FINALLY
Finally, Contact.
The Dutch and the French have began their evacuation on Monday. Since then son have the Jordanians the Brazilians and a host of other countries. The Canadians are beginning tomorrow, the British are also underway and the Americans, lagging behind are loading their boat in the harbour now. As for the Australians, I have no bloody clue, apparently it will be some time "in the next few days" to Cypress or Turkey. Until today, the only contact I have had with them is two e-mails, which I got by signing up to the travel advisories mailing list, each containing nothing but a link to the DFAT travel advisories page for Lebanon, which begins with the words "We strongly advise you not to travel to Lebanon at this time because of the deteriorating security environment." Thanks guys.
The Dutch have been receiving SMS updates on the progress of their evacuation efforts, as have many other European nationals. My American and Canadian friends were complaining to me that the only way their embassy would contact them is by e-mail, at least theirs was a specific and detailed e-mail for their citizens already in Beirut explaining to them the details of how the evacuation will be ordered when it finally takes place. For example, one small bag per person, bring food and water for the trip with you. Priority given to medical cases, families and short term residents. Appallingly the Americans have also announced that their citizens will be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to pay for the cost of their evacuation upon their return home. As one American put it, they are being forced to pay to flee from bombs which we paid for with our own tax dollars. Even more appallingly the Americans have said that they will be splitting families. For example if you are an American citizen married to a Lebanese then you can not bring your spouse. If the children are American citizens and the parents are not then one parent can accompany them and the other must stay put. They are forcing families to choose between staying together and staying safe.
The Australian embassy, more appallingly still, has, until today, told us nothing. Furthermore, they are the only embassy I have heard of that will not register its citizens either by phone or in person. A friend who is also an Australian citizen took his own details (passport number, contact details etc.) along with his sisters and mine to the embassy in hard copy in the hope assuming that they would be eager to know exactly how many Australian citizens there were and how to contact them He was turned away and referred to the smartraveller.gov.au web-site. I was sure he was wrong, our government would not show us such contemptuous indifference. I tried to call. The woman took my name (actually she refused to record my middle name) and noted that I was a student but refused to take either my passport number or my contact details. Again, I was referred to the web-site where I had to fill out three pages of mostly useless information on the same generic form as any other Australian who is travelling or has plans to travel anywhere else in the world.
Considering the fact that the power is often out in large sections of Beirut and consistently out in other parts of the country and that internet and phone services are this would require many of us (including myself) to ignore the only relevant advice to be found on the DFAT web-site: "If you are in Lebanon you should remain in a secure location indoors, monitor the media and follow public announcements of the local authorities."
So do we stay inside and risk being left behind in the case of an evacuation or do we risk travelling to find internet access? For me the dilemma was not huge, I am staying within walking distance of a number of internet café's with their own generators and reasonably reliable (if remarkably slow) internet access, for many of those trapped without power in the south by bombed roads and bridges this would be, at worst impossible or at best, extremely dangerous. The confusion does not end there, apparently "We expect also that some Australians may be able to leave on ships organised by consular partners including Canada, the US and the UK." when and how this will be possible, as the American evacuation is under way now and the Canadians will begin tomorrow.
After registering my details on the web-site and having my sister repeat the process for me from Australia days later I have received the first confirmation that my government even knows I am in the country. No time or place to meet for evacuation and no details of what i can bring, who will be taking me or where I will be taken should I choose to leave.
The Dutch and the French have began their evacuation on Monday. Since then son have the Jordanians the Brazilians and a host of other countries. The Canadians are beginning tomorrow, the British are also underway and the Americans, lagging behind are loading their boat in the harbour now. As for the Australians, I have no bloody clue, apparently it will be some time "in the next few days" to Cypress or Turkey. Until today, the only contact I have had with them is two e-mails, which I got by signing up to the travel advisories mailing list, each containing nothing but a link to the DFAT travel advisories page for Lebanon, which begins with the words "We strongly advise you not to travel to Lebanon at this time because of the deteriorating security environment." Thanks guys.
The Dutch have been receiving SMS updates on the progress of their evacuation efforts, as have many other European nationals. My American and Canadian friends were complaining to me that the only way their embassy would contact them is by e-mail, at least theirs was a specific and detailed e-mail for their citizens already in Beirut explaining to them the details of how the evacuation will be ordered when it finally takes place. For example, one small bag per person, bring food and water for the trip with you. Priority given to medical cases, families and short term residents. Appallingly the Americans have also announced that their citizens will be required to sign a promissory note agreeing to pay for the cost of their evacuation upon their return home. As one American put it, they are being forced to pay to flee from bombs which we paid for with our own tax dollars. Even more appallingly the Americans have said that they will be splitting families. For example if you are an American citizen married to a Lebanese then you can not bring your spouse. If the children are American citizens and the parents are not then one parent can accompany them and the other must stay put. They are forcing families to choose between staying together and staying safe.
The Australian embassy, more appallingly still, has, until today, told us nothing. Furthermore, they are the only embassy I have heard of that will not register its citizens either by phone or in person. A friend who is also an Australian citizen took his own details (passport number, contact details etc.) along with his sisters and mine to the embassy in hard copy in the hope assuming that they would be eager to know exactly how many Australian citizens there were and how to contact them He was turned away and referred to the smartraveller.gov.au web-site. I was sure he was wrong, our government would not show us such contemptuous indifference. I tried to call. The woman took my name (actually she refused to record my middle name) and noted that I was a student but refused to take either my passport number or my contact details. Again, I was referred to the web-site where I had to fill out three pages of mostly useless information on the same generic form as any other Australian who is travelling or has plans to travel anywhere else in the world.
Considering the fact that the power is often out in large sections of Beirut and consistently out in other parts of the country and that internet and phone services are this would require many of us (including myself) to ignore the only relevant advice to be found on the DFAT web-site: "If you are in Lebanon you should remain in a secure location indoors, monitor the media and follow public announcements of the local authorities."
So do we stay inside and risk being left behind in the case of an evacuation or do we risk travelling to find internet access? For me the dilemma was not huge, I am staying within walking distance of a number of internet café's with their own generators and reasonably reliable (if remarkably slow) internet access, for many of those trapped without power in the south by bombed roads and bridges this would be, at worst impossible or at best, extremely dangerous. The confusion does not end there, apparently "We expect also that some Australians may be able to leave on ships organised by consular partners including Canada, the US and the UK." when and how this will be possible, as the American evacuation is under way now and the Canadians will begin tomorrow.
After registering my details on the web-site and having my sister repeat the process for me from Australia days later I have received the first confirmation that my government even knows I am in the country. No time or place to meet for evacuation and no details of what i can bring, who will be taking me or where I will be taken should I choose to leave.
posted by Austin Gerassimos Mackell at 6:55 PM
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