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War Heroes' role in peace

The intelligence, strength and knowledge of the security forces and the police are essential to transform the current, temporary peace into a permanent peace. This is one of the most thought-provoking points to emerge from the address made by President Kumaratunga at the National War Heroes' Day commemorative ceremony held in Kandy recently.

While the country is greatly indebted to our armed forces and police for their unrelenting, sacrificial efforts to perpetuate the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka all these years, an equally sacred duty is now cast on them to help turn the present ceasefire into a permanent peace.

Before delving into the latter point, it would be necessary to place on record the immense and immeasurable gratitude of the people of Sri Lanka to the armed forces and police for the monumental hardships and suffering undergone by them in the course of keeping Sri Lanka united and geographically intact.

Very many of them paid the supreme price in carrying out this undertaking. They died to enable future generations of this land to inherit an unfractured, undivided Sri Lanka where all its communities could live in peace and brotherhood. Our grateful thanks then to these brave women and men of the law enforcement agencies who have given their all for the well being of Sri Lanka.

It would be also in the fitness of things to appreciate the services of the Ranaviru Seva Authority which has been serving our law enforcers unobtrusively but dedicatedly.

The Authority has been a great boon to our servicemen and we call for its further strengthening to continue to carry out its duties with sustained effectiveness.

Coming back to the point of a permanent peace, it goes without saying that the law enforcers have observed the terms of the ceasefire with notable diligence. While all has not been well with the other party to the conflict, the security forces and police have kept the peace in exemplary fashion, sometimes under grave provocation. This proves the readiness of the armed forces to establish a permanent but just peace.

It is up to the political leadership of the country to negotiate an honourable peace but we have the assurance of President Kumaratunga that such a task will be achieved while sustaining the independence and unity of Sri Lanka.

The road ahead to peace is bound to be rough but we have ample proof of the discipline and equanimity of our armed forces and police. While many an erroneous view about a negotiated peace is doing the rounds in Sri Lanka, the law enforcers have provided substantial evidence that they would continue to behave exemplarily during the evolving of a permanent peace.

Apparently, they perceive the truth in President Kumaratunga's observation that it is far more difficult to make peace than wage war. The armed forces are indeed leading from the front in not allowing emotion to cloud reason - an important requirement for peace.

The fight against cancer

'Cancer cure breakthrough' is a favourite headline of sensationalist tabloid newspapers. Often, these turn out to be false alarms. In reality, there is still no permanent cure for cancer, but some cancers can be surgically removed successfully. There are also some expensive therapies which most cancer patients and their families cannot afford.

Medical researchers are constantly looking into ways of beating cancer. Their latest hope is so-called targeted therapies, which attack cancerous cells without touching healthy ones. This method is especially being tried on rare and difficult-to-treat cancers.

These targeted therapies are reported to be more specific and less toxic than standard chemotherapy. They can increase survival time and slow disease progression in rare and aggressive cancers.

Roy Herbst, of the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, a leading proponent of targeted therapies, has said that their findings "may lead to improved treatment for more common cancers that use similar pathways to invade and metastasize".

The targeted therapies have become a ray of hope for treating previously 'unbeatable' cancers such as renal cancer. Among the experimental medicines proven to be effective against this cancer is SU11248. Of 63 participants in a study, 15 responded favourably to the treatment and after six months, the cancer had not spread among 14 of them. More drugs are either being tested or are already available on prescription for other rare and difficult to treat cancers.

The availability of potent new drugs and treatment techniques mean that cancers do not necessarily have to be considered as 'terminal' illnesses anymore. Most cancer patients think of their affliction as a death warrant, but recent advances in medicine have given them a new lease of life.

Sri Lankan health authorities should keep an eye on these developments as a considerable proportion of our health budget goes for cancer treatment at the country's only cancer hospital in Maharagama. Another privately-funded hospital is being built.

Many cancer treatments are so expensive that most Third World countries cannot afford them. In the light of recent advances in medicine, developing countries themselves must set up a cancer research network to explore the possibility formulating lower-cost drugs and therapies.

It will take many more decades to fully understand how cancers occur and spread in the first place, leave alone finding a completely satisfactory method of prevention or permanent cure. The medical community must thus continue their efforts to battle this silent killer with greater vigour.

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