Date:05/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/05/stories/2007070551261003.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

USS Nimitz

The protests by the Left parties against the anchoring of U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the Chennai port must be viewed in the context of Washington’s aggressive policies towards militarily weaker nations, intimidating them into subjugation. Allowing American warships to berth in our ports is tantamount to supplicating before its muscle flexing. No amount of theatrics in the form of cleaning and other such acts can absolve the U.S. of its crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and many other nations.

Kasim Sait,
Chennai

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Till recently, our governments and NGOs showcased our poverty to the western world. Now it is the turn of the tsunami-affected hamlets of Tamil Nadu to be showcased — two years after the government claims to have rehabilitated the people affected by the killer waves. Those who organise such trips should keep in mind the sensitivities of self-respecting Indians before inviting westerners to undertake acts of generosity such as operation clean-up on the Indian soil.

Badri Seshadri,
Chennai