austraLasia 1551
Follow-up: Rumours make people flock once more to Don Bosco Compound in Dili.
From our Dili correspondent
DILI: 4th May 2006 -- How quickly the international press passes on to other matters. But life in Dili has yet to settle down, it seems. Tuesday and yesterday, most of the 7500 or so people in our compound had already left. The government helped them with transport to go to their nearby villages. Only about 1000 remained because they were still afraid to return to their homes in the city, or because their houses have been burnt and they have no house they can call a home.
But at about 9 o’clock this morning (Thursday), people started coming in again. Now, there are about 6000 and more are coming in. The city of Dili is almost empty as most of the inhabitants have already gone to their native places in the districts.
All this because of rumours: some say the army has split between the westerners and the easterners, and there is an imminent shoot-out. Others say the police are against the army, but the police officers we have been able to contact indicate no such antagonism. Others still say the leaders of the land have already fled the country. People do not know what to believe.
The Salesians are receiving the refugees with open arms. Some Salesians have been looking for food, others for shelter, toilets and medical aid. Several NGO’s have approached them asking what they could do to help. A few days back, the government sent a team of doctors to attend to the sick, brought in food supplies, water facilities and portable toilets. Embassies also expressed their willingness to help.
Outside the city of Dili, things are peaceful. Well, even inside the city, but it has become a ghost town!
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
Follow-up: Rumours make people flock once more to Don Bosco Compound in Dili.
From our Dili correspondent
DILI: 4th May 2006 -- How quickly the international press passes on to other matters. But life in Dili has yet to settle down, it seems. Tuesday and yesterday, most of the 7500 or so people in our compound had already left. The government helped them with transport to go to their nearby villages. Only about 1000 remained because they were still afraid to return to their homes in the city, or because their houses have been burnt and they have no house they can call a home.
But at about 9 o’clock this morning (Thursday), people started coming in again. Now, there are about 6000 and more are coming in. The city of Dili is almost empty as most of the inhabitants have already gone to their native places in the districts.
All this because of rumours: some say the army has split between the westerners and the easterners, and there is an imminent shoot-out. Others say the police are against the army, but the police officers we have been able to contact indicate no such antagonism. Others still say the leaders of the land have already fled the country. People do not know what to believe.
The Salesians are receiving the refugees with open arms. Some Salesians have been looking for food, others for shelter, toilets and medical aid. Several NGO’s have approached them asking what they could do to help. A few days back, the government sent a team of doctors to attend to the sick, brought in food supplies, water facilities and portable toilets. Embassies also expressed their willingness to help.
Outside the city of Dili, things are peaceful. Well, even inside the city, but it has become a ghost town!
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
