Meeting
On July 8, 2002
First
Question
Student: Regarding those in prison,
when will they be presented to a court of law?
Isaias: Who was jailed?
When?
Student: My father.
Isaias:
How do you know?
Student: We have no news of
him. He is
missing.
Isaias: What is his
name?
Student: Dr. (Muslim
name)
Isaias: If
there is no news, then he is in jail. Perhaps he had contact with
traitors, Talibans or Jihad.
Student: So, when will he be
presented to a court of law?
Isaias: When we feel like it. In
a closed session of the Special Court. Do you know Guantanemo,
in Cuba? That is where America is holding Taliban prisoners of
war. Just like that. They are a national security
risk. (Disruption continues)
Second
question:
Student: Why did you close the
churches?
Isaias: Because they have foreign
influence…From what little I know, [he continued about the
introduction of religions in Eritrea…it was
tiresome].
Third question:
Student: What will
come of the people whose land, water and woodland has been taken
over (He was taken aback by this question)
Isaias:
People whose land has been taken over…
Student: I mean, the border
issue.
Isaias:
It seems to me, mankind is more precious than land or woodland…there
is a little land that has been taken in the Tsorona area; it is not
much. We will relocate the people in a land of their
choice. The government will also provide
assistance. As for me, mankind is above all
else.
Fourth
Question
Student: What
measures will be taken to encourage the people here to participate
in the Warsai Yeka’alo Initiative? If it is, as it were, work
for 150 Nakfa, isn’t it preferable to choose to stay
here?
Isaias:
I had anticipated this question. When I was leaving Asmara to
come here, they told me, lest you vanish, to meet with you and
advise you to come back home. I told them, “let them try!”
Globalization is Equalizer. If there is money,
there is no problem. You can import people. In the past,
we looked for and couldn’t find laborers and construction
workers. We imported them from Sri Lanka, the Philippines and
India. Yesterday, we were looking for five architects and we
brought them from the Philippines. If we cannot find a
professor, we go to India and import him. So, if one says “I
want to go to America,” let him try it.
There
were no more questions.
They announced,
“Time is over” and we stopped
