Madam, - We are busy congratulating ourselves that the Indian Ocean tsunami was, at least, not a man-made disaster but a freak of nature over which we had no control.
Actually, the devastation experienced by hundreds of thousands of people seems to have been hugely amplified by man's intervention. Nature has long had a protection against such occurrences - coral reefs and mangrove forests, both of which have been either destroyed or degraded to such an extent they are no longer able to do their jobs - i.e., protect coastlines. The coral reefs have been used for building materials and for tourism. The mangrove forests have been ripped out - despite government protections - to accomodate tourists, mostly European and American, and for shrimp farms. - Yours, etc.,
ROSITA SWEETMAN, Holywood, Co Wicklow.