SEAMUS LYNCH,
Sir, - On October 27th, I wonder how many full-colour anniversary supplements and television documentaries will remind us "lest we forget"? We have already forgotten.
On that date in 1998, Hurricane Mitch ripped out the heart of Honduras, resulting in an official death toll of 5,657 - twice that of September 11th last in New York. There is little fear of the event being reverently referred to as 27-10. Last month, millions of Chinese people faced death when the Yangtze river threatened to flood. There was barely a media whisper. The silence is similarly deafening over southern Africa, where 14 million people face famine due to disease and declining health services.
As we prepare to indulge in September 11th commemorations for the next two weeks, we should ask ourselves hard questions concerning why the people of Honduras, China and South Africa are so less worthy of our concern. As in such cases as the death of Princess Diana and the Soham murders, is it merely because human misery has been compiled in glossy, consumer-friendly packages? If so, isn't it time we began to realise the reality of human death - that it isn't meant to entertain or be manipulated for financial gain?
If we are so truly saddened and repelled by an event involving human suffering, let's prove it by sending aid to prevent the next one. - Yours, etc.,
SEAMUS LYNCH, Seaview Park, Portrane, Co Dublin.