More people commit suicide

More people commit suicide

It is a sad indicator of a society in trouble when the number
of people who kill themselves grows higher.

A recent case of suicide was that of pregnant house-wife,
Eriani Adriani, 26, over a Rp 2.9 million debt.

A 12-year-old student living in Garut, West Java, tried to
kill himself because his parents couldn't provide Rp 2,500 for an
additional school-subject -- handicraft. He was saved, but
suffers from brain damage.

A patient of the Jakarta Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital jumped
from the fifth floor of the hospital to her death, as she was
unable to afford her treatment.

Suicide is apparently not just the "way out" for poor people,
as Marimutu Manimaren -- the younger brother of the boss of
Texmaco Group -- also killed himself by jumping from a hotel
balcony.

People from various social backgrounds and ages commit suicide
out of desperation. From the above, we can conclude that the
victims were all experiencing financial problems.

Suicide is not an individual symptom. It is a social trend,
and a very serious problem. Social cohesion has become rare,
forcing people to solve their own problems.

The victims' financial problems existed because of the
country's prolonged crisis; not their conundrums.

It's time for the government to deal with the problem, by,
among other things, improving social welfare and rebuilding
social cohesion, which has been corroded by individualism and
materialism.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta

;AFTENPOSTEN;
Anpak..r..
OtherOp-India-Pakistan
Bombay bombing and India-Pakistan ties
JP/06/

Bombay bombing and India-Pakistan ties

So far, no one has taken responsibility for the terror action
in the Indian city of Bombay in which about 50 people lost their
lives and 150 were seriously injured. It can therefore only be
pure speculation about who was behind it, even though India
authorities already pointed to militant Islamic organization
Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in Pakistan. ...

Lashkar-e-Taiba is one of two terror organizations fighting
for a free Kashmir, and has strong indirect support from
Pakistan. ...

Pakistan was quick to condemn the Bombay bomb, which was aimed
at innocent civilians. At first, India accepted the condemnation.
But yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, known as
a hawk in foreign policy, said Pakistan's declaration would not
be credible unless the country turns over 19 people that India
wants for terrorism.

It is hard to say whether that statement signals a harder
Indian line that could torpedo the difficult peace process Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee put his prestige behind. ... If
that dialogue breaks down, the consequences will be great.

-- Aftenposten, Oslo, Norway

The recall and special interests

Remember California's do-nothing Legislature, the hapless body
that couldn't pass the state budget for months and didn't fix
anything when it finally did?

The Oct. 7 recall election has made those days a thing of the
past. ... Suddenly, legislators are ready to get to work, and
work hard, to crank out legislation at breakneck speed.

In total, Gov. Gray Davis stands to sign or veto as many as
1,300 pieces of legislation - that's more than 10 for every
member of the Legislature - before his Oct. 7 judgment day.

And it's judgment day that drives the frenzy. Special
interests of all kinds - business, labor, attorneys and more -
know that Davis is desperate for campaign cash and so is everyone
else.

...(T)he special interests see this time as a going-out-of-
business sale - everything must go, no reasonable offer refused.
This is their chance for once-in-a-lifetime bargains, deals that
won't still be around should the state come under new management
on Oct. 8. ...

Because business in Sacramento is done with a wink and a nod -
rather than a quid and a quo - it's impossible for anyone to
prove any actual wrongdoing except for those foolish enough to
get caught on tape. But the signs are everywhere, and 1,300 new
laws from now, it's doubtful that the lot of average Californians
will be any better....

-- Daily News, Los Angeles

Shipyards

The closing of the Van der Giessen De Noord shipyard is a bad
business.

Not only is it bad for the 400 people who will lose their
jobs, but also bad for the Netherlands: a piece of history and
expertise will be lost.

The shipyard ran into financial problems in part because of
competition from countries that pay their workers less. That's a
market force that the ship building industry can't escape.

Worse is the accusation that other countries - especially
other countries in Europe - unfairly subsidize their shipyards.

The European Union should investigate this charge.
-- De Telegraaf, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Shuttle report

The seven astronauts who perished with the Shuttle Columbia on
Feb. 1 could have been saved. NASA does not do enough for the
safety of its men. These are the conclusions reached by a panel
of experts charged with determining who was responsible for the
accident.

It is a very harsh accusation brought against the American
space agency. The defense is as expected: it was impossible to
foresee that the small damage to the heat shield tiles would be
fatal.

It will be a long debate. What is certain is that NASA is no
longer the organization that made us dream at the time of the
lunar missions.

In the Sixties, space exploration had similar goals to
military research and commanded almost unlimited resources. This
is no longer the case.

Paradoxically, as space travel becomes routine, the adventure
becomes more dangerous. Of course there's no such thing as a zero
risk, but the real question is one of conscience. Did NASA really
do everything that was humanly possible? Isn't it time for
certain senators in Congress to examine their consciences as they
suggest patching up old shuttles instead of investing in new
development? -- La Stampa, Turin, Italy