Wookology

Political disturbances in Chisinau Moldova

• Posted by Encino on April 10th, 2009 filed in europe
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A few days ago I heard that there was some political disturbance in Moldova but the news sources really didn’t have much good information and even now it isn’t really clear. I asked my former classmate and friend Dana who lives there in Chisinau, Moldova how it was going. She wrote back about her experiences and I thought it was very interesting and sad and I told her she should post it somewhere put she replied that access to the internet is very restricted so it is difficult but that I could post it.

This is what she wrote:

I don’t know what have you heard … there are many versions about what happened, most of them coming from Romania or our local governing party.
I was there from the first day and I’ll tell you my version:
 
April 6th
In the morning I started talking to some friends from a youth NGO - we were discussing the incredible results of the elections. My friend said that it would be a good idea and that they plan to meet peacefully to light up a candle for our killed future. We disseminated this announcement among our friends on YMessenger and facebook.com, and spreading on other forums.
So there we were, after work - with a candle. We were expecting about 1000 people, not more. But it seemed that more young people felt the same - we were about 8000.
In the evening, 3 leaders of the opposition [the party losing to the communists in the elections] came to express their support. Among the protesters we observed groups of provokers but we managed to not respond to them.
http://www.jurnaltv.md/index.php?article=1926
 
April 7th
The square in the center of Chisinau was full at 10.00AM. There were about 10000 - and still coming. The masses accumulated about 25000 people, young and older, males and females. We were asking for recounting of votes! There were plenty of provokers, not only young, but mature people, people that were wearing self-made masks and provoking young people to violence… The masses moved to the building of Presidency and Parliament asking the recount of votes, or reelections and Down with the communists!
Around 11.00 all Internet in the country was down and remained so for about 2 hours. All web sites that were transmitting true information were blocked, and cell phones were down.
http://www.jurnaltv.md/index.php?article=1950
The masses were more and more tense. At about 13.30 police forces, armed with gas and rubber bullets, and water started pushing people away… Then there appeared some persons (we know they were provokers) who started throwing stones. As we found out - and there is a video - police were preparing stones before it all started.
Police prepare stones - http://www.jurnaltv.md/index.php?article=2002
After lot of provoking started a rain of stones. Police were asked by the opposition leaders to arrest those who call for violence and throw stones, but instead they just left the buildings. The vandalisms were devastating. Among the protesters, were saw people who were convicted…
http://www.jurnaltv.md/index.php?article=1957
The only source of information were the Romanian TV stations, that were blocked.
http://www.jurnaltv.md/index.php?article=1961
 
There was fighting, but no dead. About 150 injured.
Now, when we look back to those vandalisms, we understand that it was their plan - as in a very strange way, were devastated and burned down only those rooms were was the archive and documentation that could be used against them. Even when people were calling for firefighters, they didn’t come - they came only when all was burned in those offices.
Now they’ve declared they’ll need many hundreds of millions to repair everything…
In the evening 193 official arrests were made. Those young people are still searched for by their parents. Their actual location is unknown. No lawyers were called.
The National TV showed images and declared that it was a putsch organized by the opposition and Romania, because they saw the flag of Romania (which is the tricolor, and is similar with our flag, and was our flag till 2001), but again – provocation – see this image http://twitpic.com/2zwm6
Opposition leaders met with the president and his gang to ask for recount of votes, to take off charges of organizing the vandalisms.
In the evening after 1.00pm there were shootings…
 
April 8th
The protest start but there were only about 5000 people… very peaceful. All shocked after the day before… None can believe the disaster.
The authorities declare the Romanian ambassador as persona non grata and send him away out of the country. They introduce visas for Romanians. Close the border of Moldova - nobody can enter or go out of the country. The railway declares that due to technical reasons no train goes or comes from Romania. Same problem invoked by Bus station and customs. No foreign journalists are allowed.
In the morning they started arresting people at their homes.
 
No opposition leader has come to the meeting. We were there till about 9.00PM. The government agreed to recount the votes in some voting places.
In the evening many people were captured and just injured, most of them are in hospitals.  These were my friends - journalists that were publishing true videos.
 
April 9th
There are some people out. I’ll just remind you, as one of our liberal leaders said, Hitler fired up the Reichstag in order to incriminate the opposition. They’re doing what they want having Russia’s support… But the voting was a fraud for sure. It is incredible how OECD, EC, and Russia have said that everything was ok… as we receive more and more arguments that the vote was a fraud!
for example: having dead people voting, having those who are not at home voting…
 
Unfortunately, nobody in this country is safe… 
Russia is ready to “help” Moldova… and our problem is that masses don’t have a leader… as all started from a simple civil movement.
 
God Help Us!

April 10th 
Here we have almost no access to information from the outside - the access to facebook.com, to other similar sites, to sites of media is blocked.
I’m one of the few with access to local info coming from people that are saying what is happening in the center of Chisinau and spreading it to the rest.
At this point all is peaceful, although the governing party is spreading provocations trying to bring students to the center of Chisinau in order to have reason to introduce the army. We have journalists arrested and disappeared, in hospitals after being arrested, there are arrests in schools and universities.
It’s like during the Stalin times..

http://www.unimedia.info/

Asian Art Museum

• Posted by Encino on February 8th, 2009 filed in art, asia
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In the Asian Art Museum I had a couple of thoughts. First, as I was looking at some intricately designed sword sheaths I thought that, if we are going to have any possessions at all, not that I have any, they should be as unique and customized as possible, just like the ornate sword sheaths. These kinds of items add meaning to our lives. Mass produced things only provide distraction and no meaning. I want to make myself green leather pants. The pants themselves aren’t really important but it’s good to keep an eye out for meaningfulness. Second, looking at some asian paintings I felt that cultural differences are really not much at all. Beauty and peace are timeless and cross-cultural, strange that it is so hard for us to stop and make time for them.