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Peace, a two way process

The LTTE pistol gang has struck once again in the East, brutally killing a police intelligence operative. While this places a huge question mark over LTTE claims that it is for peace, Tiger Peace Secretariat chief S. Puleedevan has been quoted saying that the LTTE was "sincere in the peace process".

If the LTTE is for peace it needs to bring its practices in line with its professions. It cannot speak of peace and unleash terror on law-enforcers with whom it has entered into a ceasefire. In fact, such actions are a blatant violation of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government and the LTTE.

Peace is a two way process. By its actions the LTTE seems to be indicating that - as the expression goes - it wants to keep the cake and eat it. If the LTTE is truly desirous of peace it cannot relapse into its killing habit. It would need to cease completely from perpetrating terror if it needs peace.

However, unlike time's past, the UPFA Government is not at all inclined to gloss over the misdeeds of the LTTE. During the two-year tenure of the UNF, the LTTE got away with its terroristic acts in both the North-East and the South. The Government of those times chose to look the other way while law enforcers and opponents of the LTTE were ruthlessly and systematically gunned-down by the Tiger pistol gang.

The UPFA Government, however, chooses to confront the LTTE with these atrocities. It would not only call the LTTE to account but expose its inconsistent conduct to the international community. As Media Minister Reginald Cooray lucidly elaborated: "It does not mean that we are for war but any violation of the Ceasefire Agreement should be highlighted and condemned."

In other words, peace is not pacification. If the LTTE wants peace it would need to act in peaceful ways and uphold the ceasefire. Besides, the Government would be calling on the LTTE to adopt the methods of compromise and cooperation if the conflict is to be ended.

Unlike in the UNF years, the Government would be acting from a position of strength and not from a position of weakness. As Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar explained, the Government is ready to "lock horns" with the LTTE in the negotiatory process.

While the SLMM needs to play a more positive role in getting the LTTE to adhere to the Ceasefire Accord, the Tigers need to remember that they are being watched closely by an international community, which has no truck with terrorists.

As is known, the big powers of the West are clamping down on terror and have outlawed terror groups. In the post-September 11th world, terrorists are a hunted bunch.

While this and other factors may have compelled the LTTE to talk peace it must remember that its every action needs to conform to its "message" of peace.

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Man's Best Friend

Dogs are generally described as Man's Best Friend. Now, a new discovery could bring them even closer to their masters. According to a study published in the prestigious journal Science on Thursday, genetic differences between breeds of dogs could offer a short-cut to discovering which genes cause diseases in humans.

The dogs of a particular breed are much more similar to one another than they are to dogs of different breeds, says study co-author Leonid Kruglyak, of Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. These differences are so distinct that researchers could just feed a dog's genetic pattern into the database and the computer could match it to a particular breed. It is a much more striking difference than is seen among human populations that evolved on different continents.

Dogs, domesticated more than 14,000 years ago, are indeed a peculiar species. Since then, man has artificially created more than 400 breeds of dog with varying genetic profiles. For example, the oldest breeds such as the Afghan, Pekingese, Sharpei, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky and Samoyed are genetically closer to the wolf.

The main benefit of the new study is that it helps us to understand the genetic relationships between breeds, a finding that will facilitate efforts to map disease genes and genes for complex traits.

Each breed represents a group of genetically similar animals that are descended from a very limited number of ancestors. This selective breeding has resulted in an amazing variation between breeds with respect to weight, size, head shapes, coat, ear shape, behaviours and diseases.

Now that the human genome has been mapped, scientists can accurately pinpoint genes that could cause diseases. Man shares some genes with even the most basic organisms, but genetic similarities rise as we go up the evolutionary ladder. Mammals, including man and dog, have many common genes. Studying them extensively could benefit mankind.

Critics may frown at the use of genetic engineering, but there are obvious advantages. If scientists can 'turn off' a gene that could potentially lead to a congenital defect, so be it. Studying the genetic profiles of other mammals can greatly help efforts to understand our own rogue genes and take counter-measures.

Talking of genetic engineering, at least one enterprising company is already offering a 'repli-cat' cloning service for cats. Dog owners will have to wait one more year to get a living copy of their beloved mutt, but it will certainly be worth the wait. And knowing that dogs hold the key to many genetic mysteries will make it even more satisfying.

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