Iraq bids farewell to a legend

Readers discuss violence, self-determination and the death of Jalal Talabani

Jalal Talabani was 83. EPA

I refer to your article, Iraq bids farewell to former president Jalal Talabani, who died in Germany aged 83 (October 4). The demise of Talabani is a great loss for his community. He was renowned for his focus on self-determination. His struggle for the rights of the Kurdish community was laudable. There is no doubt that his loss will be felt for years to come.

K Ragavan, India

Kurds and Catalonians have taken rash decisions

In reference to Rashmee Roshan Lall's article, Why do secessionist movements rarely gather international support? (October 4), much of what she says, indeed, corresponds with today's pleas for secession. Almost all outcomes and births of new nations are stained with blood. The question is not whether "to secede or not to secede", but rather, whether or not to "survive and thrive". I plead with Catalonian leaders to heed the international pressures and economic conditions before implementing a divorce from Spain. The same piece of advice applies to Kurdistan's leaders. I wish those leaders would ponder their actions and their outcomes. I see that the solution is more integration  by the Spanish and Iraqi authorities. Such authorities should devise programmes that help people from marginalised groups and populations feel less ostracised. In essence, referendums are a means of protesting policies that marginalise minorities.

Moe Kasem, Dubai

Repercussions of nursing training shortages felt now

I refer to your article, More Emirati nurses needed, says Seha allied group director (September 29). There aren't enough Emirati nurses because until recently, there have not been enough accredited nursing courses affordably available. People weren't able to complete nursing training here, so they would have to study abroad. Most people are wise enough not to make the decision to spend more money on university than you could ever earn in the profession you are training for. The issue here is that training hasn't always been available, and as such, we are now trying to play catch-up in training enough people for the positions available.

Ela Jayne, Abu Dhabi

One murderer is gone, but many more live among us

This refers to the article, A hundred shots at a time ... it just went on (October 3). This tragedy shows the extent of man-made atrocities of which the ultimate victims are innocent souls. Sporadic acts of terror are a continuous threat to our lives. If anything, this latest mass shooting proves that anti-social psychopaths are among us in abundance and that it is becoming all the more difficult to identify them.

Since the murderer has killed himself, the task of finding out how the attack was planned will be difficult. The sole individual responsible for causing so much carnage has, himself, escaped facing up to his deeds in this life.

Still, the most worrying aspect of all this is that such people still have access to weapons. To top it off, the world has thousands of nuclear devices active in different locations, and although supposedly locked up in highly secured places, just their very existence is cause for concern and a very disturbing prospect to ponder.

While every tragedy teaches governments new lessons, very little has been done to stop atrocities, large and small, against humanity.

Ramachandran Nair, Oman