For publicity
From Mr. N. Ganwani, Dubai.
It seems from your photo caption (Gulf News, February 12) UAE organisations and associations sending relief to Gujarat are more concerned with publicity than humanity. The picture shows two people holding an Indian Association Sharjah banner over some cartons of relief goods.

A few days ago another picture in Gulf News showed a man carrying a carton with the name of the organisation clearly printed on it. It shows someone wants the world to know how much they are doing. One should not take advantage during such situations.

What about those who worked hard, who donated, who sorted and packed items into cartons and loaded them onto vans? All this involved a lot of time and hard work. What these organisations and associations have done is nothing compared to Indian volunteers in the UAE.

Even many different nationalities have helped. But none wanted the publicity. All they wanted was to make sure the relief reached its destination.

And then…?
From Ms F. Abrar, Abu Dhabi.
I would like to know the plight of the woman who was courageous enough to stand in the way of the bulldozer in the picture in your Middle East section (Gulf News, February 13).

Was she crushed to death like the hundreds of other Palestinians? Or was she forced to move out of the way, as they have been forced to do over so many years? Did she accomplish her objective in stopping the dreadful act, which is her right?

Is it not simpler to just bomb Israel and eradicate them, the way America and its allies are doing in Iraq and trying to suppress Muslims?

No rights
From Mrs. B.T. Ali, Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Aleem ("Right wrong" Gulf News, February 12) stated that "NRIs contribute much to the Indian economy." He knows the truth as to why this is done. "No tax" for gifts, property, banking etc..

India has never begged for help. NRIs give for the welfare of their family in India. They make a big show of what ever is sent and demand publicity as well. The will of the people is the very foundation of democracy; the goal of democracy is the welfare of the people. In order to enjoy the fruits of the Indian constitution you must live in India. Electoral rights depend on one's credentials. If Mr. Aleem was a social worker, he stands a chance. His children may benefit in the field of education, right to vote, resettlement, retirement and so on. There is also a special NRI quota. Special loans are made for NRI/NRE deposits.

NRIs should realise that democracy does not mean the right to vote. NRIs who resist attempts to break up unity may be invited to carry the nation forward on the path of peace, progress and prosperity.

Late delivery
From Mr. S. Ganesh, Dubai.
Much was touted about the success of the India Millennium Deposits (IMDs). A substantial slice came from NRIs in the Gulf. The Indian government is sitting pretty with $6 billion from IMDs. The State Bank of India (SBI) has done itself proud in achieving a record foreign exchange mobilisation.

The SBI promised to dispatch the certificates within three weeks of closing the scheme. It is now almost three months since it closed and NRIs have no information. Apparently the courier company returned the documents to the SBI because telephone numbers of recipients were not provided.

Telephone numbers were not available because the SBI did not ask for them! The courier company and the SBI are arguing who should pay for the return shipment and for the re-dispatch of the documents. The SBI should resolve the matter immediately and advise when we can get the certificates.

Serve all
From Mr. M. Rafiq, Dubai.
With the announcement of the epoch-making gene mapping breakthrough, mankind could be on the verge of remarkable advances in the medical field. Intractable diseases and congenital defects could become a thing of the past in a decade or two.

However this giant leap for mankind could also result in the exploitation of poorer nations if lessons of the past are not learnt. Oxfam, the British charity, has charged some large pharmaceutical companies of waging an undeclared war against poorer countries by denying them vital medicines at reasonable prices.

It is likely the gene mapping breakthrough will similarly result in multinational companies cornering the profits at the cost of the Third World. This could be the time for world leaders to show ethical and equitable distribution of scientific and technological benefits for all mankind.

Not the same
From Mrs. S. Edwards, Dubai.
Deliberately blinding animals to develop artificial eyes for humans is barbaric and unscientific ("A new look at eyes" Gulf News, Tabloid, February 11). If ever a discovery highlighted how little society needs animals to model human disease and disorders, the mapping of the human genome has done just that.

Scientists recently improved or restored patients' eyesight using a technique in which cornea cells grown in the laboratory replaced damaged tissue. They took healthy cornea stem cells from the patient's undamaged eye or from a close relative. What is the justification of continuing to torture animals when techniques exist that are directly relevant to humans?

Complex functions such as visual perception are processed differently in different species. It is erroneous to talk of similarities for similar is not the same. If I were to say that the atmosphere in the next room was similar to Earth's would you go in? If I told you that my lottery numbers were similar to the winning ones would you congratulate me? Stopping animal experimentation will increase resources for bona fide science directly relevant to humans.

Let's sponsor
From Ms D. Suresh, Dubai.
I refer to your Special Report on "Raping the animal kingdom" (Gulf News, February 10). It is shocking to note the illegal trade in live endangered species. What is the use of purchasing these animals when buyers don't know how to take care of them? It is only torture.

Instead of buying such animals, maybe people could sponsor an animal at the zoo or animal care organisations. The zoo could acknowledge such donations by giving free passes to sponsors. I look forward to the day when this illegal trade is halted.

Soon over
From Ms J. Kooijman, Delft, The Netherlands.
Only a 1.2 km cycling track! Who thought of such a pointless waste of money? Who scammed the Dubai Municipality into this pathetic attempt to give cyclists a place to ride?

Why am I so cynical? Well the average cycling speed over a flat paved road is 35 kph. That means cyclists will have covered the 1.2 km in two minutes. To build any sort of fitness they need to cycle a minimum of 45 minutes. That is 20 plus laps.

The word "boring" comes to mind. For those people who want to get into shape and don't want to hurt their knees (often happens with jogging) go to your local gym. Turn on the TV. Put on an interesting programme: happy cycling to all! Put the TV in front of a home trainer (bike) and start cycling! So much more interesting.

Simple solution
From Mr. J. Prior, Dubai.
I read your news item title