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Cooperate for peace

It shouldn't surprise Sri Lanka that cooperation and united action are being recognized by the international community as crucial keys to this country's recovery from the tsunami-triggered destruction and for its future survival and prosperity.

In fact the long years of war and bloodshed in this country testified to the dire consequences of not building bridges of amity and friendship across ethnic, religious and linguistic barriers. Sectional and narrow, parochial interests were allowed to take precedence over the national interest. The result was continuous strife and war.

Three years have elapsed since the launching of the Ceasefire Agreement between the Government and the LTTE and we could be glad that at least the guns have fallen silent in the North-East. But ethnic peace in the truest sense of the word is yet to dawn and this could only happen when the main parties to the conflict decide to share power on the principle of equality.

Over the past two decades or more, the parties to the conflict hardly came to know each other. They had little or no opportunity to interact with each other and know each other closely. As a result, distrust and suspicion drew them apart. Small wonder that we do not have peace in the true sense of the word, although the ceasefire is holding.

It is against this backdrop that the impact of the tidal wave destruction needs to be assessed. There is growing recognition that the tragedy is a blessing in disguise. For, it has opened the doors to cooperation across the ethnic divide and as former US President Bill Clinton reminded us; "It is easy to resolve differences between parties when they are working together on specific things".

He supported this important point by drawing on the positive effects of cooperation in Northern Ireland and the Middle East - two seemingly intractable conflicts which are today showing proof that they are resolvable.

Likewise in Sri Lanka, cooperation among parties to the conflict, in particularly tsunami rebuilding, could bring a greater sense of unity among them and prepare a conducive climate for working out a solution.

It would have come as a pleasant revelation to those backing peace in Sri Lanka that President Kumaratunga had occasion to mention the following to the visiting former US Presidents: "The LTTE too was cooperative in the distribution of aid at the district level relief committees".

Here's proof of the positive atmosphere acts of cooperation could generate among the parties to Lanka's conflict. We fully endorse the view that the Government and the LTTE should use the present devastation as a springboard for unity and cooperation.

Mutual help in rebuilding is certain to soften hearts and minds and lay the basis for a negotiated settlement of our conflict.

Going by the observations of the two former US Presidents, Sri Lanka seems to have given a good account of itself in the post - tsunami recovery process. We need to now make a role model of ourselves by working unitedly towards peace.

New anti-terror weapon

We tend to think that so-called Cosmic Rays could have no earthly uses, but this is not strictly true. Cosmic rays are present everywhere - it is just a matter of using them in the right way. Now, scientists have perfected an ideal use for these rays.

Cosmic ray detectors, already used to look into the great Cheops pyramid in Egypt, could be enlisted to peer into cargo holds in a bid to prevent possible terror attacks. The detectors read muon particles, which are more powerful than gamma or X-rays. Unlike X-rays, however, cosmic rays are not harmful at all.

The widespread use of cosmic ray detectors could be only a few years away, as prototypes have already been built. A million-dollar muon detector could scan a truck in 20 seconds or a shipping container in a minute.

The device measures the muon's path and energy as it comes in, and as it comes out the other side, of an object, such as a container. Comparing how much energy it loses and how much it diverged from a straight line as it passes through allows a computer to sketch the object inside. Because the muon is so powerful, it can penetrate plutonium, uranium and lead, as well as steel and aluminum.

Even as law enforcement agencies improve detection methods, terrorists are getting smarter, smuggling explosive devices in unconventional ways. Moreover, the very heavy volume of goods traded throughout the world ad the very large number of air travellers mean that it is virtually impossible to check goods and people minutely.

Cosmic rays would peek into the millions of shipping containers and baggages around the world. They can detect even nuclear materials wrapped in lead, the "ultimate fear" of law enforcement officers. With clear evidence of a clandestine trade in nuclear secrets, there is a real possibility that a terrorist group would attempt to smuggle a crude nuclear device to a pre-targeted country.

The need for cosmic rays becomes apparent when considering the glaring fact that less than five per cent of goods containers are thoroughly checked either at the point of origin or the destination.

Along with cosmic rays, scientists are also relying on T-Rays, (emissions between infra-red and microwaves) which can see through clothing, plastic and packaging well enough to identify explosives, guns or even biological weapons accurately.

They can penetrate bad weather, dust or smoke and even detect diseases like cancer. As T-Rays are low energy, they can be used safely around people and sensitive equipment. These new technologies are certainly giving a ray of hope to security authorities around the world.

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