Subject: austraLasia #240

SALESIANS SISTERS ASSIST UN FORCES

>From FMA Newsletter 25th Sept.

Sr. Marlene, who hails from California, has been in Dili throughout the past

few weeks of terror and in a brief phone call today reassures us that things

are improving. "We feel protected for the most part by the UN forces, and we

have greater possibilities now to help the people. We have not yet been

able to go in person to Venilale, but from a phone call from one of the

Sisters there we know that they are o.k. and not in any danger".

Caritas has asked our Sisters for help in distributing food and other

necessities - without such help they might not be able to be sensitive to

particular situations and could run the risk of creating ill-felling and

worse, vendettas. Large numbers of people are likely to be returning to

their homes of the remnants thereof this weekend. This will create problems

because there is no electricity or water nor for that matter food for so

many. Things are not yet secure enough to ensure no further attacks from

pro-indonesian militias.

The Sisters' information has it that a number of infants have died in the

refugee centre at Dare where some 50,000 refugees remain. Sr. Paola and Sr.

Carolina have spent hours visiting Dare with food and necessities, and also

helped the UN forces to make contact with essential people to get the

refugees attended to. The Sisters have the advantage of 'knowing the

territory' and are of immense value to INTERFET. Caritas, who are

attempting to distribute food drops to other parts of the island, have asked

the Sisters to acocmpany them because of the local knowledge they have.

There is some disquiet concerning news out of West Timor amongst the

refugees there. Some have managed to phone back to Dili claiming that

militias are seeking them out to kill them still.

Journalists are being kept close to the shore, protected by the UN forces,

but of a morning the Sisters go down to visit them, bringing some back to

the Convent to provide food for them. The Sisters have one of the few

private and still operable vehicles around.

 

 

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