ブックタイトルThe Journal of Humanitarian Studies

概要

The Journal of Humanitarian Studies

Journal of Humanitarian Studies Vol. 4, 2015Special Feature35 years of ICRC: souvenirs and anecdotesVincent Nicod 12000 years of Japanese wisdom"Do not try to change what 2000 years of Japanese wisdom taught us"…This is how Kokawa-san of theJRCS put an end to our friendly argument and made me accept to pull the bamboo curtain down on theterrace, keeping the sun out of our bunker but depriving me on the view over the jungle around us…Thiswas nearly 35 years ago, in the NW 9 camp, established for Vietnamese "land-people" refugees, on theThai-Kampuchean border. The plight of the Vietnamese fleeing their country by sea (the“boat-people”)was well known, in the eighties, but those“land-people”, fleeing Vietnam by road, through Kampuchea,were a more difficult case. Pending their re-installation in a country of asylum, they were sheltered in avery basic camp, in the jungle, in a no-man’s-land, right on the border. There, to ensure their protection,the ICRC was enforcing a 24 hours, 7 days a week, presence in the camp. We used to shift teams of twodelegates several times a week to maintain our permanent presence on the ground. During the day, thedelegates supervised ICRC Tracing activities in the camp, particularly crucial for the Vietnamese who,once the family link with their relatives already re-settled abroad could be re-established, could call fora family reunification with them. This was the only possibility, for the“land-people”, to leave the camp.Meanwhile, the JRCS, and other Red Cross National Societies, ensured the maintenance of the community’sinfrastructure (latrines, water system, medical posts and dispensary, food distribution platform etc.). Leaderof the JRCS teams on the border, Kokawa-san was one of the few representatives of the National Societiesto spend tours of duty in NW 9.Due to frequent clashes between armed groups from the various Khmer factions fighting along the borderand to sometimes erratic shelling from the Vietnamese artillery in the area, the ICRC“residence”, whichalso served as an“office”, was housed in a bunker, made of sand bags, which, of course, did not have anywindow. Inside, the heat was terrible. We were in the middle of a hot and humid jungle area. No air couldcirculate between the walls and electricity was scarce, only available from a small generator, runningfor few hours a day to maintain the load of the battery of the ICRC radio, which was the only means ofcommunication available to the Red Cross teams there.Water was rationed, therefore shower was a rare luxuryand food available to the delegates was basic, as a markof solidarity with the“land-people”sheltered in thecamp. Alcohol was not allowed. Needless to say that, atthat time, there was no TV, no mobile phone, no satellitecommunications, no computers, therefore no e-mail,internet, facebook nor twitter…The curfew imposed bythe ICRC started at nightfall, around 6 pm, and couldonly be lifted at day time, provided there was no fightingin the area. A Royal Thai Army detachment, Task force80, ensured the security of the border area, including thecamp and our link to the outside world was a VHF radio,which we could use only in time of emergency.1ICRC Head of Mission in Tokyoc Naoki KOKAWA1980 in Thailand, Mr. Naoki KOKAWA, Director ofInternational Relief, JRCS & Mr. Vincent Nicod Workedtogether for Cambodian refugees in their young days.人道研究ジャーナルVol. 4, 201521