Intervention of outsiders will not solve Syria crisis

A reader urges people to show more sensitivity to tragedies like the disappearance of the Malaysian airline flight. Other topics: rents, road safety, Syrian crisis, underpasses

A reader lashes out at those showing lack of understanding over the Malaysian plane tragedy. Kim Christian / AFP

The opinion article Russia kept Assad in power, but now it’s stuck with him (April 3) mostly focuses on the power struggle between Russia, western and regional countries, but it undermines the rights of the Syrian people.

I believe that the security and stability that Russia and many western countries seek in Syria will not be achieved by providing political, military and financial backing to either the Syrian army or the insurgents.

Only the people of Syria should decide Bashar Al Assad’s fate and Syria should have an election under the watchful eyes of independent monitors in which political parties will freely participate.

Intervention by outside powers in others’ internal affairs hasn’t helped to improve the situation in Egypt, Libya or Iraq.

I think sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rights of citizens of every country should be respected to avoid unpredictable consequences.

That said, no country should protect Mr Al Assad or the opposition for selfish gains, such as selling arms or maintaining naval bases and other strategically important installations in Syria. That reflects a Cold-War mentality.

Gaye Caglayan Budak, Abu Dhabi

Rent rises upset family set-ups

The increases in house rents in Sharjah came as a shock for many tenants.

My house rent was suddenly increased by 51 per cent recently. The majority of expatriates who have families here already live in tight conditions as prices of commodities are increasing. Such an exorbitant increase in house rents makes life even more difficult.

I know many people who are taking bank loans to fulfil their commitments. There are many who borrow from illegal lenders at very high interest rates. But in the long term, many of them end up in deeper financial trouble.

With no sign of respite, many expatriates will be compelled to send their families back home.

If the authorities put a cap on rent increases after every three years, it will be of great help for thousands of people who are living in Sharjah, which is considered to be an ideal place to stay for middle-income people.

KV Shamsudheen, Sharjah

Time to monitor road offenders

I refer to the news article Road safety poses its own kind of threat in the UAE (March 31). Maybe it is time to start monitoring road offenders by installing blue key technology in cars. This system is used by Adnoc to monitor the driving performances of employees in the field. The system transmits details of the date and the kilometres travelled and of any speeding, to a monitoring service.

Adopting this facility would enable the police to deal at leisure with persistent offenders simply by reading a monthly statement of vehicle use.

Presumably, the system could incorporate a shut off facility to prevent the vehicle from being started up so as to prevent its use for a period of suspension. Nothing will get the attention of persistent offenders more than finding that their vehicle has been immobilised by the police.

Name withheld by request

Insensitivity over tragedy appalling

I wonder how people can be so insensitive to tragedies.

A few days ago I found a video posting on Facebook saying the Malaysian plane MH370 has been found. When I looked for the news on the web, I found out that it was a hoax. What would be the condition of the relatives of the victims if they had seen it? This is not the only instance.

Last week British Airways had to say sorry for an advert encouraging people to fly to the Indian Ocean. Also, the former Alaska governor Sarah Palin said that the plane might have flown so high that it reached heaven.

I wish people had shown more understanding and common sense.

Manish Sharma, Dubai

Capital’s energy efforts laudable

I appreciate Abu Dhabi Municipality’s efforts to reduce energy consumption (New lights at the end of Abu Dhabi tunnel, April 2).

However, one hopes that along with LED lights the authorities will also consider installing more surveillance cameras to monitor children, who often play dangerously in underpasses, as well as other suspicious activities.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi