reply to post by asen_y2k
and...
Originally posted by asen_y2k
reply to post by maloy
They are MBC, in English MVS. I am in Lviv...
I don't know about total quarantine. They kept telling us, what are you doing outside? Its karantine(quarantine). It was about 1.45 in the night.They
were shouting and throwing their hand around...
[edit on 2/11/09 by asen_y2k]
Asen, after I posted details of your first text messages last night, namely that you were okay and were going out to get meds, I logged off and had
dinner and soon after I went to bed.. It was a shock when I got up at 7 this morning and saw your messages about the trouble with the Police. Thank
you for that last short message that you were okay and only one guy got arrested.
First thing I did was log on and see if you had posted here! Big relief that you did and so I knew all was ok...
That guy who got arrested for no ID... This was
very unwise of him. In this part of the world (Central and Eastern Europe) everyone must carry
their ID all the time. It's the law. It is normal here that if police stop you, even for just a routine check when they are looking for some people,
they first say "Doklady prosim." (Papers, please.) If they are young guys who want to look tough they don't say "please".
If they have AK47s you don't expect them to be polite...
I have been stopped a few times, maybe once every two years or so. I show my papers, we chat about the rotten weather or whatever, and they wish me
good day and let me go. It's no problem, no drama. Honest people have nothing to worry about. But if you have no papers or they are "not in order"
then it's trouble. This happened to a friend of mine here. He was an Australian, who was here on a visa and working "black". (No work documents, no
permission to work, no taxes, etc.) Well he had overstayed his visa.
So when he gave the police his passport, (just city police, not even state police), they saw at once that his visa had expired. So he was arrested and
taken to the station and they put him in a cell. Then he had to sign a document that said he was being deported because he'd overstayed his visa and
he could not return for three years. And that was it. He had to leave within three weeks.
Having ID has a plus side. For example, a few months back (in Summer), an old lady collapsed on the footpath just across the road from us. Help was
called. The police arrived before the ambulance, and they checked her ID and were able to contact her family to let them know which hospital she was
going to. This sort of thing happens quite often so it's an advantage, especially in a country where a fair number of people (especially older) never
got a driving license because they use public transport all the time anyway. It also helps to prevent getting arrested if we just happen to look like
someone they are after.
I am giving all these details on the thread here so that members know, that all through this part of the world, this is what happens when things are
"normal". Right now in Ukraine, it is
not "normal". An emergency has been declared and this gives police -- especially the special units of
the State police -- "extraordinary powers".
Under such conditions, the police can be very tough. Those guys with the Kalashnikovs are "special" and they are always tough anyway. Your "local"
police will usually have side arms, not AK47s. These special police live in their own world and yes -- just like here -- they get their orders through
the Ministry of the Interior.
I can bet that they are not happy to be there in your city when there is this problem with infection.
I say that because special police with AK47s don't really need to shout much or wave their arms. They normally just tell you to stop. So they were
perhaps rather "green" or simply nervous or even a bit scared. As you know, fear and anger are very similar emotions. So the anger comes out.
That's my reading of their behaviour.
They can use those guns if they wish and there is no recourse under the law if they do. They have authority to stop people by
any means.
The "quarantine": by law, any quarantine has to be "publicly declared". So does any curfew. They only have to print the announcement in the local
press. But that doesn't mean everyone will
know about it right away. This sounds like it was a curfew situation as
part of the
quarantine measures.
When people cannot travel at night, this is when thieves come out to rob (burgle) offices and shops. So the police are there to do two things: to stop
people moving around and perhaps spreading infection (by visiting friends, leaving the region and so on),
and to catch the scumbags who can be
having a great time robbing places when there are no witnesses on the streets.
We had this in Prague during the huge floods in 2002, when half of the city center was literally awash and emergency workers and police were using
boats to get around. The police caught several looters and I heard rumors that they shot a few as well, but I don't know if that's true. But it
wouldn't surprise me, especially if the looters were stupid enough to carry any weapons.
By the way, if you go shopping during the day, keep the receipts for everything you buy. That way if the police stop you, then you can prove the goods
are not stolen. I only advise this because the situation is not normal.
I will say this: bringing in special police with their AK47s to do "patrol duty" in a town is an unusual move. They normally reserve them for major
disturbances, riots, natural disasters etc. The last time I saw them here in Prague was a few months back when we had a big football match
("international" level) and the opposing team's fans were known to cause "trouble". So after the match they were "escorted" to the railway
stations by hundreds of armed police, including our "special" guys (and women). There was no "trouble" from them this time!
The special police are also great people to have around in any disaster. They have some excellent resources and highly-trained people for rescues and
they did some incredible things here to save people in the floods. So, it's not all bad.
The fact that they are using special police for patrol work means that either the authorities are
very concerned about people moving around at
night, or the local "city" police are not able to cope. This will not go un-noticed by the local inhabitants, believe me.
If you can "obtain" any pictures of them, or if any of your contacts can, then please post them if it's safe for you to do so. If not, then we can
find a way to get them released by "someone"
outside of Ukraine.
Best regards and stay safe,
Mike
[edit on 3/11/09 by JustMike]