The protests started on Wednesday, 16th Feb 2011 at Benghazi (2nd largest city in Libya and 1,000 km NE from Tripoli). These protests commemorate the victims that had been killed in 1996 (also in Benghazi). The protesters called for second marches/protests on Thursday 17th February in Benghazi and Tripoli, but was postponed to 18th February in Benghazi and Gaddafi organized his supporters to counter the opposittions at Green Square on that day in Tripoli to show that he still has the supports from the people (I could not upload our pictures taken at the rally on the facebook because been blocked since Saturday). About fifty protestors been killed in Benghazi but that does not deter the growing numbers of protestors showing up on Saturday, 19th February at Benghazi. My colleague from Benghazi told me on Sunday that about two hundreds protestors were killed and more than 700 hundreds wounded by Gaddafi's security forces mostly non-Muslims African mercenaries on Saturday night alone. The story was confirmed by video footage at PressTV showing the massacres and one of the security forces killed by the protestors.
Turkey immediately sent three planes to demobilize its citizens from Benghazi but there are more than 25,000 Turkish in Libya. South Korea is preparing an emergency evacuation plan for its citizens in view of hundreds of Libyans (mostly "opportunists") stormed and looted a few of Koreans construction sites in Tripoli on Sunday.
We have a meeting with our Malaysian Ambassador on the evacuation plan of about 190 Malaysians as directed by Malaysia PM. The Embassay is having a hard time to gather the Malaysians because the internet bandwith been cut to minimum since Saturday morning and no internet line most of the time, the AlMadar telephone network is out of service most of the time and only Libyana telephone network can still be used. Unfortunately, most of the Malaysians are using AlMadar. Malaysia could not send airplane to Libya because the air space request was not granted. The airport was closed since Monday and so does all the Government offices. Traveling out by land through Tunisia is not an alternative because the news this morning at Tunisian border reported that the army confiscate mobile phones, camera, money and allvaluables from the Tunisian going back home through the border. Now, we only have the sea as our last alternative. This can only succeed if our convoy been escorted by the Libyan army to Tripoli port and provided that the Malaysia's ship is allowed to enter the port.
So far it is still safe for the Malaysian and other Nationals in Tripoli because the situation is still under control by the government. I met a group of demonstrators (about 300) at Zawiyah freeway on my way back from my work sites at Sabratah to Tripoli on Sunday afternoon and I stopped the car at the road shoulders waiting for the group to passed by. I thought they are Gaddafi's supporters because I met three seperate groups at three different cities on my way to my work site in the morning. But it turned out vise versa when I saw them tearing down the Billboard and Gaddafi's posters as they marched toward me. Alhamdulillah, I managed to escape unhurt except some damages to the car. I was warned earlier by the Libyan at my site that the government let the prisoners free from the prison at Zawiyah but the riots was not at the freeway. In Libya, foreigners cars can easily be identified at the registration plate.
I was told by our Libyan friend that there will be bigger groups of protestors going to Tripoli on Sunday night. We observed that the shops were closed in the late afternoon and we have to que a long line to pay our groceries at the supermarket. We heard voices and peoples shouting from our house that night and we drove out to observe but we met a few small groups of protestors shouting condemning the massacres at Benghazi and burning the posters of Gaddafi on the road. The real action only happened at the wee hours on Monday morning as we were awaken from our sleeps at about 4:30 a.m. by the noises of gunshots. We went to the streets on Monday to check and found out burning marks and debris of stones on the road. One of the police station was burned down.
Our Ambassador told us on Monday that Gaddafi has flown out of the country and there might be bigger clashes on Monday night at the center of Tripoli. We could not go out last night since we met a lot of army trucks patroling the streets and blocking the roads to center of Tripoli in the evening. We stayed up late to 3:00 a.m. this morning but it is very quiet last night. The bombing and shooting by the airstrikes happened at Benghazi but we did not hear the noises in Tripoli. Tripoli center is only about eight km away from our house.
There are riots in Sabratah town on Sunday night and my staff reported that all the heavy machineries was taken away by the rioters at one of my contractor base camp. About ten machines of graders, excavators, concrete trucks and compactors were stolen. Our site offices were ransacked and the air-conditioning units along with the computers were stolen.
But, there are no untoward incidents reported by the Malaysian until now.
Sekian berita terkini dari Tripoli, Libya. The next news, tunggu.......
Wassalam.
p/s : Nampak gaya nak kena berenang Mediterranean Sea ke Malta nie tapi air laut sojuk pulak.....Buat camno...
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