Dear Editor,
It is heartrending to learn about the disappearance of the Air Asia jet and the domestic Guyana aircraft that also vanished without a trace. Tears flow from my eyes watching the news coverage (CNN and BBC and other European channels) on the disappearance of the Air Asia jet as well as reading the Guyana papers on the disappearance of the domestic aircraft in Guyana – lives lost during this festive season bringing sadness to families when people should be celebrating the season.
But unlike Guyana where there is limited news coverage and infrequent updates of the crash, in Europe, where I have been sojourning, I get the latest on the Air Asia disaster every few minutes. CNN International coverage is very different from what one gets in the US. The European and Asian versions are truly international news and not American-centric as is the coverage in the US. And the BBC, unlike FOX or MSNBC, provides first-class coverage of global events; one gets a global perspective from BBC as opposed to say ABC World News which defines the world as the US. BBC and CNN provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the Air Asia crash as compared with American TV stations. In seeing the news on European networks, one can empathize and sympathize with and feel the pain and sufferings of the families of the victims.
The feeling generated on TV is different from, say, reading about the tragedy in Guyana where nothing emotional is on the webpage of the papers. Sorry, nothing on the Guyana crash on the international networks, not even on International Journal news. But my prayers are with the victims and their families of both crashes (presumably the Guyana plane crashed) and I hope they are safe.
I am familiar with the various territories involved in the disappearance of the Air Asia jet and I can relate to the scenes shown on TV. I visited Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia several times. All three countries are influenced by Indian culture with curry being the main cuisine. All three are attractive places with so much history and so many similarities with Guyana.
I can relate to the Air Asia disaster. I flew on the carrier before and several other local carriers several times while in Indonesia. I was also reading a lot about Air Asia’s plan to enter the Indian market.
I experienced the heavy tropical rains that the news referred to while flying over Indonesia. And I flew through heavy thunderstorms in that area on virtually all of my domestic trips. It was frightening and I wished I had not flown in such weather; once the aircraft dipped low very quickly as it avoided heavy clouds. It felt like my heart would fall out and my stomach sank.
I remember Surabaya well having visited it some time ago; the city is famous for the sunrise which attracted my wife. I learned a lot about animal farming which can be emulated in Guyana. But people went to Surabaya to see the sun rise in the mountains. It is a fantastic place to visit. Surabaya is famous for its vegetation, volcano, mountains, lovely Buddha temples, and Buddha structures. People visit to experience a sight of the rising sun. The city is some 13 hours ahead of us in Guyana. It has fine restaurants with cuisine similar to Guyana; many of its fish, fruits and vegetables are similar to what we have in Guyana. I recall eating at one of the restaurants in the mountains overlooking the volcano and that attracted a lot of visitors.
Singapore is one of my favourite countries – excellent foods, fruits, restaurants and places to visit. No airport can match Changi International – voted the best airport year after year. It is a safe airport and it responded quickly to the Air Asia disaster as compared with disasters in Indonesia or the disasters involving the two Malaysian aircrafts earlier in the year. There is virtually no crime in Singapore. It is a no nonsense place. The country is clean as a whistle. It manages its ethnic conflict well; the ethnic groups get along. It is worth a trip.
And Malaysia also has its unique features and many attractions. Its cuisine, fruits and vegetables are similar to those in Guyana. It has similar ethnic problems to Guyana. One simply falls in love with the country with its tall towers, second only to Dubai’s. Malaysia is more modern than Indonesia but Indonesia has more culture; though an Islamic country, it is influenced by Hinduism and the holy Ramayana. Muslims related the story of the Ramayana to me.
In aviation, Indonesian carriers are not known for their safety record. But Air Asia is the safest domestic carrier prior to this incident. Some of the domestic carriers are not very safe and one always reads about aviation disasters in Indonesia. It is for this reason that Garuda Airlines, the Indonesian national carrier was banned from flying into Europe and North America. Aviation and safety is not of the same standard as in the West. But Air Asia is different; it has permission to fly overseas since it follows international standards. But this disaster should not discourage people from flying which remains the safest way to travel. The disaster is weather and not aircraft related.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
