I've decided to clear up the blog; specifically, I've renamed it and cleared out all my 'personal' posts from before and after the war.
My reason for doing so is as follows: I started the blog in 2008 as a way to keep in touch with my friends and family when I moved to Georgia. I didn't have any grand plans for it, and the content reflected that, there were lots of fairly inane posts about my life, the food, work and so on; stuff that only people who knew me could possibly be interested in, and then only barely.
Anyway, in August 2008, the conflict in South Ossetia was triggered whilst I was living in Tbilisi. To deal with the situation I'd ended up in, I wrote about my experience on my personal blog.
Two years on, and the majority of the blog was still made up of the 'war posts', I'd hardly posted since the end of the crisis, and had little desire to do so. I'd also received attention from strangers about what I'd written, something I neither desired nor expected.
To cut a long story short, I've given over the blog to it's real content, and abandoned it to posterity. It's still the writing I'm most proud of, and to say the least, represents a very interesting period in my life and in the history the South Caucasus. I'd like it to be read, as I believe that I wrote honestly, and that perhaps somewhere in it might lurk something of real value, but I have no desire to engage with it any more, and if I do continue blogging it will be in another forum.
I'd like to thank everyone who read it at the time, especially those who commented or contacted me with messages of support, but I'm going to disable posting and remove my contact details from the site.
If you've just found it, please take some time to read through, I hope it's of interest and of use.
All the best,
Ian
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Comprehensive Report From Sian in Tbilisi
I received this brilliant and thoroughly comprehensive report from my friend Sian who's still out in Tbilisi right now. It provides a much better insight into the current humanitarian situation than my last report which was largely based on information gathered from my organisation very early on in the crisis. Required reading. Keep up with Sian at her blog here
From Tbilisi, Georgia.
Just over one week ago my life in Tbilisi was a whirl of project planning, NGO meetings and parties. By Monday 11th we were racing for the Armenian border, convinced that Russian forces would soon be bombing Tbilisi and taking control of the city. After a week of fear, confusion, panic, rumours and evacuations, back in Tbilisi we are starting to focus on the real challenge of the crisis, the displaced people. Depending whose estimates you read, internally displaced people number are at least 70,000, more likely over 100,000, because there are so many areas unreachable and the assessment process is barely begun. At the moment the priority is assessing where they are and how many, improving the facilities for them and providing basic goods. To a certain extent the government, well the MRA (Ministry of Refugees) is able to provide estimates and addresses because they directed groups of refugees to certain buildings and settlements.
But the UNHCR warehouse which is the main focus of humanitarian aid supplies is by no means overstocked and access to the warehouse is tightly controlled. It contains, as of yesterday, only basic emergency supplies, like blankets, saucepans, plates and water cans. Yesterday I spent the day giving these out to 1000 refugees, with an international NGO, one of the approved distributors. We visited 5 IDP centres, varying in size from 1000 people to 30. Though we were only giving them these basic things, they were often extremely grateful.
We are wondering when the promised aid from nations in Europe and the USA will arrive, and what it will contain. Basic goods are the priority of course but this is not sustainable. There are no mattresses or cooking stoves right now for example- in many IDP centres everyone is sleeping on hard floors. Those who are housed in public buildings, often building sites (including the disused hospital which was housing 1000 refugees when we visited) are at constant risk of disease and injury. Sanitation will continue to be a significant problem, despite the efforts of the UN group on sanitation who are overseeing water supplies being re-established, as we were glad to see they were doing so at this ‘hospital’ when we arrived.
However next door to the hospital, in a small building which was half destroyed, were living 9 families, sleeping on the floor in one room. Other rooms in the rubble-filled structure were being used as a toilet. Common features of all the IDP centres are that they are overcrowded and lack basic facilities. Schools, hospital buildings and offices are not designed to hold 500 refugees. There are few buildings which are secure or have windows, few have enough beds or any kind of sleeping arrangements. Some are well organised, with committees of volunteers from outside or inside the IDP community who are creating lists and keeping them updated daily, ensuring they maintain contact with outside help and the government to receive the aid when they can. Others are not and are seeing new arrivals every day.
This was true of one of the last collective centres we visited and it underscored how fragile the crisis was. This, a school building containing 450 refugees, a number which was rising by the hour, was clearly fraught with emotion and anger, there were some men drinking themselves into a stupor, there was also nearly a fight that erupted as we were handing out aid. Moreover as the current situation continues, and it becomes obvious their temporary refugee state is not ending soon, it is clear to us and to them that these living arrangements are going to become more unbearable. Frustration will rise, nerves will become frayed, tension may give way to violence and anger. If there are problems, then the IDPs will find themselves becoming very unwelcome, very quickly, by the local communities. This will only make the work of humanitarian aid distribution harder.
Some of the refugees we met yesterday have moved 5 or 6 times in the past week, starting with an exodus from Tskhinvali, constantly fleeing from each new round of fighting, and ending in a school building in Gldani, a suburb of Tbilisi. It is amazing to me that these stories are still told by eyes that are weary, but smiling, and they can still laugh, chat and carry on with a semblance of normal life. Were I in their place, I would not trust myself to be so resilient.
The worst is seeing the children. There are huge numbers of children caught up in this, many of whom have seen horrific sights they should not have been exposed to. Many have lost parents. How do they understand this situation now, I wonder, when just over a week ago they were happily playing football in their yards with their friends? They have nothing with them. Most people ran with whatever they could carry but some came with just the clothes on their backs. So although at the moment basic goods are what the people need the most, we also have to start thinking about how to get books, toys etc to these kids, who are currently filling their days playing in the dirt or fighting with each other.
In Tbilisi, the fears of the international aid workers are beginning to diverge even further from the attitudes of the Georgian authorities. It appears as though they are very much convinced that once Russia pulls back, out of Georgia proper, then the refugees will return and the IDP crisis will be resolved. They have demonstrated this point of view by insisting the schools and kindergartens, currently housing IDPs, will reopen as scheduled, in three weeks time. Of course it would be a blow to the education system in this country if the schools do not re-open, but even if we can trust the intention of the Russians to pull out, this optimism is ludicrous.
It is almost certain that any IDPs from south Ossetia cannot go back, because Russia and the South Ossetian government will not allow them to. Those from Gori, who make up most of the Tbilisi IDP population, may not have anything to return to. I have not been into Gori and few, if any, humanitarian workers have been allowed to pass the road-blocks, so we cannot really know how bad the situation is there, except for journalists reports. However we can make some educated guesses at this point. Even if the homes of IDPs are still standing, which many wont be, they will be emptied of anything of value as mass looting has occurred there. If they owned cars, they will be burnt out or stolen, if they had a shop that will probably be looted and destroyed. No businesses will function there, there will be no jobs. Yet the government will expect them to return... to what?
No, the IDP problem Tbilisi and the surrounding areas currently face is not at its worst point yet and I honestly can’t see how it is going to get better. Many will have to remain and make their lives here, just as IDPs from the last secessionist war, over 10 years ago, have had to start their lives again. And I fear that the authorities will not go to great efforts to help IDPs integrate and recover their lives. Perhaps that is because the government cannot afford to support these people in the long term but also because it has shown, along with other countries hosting IDPs, including Azerbaijan, that it is politically useful to maintain an IDP population as a political pawn.
This is only the situation in Tbilisi because I can see it. But I know elsewhere the situation is many times worse. In fact, Tbilisi is the only place we are able to keep track of refugee numbers, partly because in villages and rural areas, families have taken refugees in and are providing for them. An NGO we are in contact with in the region of Guria has informed us there are about 4000 refugees in 2 towns living in these circumstances. This is a facet of the famous Georgian hospitality I have been familiarised with when travelling in rural areas too. Although their living arrangements will be in many ways preferable to that of the collective centres, it means that the authorities and humanitarian organisations do not have any idea how many people are there and where they are staying, so help is less likely to reach them. Those families, who have taken in one or two refugee families and are providing all their food and support, cannot afford to do so indefinitely.
Despite hosting an estimated 30,000 to 70,000 refugees, in Tbilisi everything is fairly calm, almost oddly normal, although the city is a little emptier than usual. It is obvious that Georgians have been through this before, have hosted huge numbers of IDPs and life carries on. But the sense of sobriety and shock is palpable, and though young people still walk arm in arm eating ice cream on the main street running through the city, no one looks to be enjoying themselves very much. I think we all fear for the future here, not least because it doesn’t look as if Russian forces have any intention of pulling out, despite many promises to do so. We keep hearing reports they are bringing in more heavy artillery, and ‘digging in’, literally digging bunkers, in the areas surrounding Gori. So, they may be here for a long time to come.
I cannot emphasise to those who are unfamiliar with Georgian geography how important the road is from Batumi to Tbilisi which goes through Gori. It is really the only main highway and the only fast road. It’s the artery of the country’s cargo transport, from the ports to the capital. It is also a road usually buzzing with business and families travelling back and forth. I have travelled the road myself many times, visiting central and west Georgia. Without this artery nothing is moving in Georgia. The economy is frozen and will suffer immeasurably.
Of course this is the intention of the Russian government. Gori is close enough to south Ossetia that they can justify it as a legitimate holding point, but in reality the objective is to paralyse the country. They are succeeding. Two days ago they also bombed the railway line, again, the only main railway link. The country is essentially divided into two blocks, areas accessible from Tbilisi, and the rest. No one can get to western Georgia and we have very little idea of what’s happening there, except that Zugdidi seems calm and fortunately Georgian troops withdrew from Abkhazia without a fight so life was able to continue there without bloodshed. Occupying the port of Poti and destroying its infrastructure, including sinking ships, will ensure that no supplies can get through by sea. It is only a matter of time before shortages are visible.
Aside from critical infrastructure they have also attacked economic targets, factories and businesses. The international business community will not want to be in Georgia and the foreign investment market that was flourishing just over a week ago is now in ruins. Tourism has been destroyed as soon as the black sea area became a target. Every summer thousands of Armenians have been pouring into the black sea resorts of Batumi and Kobuleti, bringing valuable tourist income to businesses. The confidence this has inspired led to a huge reconstruction project in Batumi. That has now gone. And as of yesterday, the national park at Borjomi, another tourist attraction and one of the most beautiful, wildlife rich places you can imagine, was burning. Who knows why and how the fire started.
What we do know is that tactics which were applied very well in Chechnya are being used in Georgia and it’s hard not to draw comparisons. Information is sketchy but it appears that, rather than being responsible for terrorising the remaining population themselves, Russian forces are deliberately arming anyone with a grudge to bear, ensuring the countryside affected by the war is filled with armed rebels, not in uniform, marauding around and helping themselves to whatever they would like. The casualties who are still rolling into the barely functioning medical services in Gori have apparently encountered these irregular forces, or bandits, who have been peppering the few remaining civilians with bullets, at will. This means, that even if the Russians do pull out, many sections of the countryside are likely to be no-go areas for a long time to come and IDPs are even less likely to be returned to their homes. At this point I also have little faith in the Georgian authorities’ ability to face the challenge of armed militias and protect the civilian population, not least because our own armed forces have been totally decimated.
We also fear what will happen to Georgia politically now. It seemed sure a few days ago that Saakashvili would have to step down and we were optimistic of a bloodless transition. But he, like the Russians, has ‘dug in’ during the past week and his position looks stronger than ever. If the Russians are expecting to remove him from power by remaining threateningly close to Tbilisi they too have miscalculated. They have only made the population panic and rally behind their leader. National flags and posters now adorn the main roads and streets in the capital. Rallies which were held to show unity with the Georgian people and demonstrations against the Russian occupation became somehow synonymous with supporting the regime. With popular legitimacy comes the ability to do whatever he likes and the high likelihood that when protests do erupt, as I’m sure they will, they will be dealt with severely. Authoritarian rule is only a few steps away. What that will mean for Georgia is a very frightening thing.
Should Georgia take a turn down this route, it is likely that the support of the international community will begin to deflate. In every aspect of this crisis, and as the situation on all fronts worsens, NGO workers and humanitarian aid distributors are completely powerless to affect anything or anyone. This entire conflict began, a week ago last Thursday, as a very risky, very nasty political game, in which innocent people were caught up. Now it is up to us to clean up the mess that has been created, in what little ways we can.
Sian Davies
British EVS Volunteer, for YUPMMG (“Youth Union of Public Movement Multinational Georgia” a Georgian youth NGO)
About me: I have been in Georgia now for 5 months, half of my expected 10 month EVS project and thus far I have had a very enjoyable and productive time here, working with young people form ethnic minorities on non formal education projects and integration issues, as well as election monitoring in minority areas. This was the last thing any of us expected and I am still unable to process the events of the past week and compare what the reality is now, with what my life was just 2 weeks ago. The majority of my international friends and fellow volunteers have been evacuated to their home countries, some of us remain, and some want to return soon, to do whatever we can and to direct those motivated to help from outside in fundraising. My Georgian friend’s lives are all on hold, as the country is, and many have lost loved ones or are separated from them by the conflict. My youth projects, which included a multiethnic youth peace summer camp due to start last weekend, are also indefinitely postponed. Everyone is trying to help IDPs now, in any way possible.
From Tbilisi, Georgia.
Just over one week ago my life in Tbilisi was a whirl of project planning, NGO meetings and parties. By Monday 11th we were racing for the Armenian border, convinced that Russian forces would soon be bombing Tbilisi and taking control of the city. After a week of fear, confusion, panic, rumours and evacuations, back in Tbilisi we are starting to focus on the real challenge of the crisis, the displaced people. Depending whose estimates you read, internally displaced people number are at least 70,000, more likely over 100,000, because there are so many areas unreachable and the assessment process is barely begun. At the moment the priority is assessing where they are and how many, improving the facilities for them and providing basic goods. To a certain extent the government, well the MRA (Ministry of Refugees) is able to provide estimates and addresses because they directed groups of refugees to certain buildings and settlements.
But the UNHCR warehouse which is the main focus of humanitarian aid supplies is by no means overstocked and access to the warehouse is tightly controlled. It contains, as of yesterday, only basic emergency supplies, like blankets, saucepans, plates and water cans. Yesterday I spent the day giving these out to 1000 refugees, with an international NGO, one of the approved distributors. We visited 5 IDP centres, varying in size from 1000 people to 30. Though we were only giving them these basic things, they were often extremely grateful.
We are wondering when the promised aid from nations in Europe and the USA will arrive, and what it will contain. Basic goods are the priority of course but this is not sustainable. There are no mattresses or cooking stoves right now for example- in many IDP centres everyone is sleeping on hard floors. Those who are housed in public buildings, often building sites (including the disused hospital which was housing 1000 refugees when we visited) are at constant risk of disease and injury. Sanitation will continue to be a significant problem, despite the efforts of the UN group on sanitation who are overseeing water supplies being re-established, as we were glad to see they were doing so at this ‘hospital’ when we arrived.
However next door to the hospital, in a small building which was half destroyed, were living 9 families, sleeping on the floor in one room. Other rooms in the rubble-filled structure were being used as a toilet. Common features of all the IDP centres are that they are overcrowded and lack basic facilities. Schools, hospital buildings and offices are not designed to hold 500 refugees. There are few buildings which are secure or have windows, few have enough beds or any kind of sleeping arrangements. Some are well organised, with committees of volunteers from outside or inside the IDP community who are creating lists and keeping them updated daily, ensuring they maintain contact with outside help and the government to receive the aid when they can. Others are not and are seeing new arrivals every day.
This was true of one of the last collective centres we visited and it underscored how fragile the crisis was. This, a school building containing 450 refugees, a number which was rising by the hour, was clearly fraught with emotion and anger, there were some men drinking themselves into a stupor, there was also nearly a fight that erupted as we were handing out aid. Moreover as the current situation continues, and it becomes obvious their temporary refugee state is not ending soon, it is clear to us and to them that these living arrangements are going to become more unbearable. Frustration will rise, nerves will become frayed, tension may give way to violence and anger. If there are problems, then the IDPs will find themselves becoming very unwelcome, very quickly, by the local communities. This will only make the work of humanitarian aid distribution harder.
Some of the refugees we met yesterday have moved 5 or 6 times in the past week, starting with an exodus from Tskhinvali, constantly fleeing from each new round of fighting, and ending in a school building in Gldani, a suburb of Tbilisi. It is amazing to me that these stories are still told by eyes that are weary, but smiling, and they can still laugh, chat and carry on with a semblance of normal life. Were I in their place, I would not trust myself to be so resilient.
The worst is seeing the children. There are huge numbers of children caught up in this, many of whom have seen horrific sights they should not have been exposed to. Many have lost parents. How do they understand this situation now, I wonder, when just over a week ago they were happily playing football in their yards with their friends? They have nothing with them. Most people ran with whatever they could carry but some came with just the clothes on their backs. So although at the moment basic goods are what the people need the most, we also have to start thinking about how to get books, toys etc to these kids, who are currently filling their days playing in the dirt or fighting with each other.
In Tbilisi, the fears of the international aid workers are beginning to diverge even further from the attitudes of the Georgian authorities. It appears as though they are very much convinced that once Russia pulls back, out of Georgia proper, then the refugees will return and the IDP crisis will be resolved. They have demonstrated this point of view by insisting the schools and kindergartens, currently housing IDPs, will reopen as scheduled, in three weeks time. Of course it would be a blow to the education system in this country if the schools do not re-open, but even if we can trust the intention of the Russians to pull out, this optimism is ludicrous.
It is almost certain that any IDPs from south Ossetia cannot go back, because Russia and the South Ossetian government will not allow them to. Those from Gori, who make up most of the Tbilisi IDP population, may not have anything to return to. I have not been into Gori and few, if any, humanitarian workers have been allowed to pass the road-blocks, so we cannot really know how bad the situation is there, except for journalists reports. However we can make some educated guesses at this point. Even if the homes of IDPs are still standing, which many wont be, they will be emptied of anything of value as mass looting has occurred there. If they owned cars, they will be burnt out or stolen, if they had a shop that will probably be looted and destroyed. No businesses will function there, there will be no jobs. Yet the government will expect them to return... to what?
No, the IDP problem Tbilisi and the surrounding areas currently face is not at its worst point yet and I honestly can’t see how it is going to get better. Many will have to remain and make their lives here, just as IDPs from the last secessionist war, over 10 years ago, have had to start their lives again. And I fear that the authorities will not go to great efforts to help IDPs integrate and recover their lives. Perhaps that is because the government cannot afford to support these people in the long term but also because it has shown, along with other countries hosting IDPs, including Azerbaijan, that it is politically useful to maintain an IDP population as a political pawn.
This is only the situation in Tbilisi because I can see it. But I know elsewhere the situation is many times worse. In fact, Tbilisi is the only place we are able to keep track of refugee numbers, partly because in villages and rural areas, families have taken refugees in and are providing for them. An NGO we are in contact with in the region of Guria has informed us there are about 4000 refugees in 2 towns living in these circumstances. This is a facet of the famous Georgian hospitality I have been familiarised with when travelling in rural areas too. Although their living arrangements will be in many ways preferable to that of the collective centres, it means that the authorities and humanitarian organisations do not have any idea how many people are there and where they are staying, so help is less likely to reach them. Those families, who have taken in one or two refugee families and are providing all their food and support, cannot afford to do so indefinitely.
Despite hosting an estimated 30,000 to 70,000 refugees, in Tbilisi everything is fairly calm, almost oddly normal, although the city is a little emptier than usual. It is obvious that Georgians have been through this before, have hosted huge numbers of IDPs and life carries on. But the sense of sobriety and shock is palpable, and though young people still walk arm in arm eating ice cream on the main street running through the city, no one looks to be enjoying themselves very much. I think we all fear for the future here, not least because it doesn’t look as if Russian forces have any intention of pulling out, despite many promises to do so. We keep hearing reports they are bringing in more heavy artillery, and ‘digging in’, literally digging bunkers, in the areas surrounding Gori. So, they may be here for a long time to come.
I cannot emphasise to those who are unfamiliar with Georgian geography how important the road is from Batumi to Tbilisi which goes through Gori. It is really the only main highway and the only fast road. It’s the artery of the country’s cargo transport, from the ports to the capital. It is also a road usually buzzing with business and families travelling back and forth. I have travelled the road myself many times, visiting central and west Georgia. Without this artery nothing is moving in Georgia. The economy is frozen and will suffer immeasurably.
Of course this is the intention of the Russian government. Gori is close enough to south Ossetia that they can justify it as a legitimate holding point, but in reality the objective is to paralyse the country. They are succeeding. Two days ago they also bombed the railway line, again, the only main railway link. The country is essentially divided into two blocks, areas accessible from Tbilisi, and the rest. No one can get to western Georgia and we have very little idea of what’s happening there, except that Zugdidi seems calm and fortunately Georgian troops withdrew from Abkhazia without a fight so life was able to continue there without bloodshed. Occupying the port of Poti and destroying its infrastructure, including sinking ships, will ensure that no supplies can get through by sea. It is only a matter of time before shortages are visible.
Aside from critical infrastructure they have also attacked economic targets, factories and businesses. The international business community will not want to be in Georgia and the foreign investment market that was flourishing just over a week ago is now in ruins. Tourism has been destroyed as soon as the black sea area became a target. Every summer thousands of Armenians have been pouring into the black sea resorts of Batumi and Kobuleti, bringing valuable tourist income to businesses. The confidence this has inspired led to a huge reconstruction project in Batumi. That has now gone. And as of yesterday, the national park at Borjomi, another tourist attraction and one of the most beautiful, wildlife rich places you can imagine, was burning. Who knows why and how the fire started.
What we do know is that tactics which were applied very well in Chechnya are being used in Georgia and it’s hard not to draw comparisons. Information is sketchy but it appears that, rather than being responsible for terrorising the remaining population themselves, Russian forces are deliberately arming anyone with a grudge to bear, ensuring the countryside affected by the war is filled with armed rebels, not in uniform, marauding around and helping themselves to whatever they would like. The casualties who are still rolling into the barely functioning medical services in Gori have apparently encountered these irregular forces, or bandits, who have been peppering the few remaining civilians with bullets, at will. This means, that even if the Russians do pull out, many sections of the countryside are likely to be no-go areas for a long time to come and IDPs are even less likely to be returned to their homes. At this point I also have little faith in the Georgian authorities’ ability to face the challenge of armed militias and protect the civilian population, not least because our own armed forces have been totally decimated.
We also fear what will happen to Georgia politically now. It seemed sure a few days ago that Saakashvili would have to step down and we were optimistic of a bloodless transition. But he, like the Russians, has ‘dug in’ during the past week and his position looks stronger than ever. If the Russians are expecting to remove him from power by remaining threateningly close to Tbilisi they too have miscalculated. They have only made the population panic and rally behind their leader. National flags and posters now adorn the main roads and streets in the capital. Rallies which were held to show unity with the Georgian people and demonstrations against the Russian occupation became somehow synonymous with supporting the regime. With popular legitimacy comes the ability to do whatever he likes and the high likelihood that when protests do erupt, as I’m sure they will, they will be dealt with severely. Authoritarian rule is only a few steps away. What that will mean for Georgia is a very frightening thing.
Should Georgia take a turn down this route, it is likely that the support of the international community will begin to deflate. In every aspect of this crisis, and as the situation on all fronts worsens, NGO workers and humanitarian aid distributors are completely powerless to affect anything or anyone. This entire conflict began, a week ago last Thursday, as a very risky, very nasty political game, in which innocent people were caught up. Now it is up to us to clean up the mess that has been created, in what little ways we can.
Sian Davies
British EVS Volunteer, for YUPMMG (“Youth Union of Public Movement Multinational Georgia” a Georgian youth NGO)
About me: I have been in Georgia now for 5 months, half of my expected 10 month EVS project and thus far I have had a very enjoyable and productive time here, working with young people form ethnic minorities on non formal education projects and integration issues, as well as election monitoring in minority areas. This was the last thing any of us expected and I am still unable to process the events of the past week and compare what the reality is now, with what my life was just 2 weeks ago. The majority of my international friends and fellow volunteers have been evacuated to their home countries, some of us remain, and some want to return soon, to do whatever we can and to direct those motivated to help from outside in fundraising. My Georgian friend’s lives are all on hold, as the country is, and many have lost loved ones or are separated from them by the conflict. My youth projects, which included a multiethnic youth peace summer camp due to start last weekend, are also indefinitely postponed. Everyone is trying to help IDPs now, in any way possible.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Winston and Worcester
Winston
Great news on the Winston front! Recieved a message on a Georgian mailing list from a friend of his who'd spoken to him recently.
He is in a "plush moscow hospital" and "out of the woods". His parents are not with him but he plans to move on to either Germany or the UK within the next few days.
Temuri, the journalist who he traveled with to South Ossetia is also reported to be fine and due to return to Tbilisi tomorrow.
This comes as a great relief to all of us.
Me
On a more personal note, I'm in Berlin right now having caught up with a few old friends here in Germany. I'm getting a bus back tomorrow evening which is due to arrive in London around Tuesday lunchtime.
I've been in contact with the language school I arranged to work with in Georgia and I still have my job there. This is great news for me personally as it means I have a way to support myself on my return whilst helping out my organisation with the relief work.
I should be back in Tbilisi within the month if everything works out as it should.
For all you lovely folks back home, can I encourage those of you who are availiable to make your ways to Worcester over the next few weekends. It would be lovely to see you all and I'm going to be limited in the traveling I can do whilst I'm back.
Blog
The blog and I will be having a bit of downtime for the next few weeks whilst I recollect my thoughts and catch up with friends and family back home. I'll continue posting small points of interest and bits and pieces thrown up by my organisation but for the most part it should be fairly quiet.
Expect much more upon my return to Georgia.
Thanks for reading.
Ian
Great news on the Winston front! Recieved a message on a Georgian mailing list from a friend of his who'd spoken to him recently.
He is in a "plush moscow hospital" and "out of the woods". His parents are not with him but he plans to move on to either Germany or the UK within the next few days.
Temuri, the journalist who he traveled with to South Ossetia is also reported to be fine and due to return to Tbilisi tomorrow.
This comes as a great relief to all of us.
Me
On a more personal note, I'm in Berlin right now having caught up with a few old friends here in Germany. I'm getting a bus back tomorrow evening which is due to arrive in London around Tuesday lunchtime.
I've been in contact with the language school I arranged to work with in Georgia and I still have my job there. This is great news for me personally as it means I have a way to support myself on my return whilst helping out my organisation with the relief work.
I should be back in Tbilisi within the month if everything works out as it should.
For all you lovely folks back home, can I encourage those of you who are availiable to make your ways to Worcester over the next few weekends. It would be lovely to see you all and I'm going to be limited in the traveling I can do whilst I'm back.
Blog
The blog and I will be having a bit of downtime for the next few weeks whilst I recollect my thoughts and catch up with friends and family back home. I'll continue posting small points of interest and bits and pieces thrown up by my organisation but for the most part it should be fairly quiet.
Expect much more upon my return to Georgia.
Thanks for reading.
Ian
Friday, August 15, 2008
Winston, IDPs and Links
Ok then, sat in a rainy campsite/hostel in Munich feeling utterly inapropriate for drinking and socialising whilst everything's on so I thought I might just do a quick post bringing you all up to speed on a couple of things that might not have picked up in the press. I'm no longer "on the ground" so to speak but I've been in contact with a few people and found a few things out.
For bigger picture stuff it's worth looking at a number of news sources and trying to pull together the facts from the contradictions. I'll outline a number of sources at the end of the post.
Also in this post I'll finally give you all some fresh news on Winston Featherly, the journalist injured in South Ossetia and talk a little about the new wave of internal displacement that's hit Georgia from my organisation's perspective.
Winston
Finally some movement on this one, we've got a few news sources reporting it now. Though the only American one that seems interested is his state paper.
Unfortunately it seems that early hopes for Winston's condition might have been overly optimistic. He's reported to be one of the most seriously ill of the journalists injured in the incident that wounded him. He's in intensive care in Moscow General Hospital 86 and has recieved a blood transfusion.
He's been in contact with his family, he has recieved a couple of operations on his leg and is reportedly very weak and has difficulty communicating with his care givers as he doesn't speak Russian.
On a positive front he's been interviewed by a Fox News journalist so he should hit the mainstream media any minute now. He's also apparently due to be transfered to a military hospital in Germany as soon as possible.
I have concerns, not just for his health but his saftey, the Russians have been keeping him heavily under wraps, the western press have been suspiciously silent about his case despite attempts by many of us to get it published, he has probably seen a lot of stuff that could undermine Russian rhetoric.
I'm probably worrying too much.. We hope that he's all safe and sound and with his family within the next few days.
The Displaced
I've been talking with my boss in Tbilisi today, it was a relief to have contact again and to learn more about the situation for the fresh wave of IDPs that have been created by the conflict. My organisation has been dealing with displacement since the first war and has its work cut out from now on.
I was able to do my first of what I hope will be a large amount of work for the organisation by putting together a letter for our past and present donors briefly outlining the humanitarian situation and requesting help.
I've reproduced it here to fill you in on what we're dealing with. Compared to the first conflict the numbers are fortunately quite low. My concern is with the Russians in Gori, Zugdidi, Poti and Senaki it could get much worse quite quickly though I've completely given up on trying to make serious predictions about the tragectory of the conflict.
The disastrous conflict that has engulfed Georgia over the last week has triggered a fresh IDP crisis with tens of thousands of refugees fleeing their homes in Gori, South Ossetia and Kodori Gorge to escape the bombs and approaching tanks of the Russian army.
In some cases such as Senaki, where a Russian bomb destroyed a collective centre groups of refugees from the last war are forced once more to flee their homes.
We are writing to bring your attention to the conditions under which those who have been forced to escape are living.
We have been working under the coordination of UNHCR to begin a needs assessment of IDPs in Tbilisi. It is currently difficult to ascertain the full extent of the problem but preliminary reports are troubling.
According to data from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia and UNCHR the number of IDPs in the capital Tbilisi number 19,350. These refugees make up the vast majority of the 23 000 who are estimated to have been displaced. There are also a significant 600 seeking refuge in Kutaisi.
A large number of those who fled are women and children many of which are very young (aged 2-5); there are also many pregnant and breastfeeding women who are beginning to suffer from lack of food
The IDPs are spread amongst 278 new collective centres in the capital, putting great additional pressure on existing efforts to support IDPs from the last war. The refugees are currently living in former hospitals, schools, kindergartens and hotels few of which are designed for accommodating people, let alone in such large numbers.
Water and sanitation are already becoming apparent as a problem. Most collective centres have been abandoned for some time and have fallen into disrepair. Many of the centres lack water and sewage and many have damaged or unusable toilet and bathroom facilities. Water for drinking and washing has to be carried from other buildings or other streets in many cases and the lack of decent washing and toilet facilities pose a serious risk to health.
There is a chronic lack of basic amenities. There is a small supply of beds, mattresses and blankets but not nearly enough to meet demand, many families have had to resort to using newspaper and cardboard boxes to sleep on.
Lack of food is also a major problem, especially given the number of young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. When questioned about basic cooking and eating equipment on IDP replied “we do not have a food, so for what we will use the plates and glasses?”.
The high rates of physical and psychological trauma combined with the risk of diseases such as dysentery arising from the terrible living conditions (there are already a number of reported cases) are creating an acute need for a range of medicines.
There is therefore and urgent requirement for aid for the IDPs in a number of areas (food, water, sanitation, medicine and basic necessities). The longer it takes to resolve the issue the greater the risk to human health, we desperately need your support!
Please distribute this information to your friends and partners, the situation is still very unstable and we don’t know could potentially deteriorate further.
Any help you can give would be gratefully received.
I'll try and keep you all posted on the relief efforts as I get more information. My next post will be largely focused on this issue.
News Sources
As I said, my reporting will be taking a slightly different angle from now on, with less of a focus on current events and developments. I'm now going to give you a list of the main sources (aside from the obvious western ones) that I've been using to report on the situation. Read them yourselves and make your own minds up.
Georgian
civil.ge Major Georgian news source, regularly updated, certainly a very Georgian perspective. Has been hit by a number of DDoS attacks recently so here's a couple of mirrors.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs weblog provides the official Georgian Government line on the conflict. Read with a pinch of salt but a lot of the stuff that's been coming out of it has proven to be more reliable than its sensationalist tone suggests.
Interpress Some of my Georgian friends use this site, I haven't looked at it too much but they apparently they update pretty regularly and it's reasonably reliable. It's password protected but because of the conflict they've put the password on a banner on the home page.
Rustavi2 State broadcaster. I normally loathe them and I wouldn't expect particularly objective reportage. They've been heavily DDoSed too, look at it to see what information your average Georgian gets through their TV. They have lots of video (in Kartuli of course).
Russian
It's good to know what your enemy is thinking so I'll quickly recommend a couple of Russian sources. Read with caution of course ;-)
Interfax is a major Russian news agency, the site's main content is registration only but it's got a handy news ticker very regularly updated, we're talking by the minute here, though sometimes (often when something really important is happening) it stops updating for an hour or so. A good starting point for the hottest breaking news. I was glued to it for the first few days of the conflict. No depth what-so-ever..
Itar-Tass is another major Russian news agency, I didn't use this one as much because I really liked the rapid updates on interfax. A lot more depth though. The website is as ugly as hell.
Russia Today is Russia's premier television channel. Truly terrifying and not for the faint hearted, I get a nasty feeling in my stomach and very pessimistic about a quick end to it all everytime I go there. Lots of news, lots of video, these were the guys who interviewed Winston. Evil nationalist propaganda, watching this I know how an Iraqi feels watching CNN. They've got a youtube page too for quick, reliable video streaming.
Expat Blogs
I'd like to get more on here I only know a few and they're mainly my friends. If you know of any others please contact me with the link and I'll post it. When I get a bit more space I'll put a link bar on the side.
http://georgien.blogspot.com/>Georgia and South Caucuses Blog This one is great, really, really good I've been reading it for a while, long before this shitty war. This guy really knows what he's talking about. Lots of stuff about art and culture on it too.
Billy's blog Here's another guy who knows what he's talking about, unfortunately he's not quite as bitten by the blogging bug (aliteration unintentional) as myself or others. Keep an eye on it though, I'm bugging him to do more writing.
I've got atleast two more mates who are writing seriously about this, unfortunately I read their blogs on facebook so I can't link them, I've asked them for links so I'll have this message replaced by links to them as soon as I can.
As I said, I'll have these up on a sidebar soon.
There is of course also the legendary "Megobrebs" mailing list. It's only really for people in Georgia but if you're there and you're not on it, get it sorted out.
Anyway
I'm at a youth hostel, it's one o'clock and I'm virtually sober. Time to rectify this problem. Will post again soon.
For bigger picture stuff it's worth looking at a number of news sources and trying to pull together the facts from the contradictions. I'll outline a number of sources at the end of the post.
Also in this post I'll finally give you all some fresh news on Winston Featherly, the journalist injured in South Ossetia and talk a little about the new wave of internal displacement that's hit Georgia from my organisation's perspective.
Winston
Finally some movement on this one, we've got a few news sources reporting it now. Though the only American one that seems interested is his state paper.
Unfortunately it seems that early hopes for Winston's condition might have been overly optimistic. He's reported to be one of the most seriously ill of the journalists injured in the incident that wounded him. He's in intensive care in Moscow General Hospital 86 and has recieved a blood transfusion.
He's been in contact with his family, he has recieved a couple of operations on his leg and is reportedly very weak and has difficulty communicating with his care givers as he doesn't speak Russian.
On a positive front he's been interviewed by a Fox News journalist so he should hit the mainstream media any minute now. He's also apparently due to be transfered to a military hospital in Germany as soon as possible.
I have concerns, not just for his health but his saftey, the Russians have been keeping him heavily under wraps, the western press have been suspiciously silent about his case despite attempts by many of us to get it published, he has probably seen a lot of stuff that could undermine Russian rhetoric.
I'm probably worrying too much.. We hope that he's all safe and sound and with his family within the next few days.
The Displaced
I've been talking with my boss in Tbilisi today, it was a relief to have contact again and to learn more about the situation for the fresh wave of IDPs that have been created by the conflict. My organisation has been dealing with displacement since the first war and has its work cut out from now on.
I was able to do my first of what I hope will be a large amount of work for the organisation by putting together a letter for our past and present donors briefly outlining the humanitarian situation and requesting help.
I've reproduced it here to fill you in on what we're dealing with. Compared to the first conflict the numbers are fortunately quite low. My concern is with the Russians in Gori, Zugdidi, Poti and Senaki it could get much worse quite quickly though I've completely given up on trying to make serious predictions about the tragectory of the conflict.
The disastrous conflict that has engulfed Georgia over the last week has triggered a fresh IDP crisis with tens of thousands of refugees fleeing their homes in Gori, South Ossetia and Kodori Gorge to escape the bombs and approaching tanks of the Russian army.
In some cases such as Senaki, where a Russian bomb destroyed a collective centre groups of refugees from the last war are forced once more to flee their homes.
We are writing to bring your attention to the conditions under which those who have been forced to escape are living.
We have been working under the coordination of UNHCR to begin a needs assessment of IDPs in Tbilisi. It is currently difficult to ascertain the full extent of the problem but preliminary reports are troubling.
According to data from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia and UNCHR the number of IDPs in the capital Tbilisi number 19,350. These refugees make up the vast majority of the 23 000 who are estimated to have been displaced. There are also a significant 600 seeking refuge in Kutaisi.
A large number of those who fled are women and children many of which are very young (aged 2-5); there are also many pregnant and breastfeeding women who are beginning to suffer from lack of food
The IDPs are spread amongst 278 new collective centres in the capital, putting great additional pressure on existing efforts to support IDPs from the last war. The refugees are currently living in former hospitals, schools, kindergartens and hotels few of which are designed for accommodating people, let alone in such large numbers.
Water and sanitation are already becoming apparent as a problem. Most collective centres have been abandoned for some time and have fallen into disrepair. Many of the centres lack water and sewage and many have damaged or unusable toilet and bathroom facilities. Water for drinking and washing has to be carried from other buildings or other streets in many cases and the lack of decent washing and toilet facilities pose a serious risk to health.
There is a chronic lack of basic amenities. There is a small supply of beds, mattresses and blankets but not nearly enough to meet demand, many families have had to resort to using newspaper and cardboard boxes to sleep on.
Lack of food is also a major problem, especially given the number of young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. When questioned about basic cooking and eating equipment on IDP replied “we do not have a food, so for what we will use the plates and glasses?”.
The high rates of physical and psychological trauma combined with the risk of diseases such as dysentery arising from the terrible living conditions (there are already a number of reported cases) are creating an acute need for a range of medicines.
There is therefore and urgent requirement for aid for the IDPs in a number of areas (food, water, sanitation, medicine and basic necessities). The longer it takes to resolve the issue the greater the risk to human health, we desperately need your support!
Please distribute this information to your friends and partners, the situation is still very unstable and we don’t know could potentially deteriorate further.
Any help you can give would be gratefully received.
I'll try and keep you all posted on the relief efforts as I get more information. My next post will be largely focused on this issue.
News Sources
As I said, my reporting will be taking a slightly different angle from now on, with less of a focus on current events and developments. I'm now going to give you a list of the main sources (aside from the obvious western ones) that I've been using to report on the situation. Read them yourselves and make your own minds up.
Georgian
civil.ge Major Georgian news source, regularly updated, certainly a very Georgian perspective. Has been hit by a number of DDoS attacks recently so here's a couple of mirrors.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs weblog provides the official Georgian Government line on the conflict. Read with a pinch of salt but a lot of the stuff that's been coming out of it has proven to be more reliable than its sensationalist tone suggests.
Interpress Some of my Georgian friends use this site, I haven't looked at it too much but they apparently they update pretty regularly and it's reasonably reliable. It's password protected but because of the conflict they've put the password on a banner on the home page.
Rustavi2 State broadcaster. I normally loathe them and I wouldn't expect particularly objective reportage. They've been heavily DDoSed too, look at it to see what information your average Georgian gets through their TV. They have lots of video (in Kartuli of course).
Russian
It's good to know what your enemy is thinking so I'll quickly recommend a couple of Russian sources. Read with caution of course ;-)
Interfax is a major Russian news agency, the site's main content is registration only but it's got a handy news ticker very regularly updated, we're talking by the minute here, though sometimes (often when something really important is happening) it stops updating for an hour or so. A good starting point for the hottest breaking news. I was glued to it for the first few days of the conflict. No depth what-so-ever..
Itar-Tass is another major Russian news agency, I didn't use this one as much because I really liked the rapid updates on interfax. A lot more depth though. The website is as ugly as hell.
Russia Today is Russia's premier television channel. Truly terrifying and not for the faint hearted, I get a nasty feeling in my stomach and very pessimistic about a quick end to it all everytime I go there. Lots of news, lots of video, these were the guys who interviewed Winston. Evil nationalist propaganda, watching this I know how an Iraqi feels watching CNN. They've got a youtube page too for quick, reliable video streaming.
Expat Blogs
I'd like to get more on here I only know a few and they're mainly my friends. If you know of any others please contact me with the link and I'll post it. When I get a bit more space I'll put a link bar on the side.
http://georgien.blogspot.com/>Georgia and South Caucuses Blog This one is great, really, really good I've been reading it for a while, long before this shitty war. This guy really knows what he's talking about. Lots of stuff about art and culture on it too.
Billy's blog Here's another guy who knows what he's talking about, unfortunately he's not quite as bitten by the blogging bug (aliteration unintentional) as myself or others. Keep an eye on it though, I'm bugging him to do more writing.
I've got atleast two more mates who are writing seriously about this, unfortunately I read their blogs on facebook so I can't link them, I've asked them for links so I'll have this message replaced by links to them as soon as I can.
As I said, I'll have these up on a sidebar soon.
There is of course also the legendary "Megobrebs" mailing list. It's only really for people in Georgia but if you're there and you're not on it, get it sorted out.
Anyway
I'm at a youth hostel, it's one o'clock and I'm virtually sober. Time to rectify this problem. Will post again soon.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Munich
Feel terrible, accepted a flight to Munich with the German Embassy. Really spooked despite the ceasefire, tired, stressed, encouraged by Georgians, and worried there might not be another opportunity to get on a plane without paying.
Now it looks like it's chilled out considerably, though I doubt the Russians are finished with Georgia, they're not going to stop till Misha's out and an ex-KGB stooge is in his place.
Let's hope any further interference in Georgian politics is not done with the Russian military.
Left everyone and everything behind there, Munich is horrible, in a hostel with idiot backpackers talking loudly about shit music and beer.
On the upside by pure cooincidence by little brother is on holiday here right now.. I'm looking forward to seeing him more than anything else right now.
Utterly exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically.
Won't be blogging for a little while, need to recouperate and work out a way back.
Thanks for reading over the last few days..
I'm so sorry to everyone I've left behind, Europe is empty and dead.. Nothing for me here.
Will let you all know what's going on as my plans develop.
Love Inni x
Now it looks like it's chilled out considerably, though I doubt the Russians are finished with Georgia, they're not going to stop till Misha's out and an ex-KGB stooge is in his place.
Let's hope any further interference in Georgian politics is not done with the Russian military.
Left everyone and everything behind there, Munich is horrible, in a hostel with idiot backpackers talking loudly about shit music and beer.
On the upside by pure cooincidence by little brother is on holiday here right now.. I'm looking forward to seeing him more than anything else right now.
Utterly exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically.
Won't be blogging for a little while, need to recouperate and work out a way back.
Thanks for reading over the last few days..
I'm so sorry to everyone I've left behind, Europe is empty and dead.. Nothing for me here.
Will let you all know what's going on as my plans develop.
Love Inni x
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Evacuation
OK guys, I'm going to get out.
Last night's rumours turned out to be largely untrue (especially the one I heard again and again about the Russians being five miles from Tbilisi)
Everyone here's in a state of shock and panic, no one knows what's really going on and poor lines of communication really don't help this.
Whilst I think it's still fairly safe in Tbilisi (as far as I know, no bombs fell last night for example) I can't really see the point in me staying anymore. War tourism is not cool and the work situation is not looking good.
Just had a very depressing chat with my boss. The organisation is pretty much doomed by the looks of things.
The Ruskies are pushing for regime change to get an ex-KGB stooge in (a number of names are circulating) With a pro-Russian government in, (pro-western) NGO activity will collapse, especially with our background in IDPs.
We can only hope "regime change" happens quickly and bloodlessly.
This whole thing stinks, I don't know how it happened but I really doubt it was just Misha making a bad move.
Time to go.
Good Night and Good Luck
Last night's rumours turned out to be largely untrue (especially the one I heard again and again about the Russians being five miles from Tbilisi)
Everyone here's in a state of shock and panic, no one knows what's really going on and poor lines of communication really don't help this.
Whilst I think it's still fairly safe in Tbilisi (as far as I know, no bombs fell last night for example) I can't really see the point in me staying anymore. War tourism is not cool and the work situation is not looking good.
Just had a very depressing chat with my boss. The organisation is pretty much doomed by the looks of things.
The Ruskies are pushing for regime change to get an ex-KGB stooge in (a number of names are circulating) With a pro-Russian government in, (pro-western) NGO activity will collapse, especially with our background in IDPs.
We can only hope "regime change" happens quickly and bloodlessly.
This whole thing stinks, I don't know how it happened but I really doubt it was just Misha making a bad move.
Time to go.
Good Night and Good Luck
Monday, August 11, 2008
Signing off for tonight..
Right, I'm going to make this brief, if you need real news on the ground from a Georgian perspective go to the Civil Georgia weblog
I was exhausted, stressed, smelly and hungry a few days ago.. Now I feel like I'm passing out the other side. Time to get away from it all and chill the fuck out.
Tbilisi is manic, cars speeding everywhere, queues at petrol stations, no money in the cash points.
The Russians are very-fucking-nigh.
Though we should be OK till tomorrow evening after Sarkozy leaves.
I'm starting to make contingency plans to get out, though I'm not quite ready to go yet. But the embassy is less than useless and I don't really want to get trapped here.
Avenues are still very much open right now and not wanting to put too much faith in what Misha says I agree with him that we'll have atleast 12 hours notice before anything serious happens in Tbilisi.
I'll try to keep you all updated, but I don't know for sure how much I'll be online over the next 24 hours.
Winston was mentioned by a Russian lie monger on CNN earlier today. I took some time today to contact some press about him. He's still nameless.
Time to make a move like. Still safe. Love you all.
I was exhausted, stressed, smelly and hungry a few days ago.. Now I feel like I'm passing out the other side. Time to get away from it all and chill the fuck out.
Tbilisi is manic, cars speeding everywhere, queues at petrol stations, no money in the cash points.
The Russians are very-fucking-nigh.
Though we should be OK till tomorrow evening after Sarkozy leaves.
I'm starting to make contingency plans to get out, though I'm not quite ready to go yet. But the embassy is less than useless and I don't really want to get trapped here.
Avenues are still very much open right now and not wanting to put too much faith in what Misha says I agree with him that we'll have atleast 12 hours notice before anything serious happens in Tbilisi.
I'll try to keep you all updated, but I don't know for sure how much I'll be online over the next 24 hours.
Winston was mentioned by a Russian lie monger on CNN earlier today. I took some time today to contact some press about him. He's still nameless.
Time to make a move like. Still safe. Love you all.
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