Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dili (Agenzia Fides) - Caritas Australia has begun humanitarian operations in Dili capital of East Timor Est a place of “terror and anarchy, sacking, shooting, killing and people in flight”, said Salesian deeply concerned missionary priest Fr. Antonio Pinto from Don Bosco Centre in Comoro, not far from Dili. “Timor is torn in two - the missionary said - The government is divided; the army is divided; the people are divided. No one can tell friend from foe. There is conflict in the army, the police”. The priest said at least 50,000 people who fled their homes are being sheltered in churches, schools, convents, embassies, public and private institutes. “Some are seeking safety in the hills outside the town, many have come to our Salesian Centre in Comoro. In a few days we were almost overwhelmed and are now sheltering and assisting more than 8,000 people”.
Seeing the situation Caritas Australia has sent a Caritas team to assess needs and identify areas of urgent intervention and aid. Jay Maheswaran head of East Timor programmes said Caritas has assigned one million dollars worth of aid to be distributed to all those structures which are sheltering the homeless.
Aid will focus especially on the area of Taci Tolu where Caritas has intervened in the past with humanitarian and social assistance programmes. Caritas Australia has also launched a funds raising campaign in Oceania. Besides help to East Timor Caritas Australia is also involved in assistance to recent earthquake victims in Java, Indonesia. (Agenzia Fides 3/6/2006 righe 27 parole 264)
