly indicates that economic independence has awakened Dalits not only in Punjab but all over the country to fight against injustice ("Casteist assault in Punjab", February 10). Dr. B.R. Ambedkar initially believed that social change brought about economical development. Later, he agreed with the Marxist theory that only economic progress could lead to social equity.
Revella Kalyan
Ayurveda
The key question in the Swami Ramdev controversy is whether Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha medicines meet the requirements of law and public health ("In the name of Ayurveda", February 10). The controversy, besides being a blessing in disguise for Swami Ramdev in that his followers reaffirmed their support for him, served as an eye-opener for the government, underscoring the need for stringent regulation. Canada has banned Ayurvedic drugs, while the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are wary of them. Surveys reveal that adulteration of alternative medicines is rampant across India. One study conducted between 2000 and 2002 by the National Pharmocovigilance Centre of the All India Institute of Medical Science reported that 26 per cent of such drugs tested positive for steroids; in the Ayurvedic group, 31 per cent of the samples were found adulterated. Such cynical practices tarnish the image of not only Indian business but also our holistic and philosophically rich medical systems.
Anil Kumar Pandit
Balochistan
The article "A friendly strike" depicted the whimsical attitude of the U.S. (February 10). If the human costs of such irresponsible actions of the U.S. were to be calculated, it would be found to have caused the deaths of far more innocent people than terrorists. It invaded Iraq, toppled its government and is now trying the country's former President Saddam Hussein for killing 143 Shi'ite Muslims. But the Americans have killed many more than that number in Iraq.
S.P. Sharma
Ghent
While travelling through India I always try to read your magazine and I was very happy this time to read the article and see the pictures about Ghent in Flanders where my family lives ("Quiet Grandeur", February 10). It is a city well worth visiting together with other Flemish cities such as Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels. One little correction I would like to make about the crash course in Flemish history. We do not know where Emperor Charlemagne was born about 740 A.D., but Emperor Charlesquint was born and christened in Ghent in 1500.
Alfons Vandenbussche
Foreign policy
In his interesting article on the ethics of realism ("Morality and foreign policy", January 27), A.G. Noorani writes that American neo-conservatives claim to be "realists" who are determined to break from the "idealists" who preceded them. The neo-conservatives, in fact, are staunchly opposed to the `realist' tradition in Republican foreign policy exemplified by the likes of Henry Kissinger and aim to promote American ideals through the use of military force. Arguably, it is the neo-conservatives' idealism which is the most dangerous aspect of their foreign policy.
Srinath Raghavan
Latin America
I refer to Prof. Chaman Lal's comments ("Bolivia"; Letters, February 10). I am amazed at how easily the ideological trap falls in the minds of academics from the other side of the world while trying to explain the present Latin American political phenomenon. To call the newly elected President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, a socialist translates the native interpretation of those who still argue that Allende or Guevara's deaths shall be somehow vindicated by this new wave of neo-nationalist populism in our continent.
Bachelet is far from being a socialist - if what we are discussing now is economics. Should this danger have appeared during the electoral process, Bachelet would easily have lost to the right-wing candidate Pinera. Bachelet shall fully defend the present liberal, open market economic policy that has put Chile in the forefront of economic success in the continent, something that I am sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would like to see happen in India.
President Chavez of Venezuela - who curses permanently the U.S. administration - keeps enhancing Venezuela's vaults with U.S. petrodollars while insisting on exporting a populist formula to the rest of the continent that is resented by other countries, like Argentina and Brazil, in spite of having centre-left governments.
As for Evo Morales, we only need to wait and see whether he really puts into practice his socialist pre-electroal rhetoric: he runs the risk of expelling the significant foreign investment in Bolivia's rich energy resources. Then what? Even the pro-Latin American Repsol has announced its potential escape from Bolivia if nationalisation of resources takes place.
Let us not be confused by this neo-nationalism in the continent.
Gerardo M. Britos
Nostalgia
The article on Radio Ceylon was very interesting, especially for a person like me (I am 37 years old) who grew up with it ("For that old magic", January 27). The real charm lay in the mesmerising styles of legendary Tamil announcers such as K.S. Raja, B.H. Abdul Hameed, Bhuvanalochani Durairajasingam, Mayilvahanam Sarvananda, Rajeswari Shanmugam and so on.
V.S. Raju
Correction: The date of Frontline's Volume 22: No.25 should be read as December 3-16, 2005 and not as printed on the Contents page of the issue.
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