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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Fear and sorrow in Beslan |
| 2004-10-07 |
| A few weeks ago we didn't even know that there was a city called Beslan in North Ossetia. It is also appalling that we would remember it nebulously again after some weeks passed somehow like this: 'Beslan? Was there the hostage drama where school children became hostages, wasn't it? Yes, it was.' And people living there will remain under its effects not only for some weeks but may be for all their life. International humanitarian aid shipments have been arriving, also from Hungary. Läszló Czimre, contributor of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid has the task to survey the claims on the one hand, and to cooperate in distribution in the other hand. 'The city is very sad, and almost desolated. Hardly people can be seen on the streets. 1476 people were affected altogether by the action of the terrorists taking hostages. This is approximately three thousand families, nearly one third of the city' said Läszló Czimre, contributor of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, program leader of the North Caucasian area since 2001. The security conditions became very strict, transport is extremely difficult inside the Republic, and all borders towards Ingushetia and Chechnya are fully closed until now. There are not any significant changes; rather the people's attitude to strangers has changed. They look quite suspiciously at anyone who is not from Beslan. This is a small city, everyone knows all the others and of course, atrocities sometimes happen for this in town. For instance, inhabitants stop anyone in the streets they don't know and ask them where they are from, why they are here, and ask them to go away. This kind of fear is inside people nowadays. - Are foodstuffs available? 'Of course, North Ossetia is do an operating, self-sufficient republic. Life goes on, so plants, factories, shops are open, people work, education has already begun too, exactly on this week. According to a regulation of the Home Secretary, armed police guards protect every school 40 minutes before starting the lessons and for 40 minutes after tuition. - What are your experiences? Could people return to their normal daily round after so little time passed? 'This is interesting, because some children go to school yet, but divers of them simply refused to go to school. Either family fully closeted themselves, so they do not even let us communicate with them. It depends on the personality, how one can cope with this trauma. The great mass, especially the children, seem to be able to exceed this problem earlier. We talked about this to the chief medical officer of the Beslan hospital, who said that the final coping with such a trauma also depends on the age of the patient, but it may take two or three years in case of children. The news is here that the terrorists committed excesses inside the school, which means that they did violence on women, forced children for fornication and then shot them and threw them out of the window. - Psychiatrists and psychologists are sent to the area from Moscow. How far is the psychical assistance enough? '40 psychologists arrived to Beslan and Vladikavkaz from Moscow university of psychiatrists, who carry out their mission in a 24 hour service. Their staying is even more justified, because psychical problems more and more turn out by the time passing and more people look for a psychologist. Restarting of communication, especially towards the children for example, means a major assistance because they were formally frightened of going to school, so they needs induction again that school is not a bad place. There are centres in the child clinic in Vladikavkaz and in the Beslan hospital, where psychologists are continuously available or they attend to families and to hospitals for personal trainings with the children. There are families, where the mother is dead, the child is in hospital with injuries and then the father and a grandparent left, so circumstances are incredible. I talked to a family in which the mother was wounded but she is already at home, her husband is between live and dead in Vladikavkaz, her younger daughter is in Beslan as an injured, her elder daughter is registered as vanished and she is with one of the grandparents. Think over, how can these conditions cope with.r younger daughter is in Beslan as an injured, her elder daughter is registered as vanished and she is with one of the grandparents. Think over, how can these conditions cope with. -How can we help them from outside? 'With care and charity.' |
| Posted by:TS(vice girl) |
| #11 I have no doubt that you are pro-Israel. We will agree to disagree. |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2004-10-08 6:54:32 AM |
| #10 good points BH and PR - but I strongly disagree -BH: Germany and Japan were nations at war. Destroying their national will and population tapped for military service was acceptable. I'm not saying this makes sense, but it is true. PR - a successful war on Paleo terror will cause many civvy casualties for the reason you note. The point is not to seek out those civilian deaths as the Paleos do. Israel and the US need to make the consequences on those wishing to go along without criticizing the extremists in their midsts hard enough to cause a societal schism and civil war for the Paleo future. They have to want to put down the intifada from within. Once the fence is done, and they keep shooting stupid aimless rockets with massive retribution, it will become obvious to everyday Paleos that there is no future in following teh extremists (or living close to their launch points). I bow to nobody here in my support for Israel's security. I just want the people, state, culture, and democracy that I support to be there as it is now, when it's all done. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-07 11:06:09 PM |
| #9 FG, I am not saying if a missile comes from Gaza, attack Hebron. If a missile comes from Gaza, attack Gaza. If the terrorist know that if they can fire a missile and then go and hide among women and children in a apartment building, then they will keep on doing it. But if you destroy(after obtaining accurate intelligence) that building, then the regular population will think twice about harboring the terrorists. No one can ever win terrorism with a "secular western nation" mentality. You can win wars with "secular western nation" mentality but NOT terrorism. I will tell you what, give me an example where terrorism has ever been defeated by executing your version of success. I just don't see the difference between killing 3000 Paleo's over a period of 3 or 4 years and killing about a thousand at once, to STAMP OUT terrorism in that orginating area-including terror leaders. The U.S and Israel have been fighting terrorism for over 30 years, because of all these baby steps that are being taken. I guess your suggestion is to fight terrorism little by little for the next 200 years so that only a few will die each month. |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2004-10-07 10:43:01 PM |
| #8 Frank: It's not an acceptable goal to terrorize the population, if you're a secular western nation. I must respectfully call bullsh*t on this statement. We did terrorize the populations of Germany and Japan, back when we actually knew how to make our enemies understand they were defeated. This target response that we're doing, though technologically miraculous, plays right into the hands of an enemy that hides among the folds of an approving populace. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-07 10:42:23 PM |
| #7 PR - It's not an acceptable goal to terrorize the population, if you're a secular western nation. You can, however, endeavor to inflict painful cause/effect lessons until the population is pacified. That means, if a Qassam attack comes from Gaza, you don't destroy Hebron. If there are human shields, I call it societal collateral damage for the Paleos, but there have to be limits or you are as bad as your enemy. Targetted (with reasons) annihilation is acceptable (at least to me) - mass slaughter will lose your internal popular will to fight as well as support (like from the U.S.) abroad. Hope I explained that as I understand it? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-10-07 10:21:24 PM |
| #6 What's the difference between "erase" and "all" as mentioned above? I know, I know, Arafat's thugs and Hamas only pick buses with adult males to blow up. The Hilton explosion happened today after the women and children were told to leave so only the adult males can get killed. The only way to defeat terror is to out-terrorize your opponent. Yes, that includes nursing mothers, babies, kittens and rubber duckies. |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2004-10-07 10:11:49 PM |
| #5 PR, you recommended killing them all, leading your readers to assume you included nursing mothers and their babies, kittens, and fluffy baby ducks on the list. If you mean 'all' to include only those involved in planning, waging and otherwise involved in terror activities, you need to specify that. Ok? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-10-07 10:00:35 PM |
| #4 " It's well past time to erase a lot more than Chechnya." But, when I say that on RB about Gaza, people call me a blood thirsty motherf****r. We need to stamp out as much terrorism as possible. NOW! |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2004-10-07 5:18:53 PM |
| #3 It's well past time to erase a lot more than Chechnya. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-10-07 3:01:18 PM |
| #2 How can we help them from outside? Arm them. Motivate them. And cheer their worst excesses. Time to erase Chechnya. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-07 2:58:39 PM |
| #1 This story --- the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the school --- needs to be brought up in the MSM. This is a graphic picture of what the enemy does to ordinary, decent people. The psychological injuries inflicted upon these children may take 3 years to get over. I think that it will be more like a lifetime. The trauma will become scars or non-healing wounds that will be there in the minds of these children all their lives. The world, or at least our country must not let this happen to others. I feel like we are heading toward an abyss when I see my 8 year old son. Terrorists would not hesitate to do this at any school if they had the means, even his school. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-07 2:57:17 PM |