The tragedy of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 is that it fell victim to an undeclared act of terror. In this connection, a moot question that perplexes a sensible mind is: who was involved? A state actor or a non-state actor? According to analysts, very few states have such a strike capability as it needs a synchronised missile-launching system with radar monitoring. As Russia denies its involvement, could it be the rebels in Ukraine? The prospect of a non-state actor acquiring such a stature becomes all the more alarming, especially as the Malaysian government appears to have brokered a deal with the Ukrainian separatists (July 22). How long will it be before another non-state player conducts an act of terror, this time using nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction? It is time the world gave this serious thought, going by the way ISIS, Hamas and others are asserting their clout.
Anil K. Mohapatra,Bhubaneswar
At the international AIDS conference in Melbourne, the mood is sombre. All speakers at the opening ceremony paid tribute to the AIDS researchers and activists who were passengers on MH 17. The senselessness, cruelty and disregard for human rights demonstrated by the perpetrators of this act was likened to the treatment still being meted out to millions of HIV-infected and affected people worldwide. In too many countries, regressive laws perpetuate and condone violence and discrimination against sexual minorities as well as people living with HIV. Research on HIV reservoirs and better understanding of immune responses allow us to look forward to a “cure” or “long-term remission” one day. Even as we mourned the victims of the terrible air crash tragedy, the 14,000 delegates at the conference rededicated themselves to the goal of eliminating HIV by 2030.
Soumya Swaminathan,Chennai
