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Persist with peace effort

President Kumaratunga's brief but cogent statement on the aborted attempt on the life of Minister Douglas Devanandan, helps to dispel the gloom and fears the incident has generated in some quarters on the future of the peace process. The peace process would in no way be affected by this development, the President clarified, raising hopes thereby, that the search for peace would continue uninterrupted.

While all evidence points to the fact that the target of the female suicide bomber was Minister Devanandan, this incident was in a category which was entirely different from that in which the peace process could be placed. Accordingly, the peace process wouldn't be derailed by the bomb attack which was aimed at ending an individual life.

As pointed out by Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake earlier, the Colpetty blast was the latest in an years-long series of attempts on the life of Minister Devanandan by his political adversaries. It was in no way aimed at aborting the peace effort.

It is our conviction too that the two developments are qualitatively different. The peace process enjoys an independent existence and should not be seen as linked to the events in the life of political personalities, although we roundly condemn the taking of life for whatever reason.

We believe that top priority should be attached to the continuation of the peace process. It is concrete progress in this endeavour which would put an end to the animosities and tensions which compel some to spill blood. In fact an equitable, negotiated settlement of the conflict will ensure a final downing of arms.

It is reported that some sections of the opposition are raising fears of a return to the era of carnage, massacres and bomb blasts, on the basis of this attempt on the life of Minister Devanandan.

This amounts to cashing-in on an incendiary incident with an eye on immediate political gain. The opposition seems to be forgetting the numerous sporadic killings which were perpetrated even in the metropolis, of intelligence operatives attached to the security forces and the police. All this and more happened when the "peace process" was on. The only difference this time round is that a prominent political personality has been targeted.

Nevertheless, kickstarting the peace process should be now considered of the first importance. It is only a just and negotiated peace which could render bombs and bullets superfluous and needless.

The Colpetty blast should also alert the SLMM to the need to ensure scrupulous adherence to the letter and spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement. Ambivalence on the part of anyone on the terms of the ceasefire could prove perilous. Although individual killings cannot put the brakes on the peace effort, they could sour the atmosphere in which talks are held.

Asia to the fore

Asian scientists are well-placed to take a leading role in the global search for vaccines against emerging diseases after gaining valuable experience from fighting recent health epidemics, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and avian flu, which ravaged many parts of Asia over a couple of years, challenged Asian health authorities and infrastructure to the limit. The response, though slow at first, picked up pace after several deaths shocked the region. Asian doctors raced against the clock to save lives and find therapies for the two diseases which literally sprang up from nowhere to leave a trail of death. SARS killed nearly 800 people last year in an epidemic that mainly affected East Asia, while this year's bird flu outbreak claimed 24 lives.

The very resourcefulness of Asian doctors and medical scientists could give them an edge over researchers in other continents. Another factor is that most Asian governments impose fewer restrictions on medical research compared with other parts of the world. An inability to use stem cells, other heavy regulatory processes and high research and development costs hamper scientists elsewhere.

As David Heymann, WHO's executive director of communicable diseases points out, "SARS and avian flu have shown that there is a place for Asian scientists - there were some top notch scientists who have contributed most of what we know and those scientists were Asians".

There is no guarantee that such 'new' diseases would not spread again. Besides, Asia has many poor countries where 'traditional' illnesses such as malaria, dengue and TB still hold sway. AIDS is also rampant in many parts of Asia. As the world's most populous continent, Asia needs a centralised response mechanism to deal effectively with epidemics and more advanced research facilities.

Hong Kong and Singapore, which already have superb medical facilities, are the obvious candidates for spearheading Asia's campaign against deadly afflictions. Singapore has just taken a step in this direction with this week's opening of the Novartis (the Swiss drugs company) Institute of Tropical Disease Research. Sixty-four researchers from around the world will work at the not-for-profit Novartis institute, which is initially aiming to find cheap treatments for dengue fever and drug-resistant Tuberculosis.

This is a fine example for the kind of synergy between the public and private sectors needed to tackle Asia's health concerns. Most Asian Governments do not have the financial resources to undertake such tasks by themselves. This is where the private sector can come in with their funds and expertise. Such partnerships and closer cooperation among Governments are required to eliminate major diseases from Asia and the rest of the world.

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