 There
were only 2 baked chicken stands open along the beach tonight. That is
a sign that things are not well and there is trouble brewing in Dili.
There is still quite a bit of gang violence in the streets at night
(aug). The Australian police and army keep a lot of it at bay but there
is still some that slips through the cracks. Fire, rocks, bows and
arrows, slingshots, and hook darts seem to be the weapons of choice.
Though primitive they are deadly.
I took a few pictures of the burned out cars in Bairo Pite' a suburb in
Dili this morning. There were few guys hollering at me but I
ignored them. They could well have been part of the mob that burned out
those people that had lived there. It happened several months ago but
an easterner would be in great danger sauntering around through this
neighborhood, even now.
A lot of the area around the Comoro market had been torched a few
months ago and the people that lived there have left town in fear for
their lives. Some did not make it.
Now (aug) most of the burning of homes and shops seems to have ended.
There was a time when 20-30 places went up in smoke every night. There
is so much destruction in East Timor. A lot of it is left over from
1999 and 2002 and it has never been rebuilt and it all blends in
together.
This 14 year old kid shows where someone hacked her arm with a machette. (in august 2006)
Politicians and gangs are struggling for control. It is a wierd time.
1600 UN people are supposed to be arriving soon. Sometimes it seems
that there are enough beaurocrats and paper shufflers but maybe a few
more won't hurt.
Foreigners in general are fairly isolated from danger but for the
people on the streets it can be a fight for survival. Some loose.
 It
really doesn't seem that a foreigner can really see the whole picture.
There are too many subtle feuds going on and some big players behind
the scenes stirring things up. It is sad that they are tearing up this
beautiful country.
I still worry for the kids who have seen so much violence. In Comoro
you can not get a picture of normal kids. They all flash gang signs and
some hold up lighters with evil grins on their faces. It is really
going to be tough to get a handle on these kids.
East Timor has a long ways to go but I think they will make it in time. We can only hope.
aug 2006 www.dutchpickle.com
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