Poster 60KB
We are now updating the new homepage. Kubota visited Afghanistan on May, 2002. He left Afghanistan on June, 2002 and now is in Iran.
We have just uploaded a new article (Diary: 30 April 2002), visit the new homepage at
http://m17n.cool.ne.jp/kubota/home-en.
Now you can see a lot of photos taken by Kubota at:
http://m17n.cool.ne.jp/kubota/photo-index
I, seelie317, am editing this new site located at
http://m17n.cool.ne.jp/kubota/,
which however is still under construction.
Take a look and feel free to send me any comments,
my address is seelie317@faireal.net.
There will be a vote of confidence for the President Musharraf on 30 April. I can see a lot of posters in the town.
Poster 60KB
Local people say that there is nobody who could substitute Musharraf. He will make a speech near my hotel on 25 April, when I will be in Peshawar though.
10:58, 17 April, took off, MH89
This time I am going to Karachi, Pakistan via Kuala Lumpur, now that it is possible to fly over India. I had to stay at Kuala Lumpur for one night, because of connecting. At 17:50 I went downtown after leaving my luggage in the checkroom at the Kuala Lumpur Airport. The limited express service has been started this year, by which you can go from the airport to the central area of Kuala Lumpur for just 28 minutes.
Photo taken at Kuala Lumpur Central Station, 72KB
Chaman Border. By the fence. Those who cannot live in camps. Larger image, 44KB
I went with Saudi Arabian NGO activists to see the distribution of foods. It was 2km away from the center of Kandahar. 12:45 in the afternoon. They had not yet finished the distribution, which started at 9:30 in the morning. Two people from Saudi Arabia had difficulty in communication with the local people here. It was not clear to whom they were trying to give food. They seemed rich anyway, with a lot of rice and dried fruit. Seemingly they had brought them all the way from Dubai, via Karachi and Quetta. There are not enough international staffs there, which is a pity. They dicided that they would give a pack of rice and a can of dried fruit to each two families, wanting Afghans to share them by themselves. This system caused confusion. I saw two women -- each of them representing her family -- being troubled, because one woman speaks only Farsi, while the other woman speaks only Pashtu.
Food was plenty -- it would be surprisingly plenty in Samari, even if they got a tenth of this food.
Some NGO people make an on-the-spot investigation, and other NGOs -- quite different people -- tried to distribute food and goods. If only alll NGOs would tie up...
You should not ask local people to investigate the situation. You should do by yourself.
At 15:00, Saudi Arabian people went back to there hotel: they entrusted the remaining task to local staffs.
|
With local people. |
|
Refugees to be transferred. "They were living in the city, officially not as refugees. I was happy to hear about the new camp, LATIF ABAD, for minorities such as Hazaras and Uzbeks. |
|
With Hillo, Chef de Cabinet. He was such a high officer, but frank and friendly. My name is Nobu-HIRO and his name is Hillo. So he soon remembered my name. I am looking forward to seeing him again in Kandahar. |
Click thumbnail photos for larger images.
I left Japan for Afghanistan. I will visit Quetta to deliver relief goods from Japan to the refugee camp. After that I am going to Kandahar, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif.
I am now in Peshawar, Pakistan. UNHCR is taking care of me. I have gotten Japanese pharmacists' help, and am able to bring foods and medicals to the camp.
We can bring them medicals.
Kubota (Left) with Hanyu of UNHCR
I left Islamabad in the morning for Peshawar. I traveled in the car -- a "usual" clean car for the first time in this trip. I traveled always by local buses before. The car is fast, but I feel something unsatisfactory because I cannot have personal contact with local residents. I am happy to be able to have such contacts often; the one at a major media company with a lot of chartered cars will never see something really important.
My friend in Nasir Bagh, Aziz, was long-lost. I tried to reach him many times today too, but I couldn't. Is he all right? I feel uneasy. I wish I could visit Nasir Bagh, but it is prohibited for foreigners to enter the place. Irritating policy. I asked another Afghan friend, Babib, to visit Nasir Bagh.
Photo of Nasir Bagh.
At 19:00, Babib kindly brought Aziz to my hotel. Aziz is all right and seemed fine. Unexpectedly tears welled up in my eyes. Aziz had said he didn't know when he would be removed. I was afraid that he would be no longer at Nasir Bagh. He is a refugee, he was a stranger in Pakistan, whose status is not stable.
I managed to visit Nasir Bagh, with Shahmaz, a nurse working for UNHCR. There is a WHO office at the entrance to the Nasir Bagh. It seems small, but is actually huge. There are numberless food depots there.
We called on Aziz's home. Aziz's family -- brothers, daughters -- were delighted to see me. Shamaz, who have worked for 20 years for UNHCR, is practical-minded, and willingly accepted the lunch at Aziz's, although they are Afghans.
Aziz (Left) and Kubota
To be continued...
