1574East Timor - RM applauds confreres for formidable work
austraLasia 1574

Rector Major applauds East Timor's Salesians for 'formidable approach' to their people in need

ROME: 5th June 2006 -- With a reminder that he would be gathered with his Councillors in prayer for East Timor  in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Rector Major wrote this weekend to the Superior of the Vice Province of ITM, Fr Calleja, in response to an update on the situation there.
    Fr Calleja emphasised two things in particular - that the trouble is largely Dili-centred, and that Salesian work in other parts of the nation are continuing as normal, and that the efforts of the confreres based at Comoro, which has seen as many as 15,000 people taking refuge, have been nothing short of heroic.  He added nothing that has not already been reported in these pages previously, except to dwell a little on the role of Bro Adriano de Jesus, the 'hero' of recent days for his tireless efforts to organise life within the compound, take wounded to hospital and keep people calm in circumstances where violence was in evidence all around.  It was during one of his visits to the hospital that his vehicle was set upon by roaming thugs.  He himself was uninjured but the car was virtually destroyed, Fr Calleja said.
    The largely Australian-led force of international peace-keepers has done much to bring the general situation under control in the city, though there are still sporadic outbreaks of violence, and people have been reluctant to leave the compound at Comoro.  A small group of 'unregistered' refugees fear reprisals still.  The Foreign Minister, now also Minister for Defence since last Thursday, has been constantly present amongst the people, the warring factions, and this too has had a calming effect.  Today he meets with rebel leaders in an attempt to address the 'human problems' that have led to the situation.  His analysis of the overall situation is that "you have two insitutions [army, police] with weapons poorly managed...a-- this coupled with a weak economy, unemployed youth; it was a problem waiting to explode".
    The hope, at least amongst our own Salesians and possibly most Timorese, is that the UN will now take a stronger and longer role especially leading up to the 2007 elections.  Kofi Annan said last week, in reference to the Dili situation that "there has been a sense that we tend to leave conflict areas too soon".  Sukehiro Hasegawa, head of the remaining UN mission in East Timor, was more blunt: "They need us" he said, hoping the UN would actually run next year's elections.

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