Subject: 'austraLasia' # 365
I think it's easiest just to forward this letter from Dili-via-Jakarta.
Julian
-----Original Message-----
From: Fr. Andrew Wong SDB [mailto:wsdbjkt@rad.net.id]
Sent: Wednesday, 28 June 2000 9:04
To: Ferdinando Colombo
Cc: Julian Fox
Subject: update of the situation in East Timor
From: Fr. Andrew Wong SDB [mailto:wsdbjkt@rad.net.id]
Sent: Wednesday, 28 June 2000 9:04
To: Ferdinando Colombo
Cc: Julian Fox
Subject: update of the situation in East Timor
Vice-Province Office – Don Bosco Comoro – PO Box 108, Dili, East Timor
HP:(61)407199131 FAX:670-390-324279 TEL.:670-390-321520
________________________________________________________________________
Jakarta, 27 June 2000
Dear confreres and friends,
I am writing this letter to give an update of the situation in East Timor. I am addressing this letter particularly to you, my fellow salesians and the members of the salesian family, who have been our close companions and benefactors in our effort to serve the wonderful and courageous people of EastTimor.
The United Nations Transitional Authority for East Timor (UNTAET) continues to fulfill their humanitarian services and brings supplies from donors as emergency aids. We heard from reliable sources that UNTAET would stay in East Timor for two years only. Then it will leave everything in the hands of the real government that will be made up of East Timorese. Therefore it has not engaged in projects that would require a period of more than two years to complete. For this reason there is little that is being done when it comes to the reconstruction of buildings. Several private houses and stores are now being built by their owners and by some international NGO’s (non-government organizations). In our salesian parish of Comoro, the salesians and their lay collaborators have tied up with a certain international NGO in order to reconstruct the many houses that were burnt.
I think that the best thing that the UNTAET has done and is doing is the security of the East Timorese. There is really a sense of great relief and happiness among the people. In the evening people now have fun and walk along the streets of the city of Dili even until late at night without any fear of the military and its spies. I had the chance to talk to bus and truck drivers. They enjoy now driving from one town to another. They don't experience anymore the arbitrary beatings, extortion, and the threats of the soldiers who, previously, were posted everywhere. There are more public buses and cars now traveling and facilitating the movement of the people with their supplies. Because of this, public markets were revived in the big centers of Dili, Baucau and Lospalos.
The UN Peace-Keeping Force is doing well its task. Aside from keeping peace and order throughout the entire country, the different groups are doing a marvelous work of humanitarian services towards the people. The Korean contingent in Lospalos are repairing roads and bridges that were swept away by the strong rainfall. This year there was a real downpour. There were many landslides that destroyed ricefields, cornfields, and even entire villages; several roads were also destroyed that isolated some villages in the mountains.The Korean army is now showing its expertise in road building. Our orphans and confreres in Lospalos appreciate very much the generosity of the Koreans as they regularly receive food and school supplies. The Thai army in Baucau is very much appreciated by the people for the hospital and the medical assistance they offer to them. The people of Manatuto and Laleia are thankful to the Filipino army for the friendly approach typical of the Filipinos, for supplying electricity to the entire place and for the hospital that is opened to the public. The Australians, Palestinians, New Zealanders, Gurkhas and Portuguese soldiers guard the boundaries between East Timor and West Timor where some hard-line militias (East Timorese) and their disillusioned masters still threaten to make another assault and to reoccupy East Timor.
The school year will end on July. There will be two months of summer vacation. The new school year will start on October. The main office of CNRT in Dili will give diplomas for the graduating classes. However each CNRT district office for education will prepare the final examinations for the schools within its area. A big percentage of the youth population especially in the eastern part of East Timor was properly kept busy by the immediate reopening of schools, particularly parish and catholic schools. Language courses for English and Portuguese are offered everywhere throughout the country. The youth are now more motivated, disciplined and eager to study. Many make big sacrifices of walking long distances just to attend school and courses. In Fuiloro, the kind and alert salesian sisters find the donated clothes very useful during these rainy season. Several elementary kids get completely soaked wet when they walk from their villages to our school; but by the time they reach the school, they are just too glad to meet the sisters who are ready with the dry clothes.
The teachers, both lay and religious, of the secondary schools are now receiving at least one hundred US dollars every month from the UNTAET. The teachers of the primary schools will soon receive theirs either from UNICEF or UNTAET. The salesians’ NGO in Italy called VIS (International Volunteer for Development) has made tremendous efforts to promote the need to help these teachers by getting the cooperation of all salesian missions offices and the Italian episcopal conference (CEI).
We salesians are very much involved and contribute much when it comes to this work of education particularly in the diocese of Baucau. In the district of Baucau the salesians continue to act as the bridge among the teachers of all the schools, both private and public, the CNRT and the UNTAET. They are the resource persons of these groups and of other NGO’s involved in education. In Lospalos the salesians help a lot in the public schools that are in great want of qualified and dedicated teachers. The salesians and salesian sisters in Venilale organize and train the lay teachers while giving a hand in teaching the students of the public schools. In Dili, the parochial secondary school in Comoro was considered by the UNTAET and the CNRT as a model school for the other schools. This is principally due to our salesians and their lay collaborators' effort.
We are also engaged in the daily feeding program of our students and teachers. In Fatumaca, the community provides lunch for seven hundred students of the primary and secondary schools from Monday to Friday. In Baucau, the same thing is done to four hundred students and teachers of the secondary school from Monday to Friday. In Fuiloro, the salesians and the salesian sisters, together with their lay collaborators, give cooked rice to six hundred students thrice a week for lunch.
The CNRT is preparing for a national congress on August. I suppose this congress is of great importance for the unity of the people and for the smooth transfer of authority from the UNTAET to the new government. Many past pupils of our different schools play a leading role and are actively involved in this event.
Many stores have reopened, especially restaurants. Although the American dollar is the official currency, the Indonesian rupiah is most commonly used especially in ordinary, daily transactions. The prices of diesel and gasoline have gone up very much. A liter of diesel costs 3,500 rupiahs while gasoline costs 5,000 rupiahs per liter. Just compare this price with that of Indonesia, i.e., a liter of diesel is 550 rupiahs only. The drivers have already aired their complaints to the UNTAET and CNRT. The taxes now imposed on some commodities are extremely high. Certainly one motive is to give a boost to the government fund.
A striking problem now in East Timor is the big number of so many young people who are searching for work to earn a living. Many young people have come to the capital city, i.e., Dili, from all parts of East Timor. They are unemployed and have nothing to do; many are not educated and are easily manipulated by some people who, for one reason or another, desire to create trouble in the city or earn money in unscrupulous ways. Several businessmen are complaining about groups of young people asking for money and threatening to destroy their stores and goods if they refuse to give. It is a very sad situation. The seeds of corruption and illiteracy have been successfully planted and are are now bearing fruits. We believe that many times it is not the young people who want to do these ugly things. Many adults are behind all these. They use and manipulate the youth for their own interests. Several of them who were involved in many sorts of abuses and brutality towards their own fellow East Timorese during the previous regime are now trying to remove all evidences of their misdeeds. They utilize the diabolic means that they have learnt very well from their former masters and they use the simple and uneducated youth as their tools. Unfortunately there are no factories that could employ these young people. This is one project that I always ask the international NGO’s to initiate and promote if they really want to help the people, especially the youth.
For this reason we plan to maximize the use of our technical training center in Comoro. This center offers courses from six months to one year in order to teach skills in electricity, carpentry, welding, tailoring, embroidery and computer. Since this school was badly damaged last September 1999, we are still reconstructing some of its quarters and acquiring the tools and machines that were either damaged or stolen during the trouble. Notwithstanding the many inconveniences, the salesians reopened this centerlast November 1999 and fifty boys have just completed their training in welding, electricity and carpentry last May.
Dear confreres from different parts of the world and members of the various branches of our salesian family, we salesians in Indonesia and East Timor are grateful to all of you. You have generously sent us your financial and material assistance. Some of you and several other people came to work with us because of your invitation and promotion. Above all you prayed and offered sacrifices for us and for our people. All these give us tremendous courage and strength.
On behalf of my confreres, I like to express a special word of sincere thanks to our brothers and sisters who are just our neighbor, our confreres and friends of the salesian province of Australia. More than anybody else, you have been the closest to us in both good times and bad times in East Timor. We all felt your deep solidarity and fraternity as you did all your best in the past and even up to now to help us. Your salesian missions office coordinated by your very dynamic confrere Bro.Michael Lynch is your very efficient tool in connecting with us. Thank you very much!
In our small way and with your support we continue to make the people of East Timor realize the great love God and our Lady have for them and in a special way for the young. May God bless you always and abundantly through the singular intercessions of our Mother, the Help of Christians and of Don Bosco.
Sincerely yours,
Fr. Andrew Wong
Superior of the Salesian Vice-Province of Indonesia and East Timor (ITM)
