Diary, Day Three: Chooks And Children
For the second time in four days I attended mass, last time it was for Bob Collins, today at the seminary of Our Lady of Fatima, in the company of about one hundred young Timorese blokes training for the priesthood.. Mind you, almost everyone in East Timor trains for the priesthood – including the current crop of political leaders. Let me report that I have never felt more spiritually elevated.
An even more moving experience followed. The grounds of the seminary are packed with tents, each bearing a rather ostentatious message identifying the donors – the European Union or the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. Given that the occupants can’t read English – nor can afford to send their children to school – the donor’s self indulgence doesn’t make a lot of sense. The place was alive with chooks and children, up to 16 people crowded into the aforementioned tents. One woman, teeth spectacularly stained by betel nut, was ‘Old Mother Hubbard’ to ten – jammed into a tent little larger than a boot or a shoebox, she was stoic to the extreme, but confessed that it’s hard to get any sleep at night when her ten children – plus those of her neighbour – took turns to wake up, have a cry, or demand a cuddle. The young priest who conducted the mass was our tour guide. He narrowly survived a murderous attack by person or persons unknown, but vaguely remembers a military uniform. His near death experience lasted for months in a Darwin hospital, but he’s back at work showing commendable tranquillity and forgiveness. Far less forgiving was my next interviewee, the charismatic, perpetually angry and widely demonised Mari Alkatiri, whom you’ll recall was forced from office in what he describes as both a coup and a conspiracy – in which he insists Australia was involved. I began the interview by acknowledging his detestation of Australian journalists and after that we got on fine. You’ll find his interpretation of recent events in East Timor fascinating and perhaps plausible. He has no time for the “cult of personality” of Ramos Horta and Xanana Gusmão, insisting that the new government is illegal. As the founder and head of Fretilin he insists that he, not Xanana, won the election. The constitution, he says, cannot be interpreted in any other way. When I point out that he alone was taking this constitutional position he sternly reminded me that he was a) a lawyer and b) the author of the damned thing! Game, set and match?
A quick detour to the Australian military headquarters - Operation Phoenix - to arrange a chat with the Australian commanding officer for sometime next week, then we headed for the gaunt, thirsty hills that have hidden so many revolutionaries from the Indonesian army. For me the highlight of the day was to meet a hero of the resistance who was far, far younger than Xanana or Alkatiri. He’s 15 these days but when a boy of five, Kecoli was personally responsible for concealing Xanana’s successor, a bloke regarded as the Che Guevara of the resistance. This marvellous kid told me that his ambition was to be the leader of East Timor’s military forces. Well, with his start at five – and his heroism in the face of overwhelming danger – he’s got a strong case to argue. He’ll tell you the whole story on the program later – and you’ll hear a snippet on this website shortly. We are now reporting from an orphanage in Ermera, surrounded by coffee trees. Needless to say the horror stories of East Timor mass produced orphans – but the kids here are enormously fortunate. They’re marvellous kids and it’s a great place to ‘overnight’.
Phillip Adams
October 15th, 2007 at 10:27 am
it is a tragedy that the kids are treated worse than chooks. chooks get feed to ensure they lay some eggs!