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Lions East Timor Dental Project March 2007
Unfortunately there has been unrest in East Timor and it has become unsafe for volunteers (esp Australians) to work in Dili.
Because an Australian soldier killed two East Timorese youth about 2 weeks ago, there was increased tension and hostility against Australians. The President of East Timor ordered the arm forces to capture Reinado (the rebel leader) using force if necessary. The roads around Ailieu and Maubessi (where Reinado was hiding) were closed. All foreigners were asked to leave Ailieu and surrounding areas. The dental team visits these 2 villages regularly. A few days ago the Australian Government urged all Australians of non-essential services to leave East Timor.
Three of us decided not to go ahead with the March trip at the last minute. A brave Sydney dentist decided to go ahead. He worked at the clinic, but could not run the outreach program. One of his contributions of the trip was to repair the dental equipment. Unfortunately he was forced to return home early, thankfully unharmed. His moral support to the local East Timorese was greatly appreciated.
He reported that there were rowdy scenes in Dili. Kids threw stones at cars. They burned tyres and cars. It was unsafe to go out especially at night. The dental clinic had not been damaged and Domingos (our dental nurse/dentist) was well and unharmed.
Let us hope we can return to East Timor soon.
Dr Terry Yuen.
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