Peacekeeping Days in Liberia

来源 :现代世界警察 | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:killall2009
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  Born in Wuhan, Hubei Province in October 1981, LiuYing graduated from Hubei Police Academy in 2002. Then the girl,  quite bravely, left her hometown came alone to work as a policewoman in a remote mountain town called  Xinchang in Zhejiang Province. In February 2013, she was transferred from the Police Bureau of Xinchang County to the Exit-Entry Administration of Yuecheng District Public Security Department.
  At the end of November 2009,  the Public Security Department of Zhejiang Province issued a notice about establishing a peacekeeping force in Liberia. Through a stringent process, Liu Ying was singled out to join the first peacekeeping force dispatched from Zhejiang Province. In June 2010, after half a year of arduous training alongside 18 new force members, Liu Ying traveled a long way to the West African country of Liberia to carry out her mission, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter at home.
  Hostile Environment
  Poor economic development in Liberia has resulted in complicated social problems, contributing to the proliferation of guns and lack of security. The peacekeeping force’s mission area was especially dire, suffering from a high crime rate and dangerous seasonal flooding, bringing all kinds of hazards to the peacekeepers’ daily lives.
  Although Liu Ying knew that life during her peacekeeping mission would be arduous, no amount of psychological preparation could prepare her for her arrival in Monrovia, capital of Liberia.
  “Along the road, her eyes were met with disorderly rows of dilapidated one-story tin houses, behind which rose the slightly taller and sturdier buildings of the UN. It seemed that the war’s long shadow continued to loom over the land. The city was mired in chaos, without any noticeable plans for development. On the bumpy and rugged roads, there were only tattered taxis, some without plates, and no public transportation system.”
  “After all, this is the capital city, where the situations are relatively good. If you go into the suburbs of Monrovia, there are thatched shacks everywhere, in which the local residents live without electricity. At night, it is as if you are living in a primitive jungle,” a local colleague told Liu Ying.
  In Liberia, there is little infrastructure in terms of irrigation and plumbing, electricity, roads, and telecommunications. Food is in short supply, and almost all the necessities of life depend on import or external donations.   “There is a local saying: Climb a tree to eat, find a cloth to sleep, and look to donations to survive. We have to get electricity from generators and water from wells, as the whole country barely has any city construction projects, power grids, or plumbing. Water sources are often polluted, so we don’t dare to drink it. We mainly drink mineral water supplied by the UN, which we go to fetch once a week. Yet we don’t dare drink too much, as we spend much of our working hours in the field, and plus, few security bureaus have restrooms.”
  Even an imported cabbage costs 9 US dollars at the supermarket, said Liu Ying, so police have to take Vitamin C supplements to keep a balanced nutrition.
  “Once, during a patrol, our team leader Li Shulong happened upon a place that sold frozen pig knuckles. Since then, stewed knuckles have become our favorite dish.  Every time we can eat the knuckle soup cooked for us by our team leader, we feel that it is the best cuisine in the world.”
  “For over 400 days and nights, our basic principle was to feed our stomachs, never mind the nutrition or flavor. Once, in a moment of carelessness, I ate something unsanitary, which made me suffer from gastroenteritis, then slight fever for a week.” said Liu Ying. Due to the hostile climate and environment, including rampant mosquitoes, flies, lizards, and geckoes, as well as limited medical facilities, catching malaria can be a fatal threat. Diseases somehow insinuated themselves into our dwelling despite our utmost caution. Once, one of the team members Lin Duguan was infected with malaria after being bitten by a mosquito. For nearly half a month, his body trembled with fever, and for two full days he lay motionless in bed. Luckily, he was treated in time, and came through.
  “It is said that once one expert from China perished here from the same disease, and never returned,” said Liu Ying regretfully.
  Peacekeeping Her Mission
  On arrival, Liu Ying was stationed at Monrovia’s No. 7 Security Bureau, about 30 kilometers away from the capital.  Her mission included supervising and conducting the local police to enforce the law and handle lawsuits, overseeing whether there were cases of extended police detention or other illegal law enforcement, checking their daily work records, providing constructive suggestions, and innovating their police modeling and system. At the same time, she was responsible for patrolling the mission area, and rushing to the sites of all kinds of armed robbery, violent theft, murder, and more.   “My jurisdiction is the suburban area, where many guns have been left by the civil war, and there is frequent violence such as armed robbery and riots. The police bureau in the jungle is crudely built, with one bungalow partitioned into many small rooms to house the reception area, detention center, sheriff’s office, and so on. Without water and electricity, one kerosene lamp is used for lighting at night.”
  In the beginning, this girl, who has grown up in a city, worried most about the night shift. “The local public security is lax and dreadful, and night is the peak time for criminal cases, and I often have to drive to the suburbs, that is, a large area of primitive jungle, for night patrols.” However, Liu Ying quickly executed various dangerous missions, and often went to some bloody crime scenes to deal with cases.
  In accordance with the sense of responsibility and mission of China’s peacekeepers, Liu Ying quickly established a mutual trust and friendly relationship with the local police. She shared with them China’s advanced policing work experience, and helped them standardize law enforcement, strengthen legal publicity, and spare no effort to prevent and reduce crimes. Furthermore, the police chief adopted Liu Ying’s suggestion to appoint community police, and assigned her to guide the regular community meetings, strengthen the communication and cooperation between communities, and increase the number of people to carry out alternate patrols, which led to a sharp drop in the incidence of various crimes in the jurisdiction.
  Soon after, Liu Ying was transferred to the UN headquarters in Liberia in recognition of her outstanding performance.
  What impressed foreign colleagues most was that this petite Chinese policewoman was not content with her relatively comfortable office work. She competed for a post at the United Nations motor vehicle management office and became responsible for the maintenance and deployment of more than 200 vehicles in the entire civil police system.
  “The roads in Liberia are incredibly rudimentary with horrendous driving conditions, which requires high performance from vehicles. The raggedy bumpy roads also put vehicles quickly into disrepair. The United Nations has to spend a lot of money on changing clutch pedals every year.” Liu Ying said.
  In order to ensure the normal operation and safety of vehicles for peacekeepers from various countries, Liu Ying and her colleagues carefully maintained and checked each vehicle and its performance during the day, and worked hard to learn the basic theoretical knowledge of vehicles at night. During this job, she never set herself apart as a woman. Like her male colleagues, she could often be seen checking and receiving vehicles, and coordinating with technicians in workshops. She herself lost count of how many times she had entered the workshops and how many times she had checked vehicles.   At that time, the United Nations civil police vehicle system was undergoing changes and reassignments. As a large number of end-of-life vehicles were scrapped and replaced with new vehicles in the mission area, the database was in urgent need of updating. Liu Ying not only updated the United Nations civil police vehicle database, but used her computer knowledge to add more reasonable and user-friendly design elements. Her improvements made the operation of the civil police database faster and more convenient.
  Because of her patience and passion for work, she won praise from her colleagues and foreign counterparts. Seeing her on duty, many people would say, “Chinese lady, good.”
  The Medal of Peace Is More Than Honor
  Before the conclusion of her peacekeeping mission, Liu Ying had an extra medal on her chest—the “Medal of Peace” awarded by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the leader of the United Nations Mission in Liberia. This honor is a commendation for her more than one year’s excellent work.
  Reflecting on the greatest insight of her peacekeeping experience, Liu Ying said: “Peace is the most precious. In Liberia, I have been to many bloody crime scenes and seen many bodies unclaimed because claiming a body costs money. There, life seems to be very trivial. Babies die of minor diseases, and even adults die easily due to armed robberies and wretched traffic conditions.”
  Liberia used to be a relatively rich country, but after more than ten years of civil war, the country remains afflicted with social unrest and chaos, and is now one of the least developed regions in Africa. The civil war took tens of thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. Today, the country remains vulnerable to occasional turmoil. And peace is fragile.
  Close to Liu’s police station, a family had several children. One of them was a little boy named Tony, who was just one year older than Liu’s daughter. Every time she saw him, Liu would think of her own daughter and gave candies to Tony and his peers. Chewing the candies, they gave her grateful smiles.
  “Like anywhere else, kids here are in their vulnerable age. They, however, lead a different life. In this poverty-stricken country, the destitute endure hard times. Like anywhere else, people here are struggling for survival. They, however, live in extreme destitution, unaware the real meaning of life. Shouldn’t they have the right to live a happy life?   Liu Ying said that during her more than 400 days in Liberia, everything she experienced made her feel happy and proud to have grown up in China. At the same time, she gained a deeper understanding of the word “peace” : without peace, there is no economy, and the people could not live safely, let alone happily.
  Pasted on Liu Ying’s mobile phone case is a yellowed family photograph. In the picture, her four-year-old daughter looks innocent and happy. Her husband Xiong Jian, also a policeman, is the chief of the Fatal Case, Criminal Investigation Division of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau, a master in man hunting. “I am working in the exit-entry administration in China. This peacekeeping experience has made me understand and support my husband’s work more than ever.” Liu Ying said with a smile.
  During the peacekeeping period, Liu Ying and her teammates not only worked hard and wholeheartedly to bring more peace to the local people in their work, but also often sought to improve Liberian peoples’ lives through their own efforts.
  They spontaneously raised 7000 USD to build a new police station, donated more than 2000 raincoats and seven laptops to the local police, and donated school and daily necessities to children in orphanages and primary schools.
  “The local people are very friendly to the Chinese people, saying that the Chinese people are their brothers and sisters.”
  It is heroes and heroines like Liu Ying who have contributed to the cause of peace in Liberia, and promoted the great friendship between the two peoples through their actual deeds.
  Daily Work
  Tears, nostalgia, pain, struggle, perseverance, striving, success, joy, and other tastes constituted Liu Ying’s more than 400 days and nights in the mission area. The peacekeeping experience has become a significant part of her life. The turbulent social environment in the mission area has made her cherish the peace and security of the motherland more, the lack of material supplies in the mission area has made her cherish the wealth of the motherland more, and the painstaking working environment in the mission area has made her love the public security work back home more. After returning to China, her homeland awarded her many honors, including “First Class Merit” “Excellent People’s Police of Zhejiang Province” and “Top Ten Outstanding Youth of Shaoxing.” Under the halo, there is Liu Ying devoting wholeheartedly to her work and the motherland.
  Back in China, Liu Ying continues to work in the exit-entry administration at the grassroots level.
  She and her colleagues arrive at their posts five minutes early every day to receive the masses, infuse their smiles into every aspect of their work, and strive to create a comfortable and warm environment for people to get their visas. Liu Ying said: “As long as we People’s Police carry the people’s interests with us, and impart the warmth of our consideration, all problems are easily solved, because we share this feeling of mutual care.”
  (Translated by Ma Qingyun)
其他文献
中央纪委国家监委驻公安部纪检监察组组长孙新阳2020年11月30日同西班牙内政部安全国务秘书拉斐尔通电话。  孙新阳表示,习近平主席2018年访西时与贵国桑切斯首相就深化双边关系取得重要共识。中西执法合作成果丰硕,双方联合打击跨境电信网络诈骗犯罪“长城行动”成为国际执法合作典范。希望双方在反恐、打击涉疫犯罪、“一带一路”安保、追逃等领域加强合作,为两国关系发展保驾护航。  拉斐尔表示,希望双方加强
期刊
2019年7月,奥斯卡奖导演莎梅·奥贝德-奇诺伊及其团队跟踪拍摄了一部关于三名孟加拉国女子维和警察防暴队员在海地执行联合国维和任务的战地纪录片——《千里之旅:维和女警》。  《千里之旅:维和女警》的台前幕后  这部纪录片通过罕见的、近距离的角度向全世界介绍孟加拉国女性警察海外充满风险和艰苦的执法经历。  在孟加拉国,女性从来都是居家劳作、照顾孩子、服从男性权威的传统形象。然而,当她们勇敢地加入警察
期刊
2020年12月11日,老撾、缅甸、泰国执法部门负责人分别签发贺信,祝贺第100次中老缅泰湄公河联合巡逻执法行动圆满完成。  老挝公安部部长威莱表示,湄公河联合巡逻执法行动为流域人民的幸福、安全、安宁作出了积极贡献。老挝愿在合作打击毒品贩运、偷渡、走私、电信诈骗、网络赌博等跨国犯罪活动方面加强与各方合作,推动湄公河流域执法安全合作机制向更深、更广、更实方向发展。  缅甸内政部部长梭突指出,中、老、
期刊
I served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for 12 months from July 2018 to July 2019. Though it has been over a year since I returned to China, my memories of working with UNFICYP as
期刊
Mission to Cyprus amid COVID-19  It was late night on March 5, 2020. The departure hall in Shanghai Pudong Airport was almost empty, contrasting sharply with the hustle and bustle in former times. I d
期刊
On May 29, 2020, the United Nations announced the theme of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers as “Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace.” As a policewoman, I was honored to join China’s eighth p
期刊
头盔是一种用来保护头部的防护装备,确切地说,头盔是头骨的延伸部分。有些国家,比如英国警察有时戴着头盔以示礼仪,体现象征意义。  在日常生活中,头盔广泛用于娱乐活动和体育运动,如赛马、美式足球、冰球、板球、棒球、投掷和攀岩等;也运用于具有危险性的工作,如建筑、采矿、警务执法、战斗机飞行员等;以及运输行业,如摩托车头盔和自行车头盔等。  自20世纪90年代以来,大多数头盔都是用树脂或塑料制成,并用芳纶
期刊
国务委员、公安部部长赵克志2020年12月1日同埃及内政部部长马哈茂德·陶菲克通电话。  赵克志表示,在习近平主席和塞西总统战略指引下,中埃关系和各领域务实合作实现了跨越式發展。中共十九届五中全会规划了中国未来发展的宏伟蓝图,也将为中埃合作提供更多机遇。希望双方认真落实好两国元首重要共识,保持经常性战略沟通,深化反恐务实合作,加强“一带一路”项目、机构和人员安保合作,不断推动中埃全面战略伙伴关系迈
期刊
“值此第100次中老缅泰湄公河联合巡逻执法行动开展之际,我谨代表中国公安部,向第100次湄公河联巡成功举办致以热烈祝贺!向全体参巡的各国执法人员表示诚挚问候!向关心、支持、维护流域安全稳定的各界人士表示衷心的感谢!”中国公安部部长赵克志的一封贺信,让一支由中老缅泰四国组成的联合执法力量再次走进了人们的视线。  2011年10月5日上午,中国籍商船“华平号”和缅甸籍商船“玉兴8号”在湄公河流域被两艘
期刊
据韩国KBS新闻报道,“素媛案”原型赵斗顺将于2020年12月12日出狱,为防悲剧再次发生,韩国国会最近通过了《保护收容法》。该法案以强化对电子脚链佩戴者的管理和监督为目的,又名“赵斗顺防治法”。  据悉,即便在佩戴电子脚链的情况下,韩国平均每年仍有60起性犯罪发生。调查显示,性犯罪相关再犯案件一半以上发生在电子脚链佩戴者居住半徑一公里以内,33%发生在犯人居住半径百米以内。因而,韩国民众认为政府
期刊