Human solidarity

I refer to Bill Andrews' letter (April 7).

All I can say to such generalisations, and without wishing to debate the subtle legal intricacies of human rights law, is that, sadly enough, world politics has not changed that much since 1955. Actually, Mr Andrews, "persecution in war-torn countries" is still an unfortunate reality in our decade.

However, what I do find a "fairly recent phenomenon" is the human being's ability to instantly forget the misfortunes of others once the TV is switched off or the internet news page is shut down, and get back to dinner. Global conflict, whether armed or not, is still very much a reality in our times and those that do not have the courage to admit it should get themselves informed.

The problem of asylum seekers is a problem created by man, which should be solved by man, in a spirit of collaboration, with the least possible impact on human lives. Solutions are not easy, or quick to come by. However, this does not in any way mean that we should accept the mistreatment or neglect of other human beings.