今朝8時半、いつものように賑わう中央市場でレタスを買っている時に、市場の海側の方からドタバタという音とともに、人の悲鳴が聞こえてきました
その直後には複数の男が怒鳴る声と、何かものを叩く音が聞こえ、大勢の人が道路側の出口に向かって押し寄せてくるのが見えました
何が起こったのかわからず周りにいた人に聞いたら、喧嘩らしいということでした
店の人たちも商品を片付け始め、パニック状態になったところで、群衆の後ろから10人ほどの体格のいい男が、刃渡り1mぐらいのブッシュナイフを振り回しながら、大声で人々を威嚇しているのが見えました
私も早々に引き揚げようと思いましたが、車を海側の駐車場に置いてあったため、とりあえずほかの人々と同じように、道路側の通路から脱出しました
道路は逃げた人で完全に塞がり、車が通れる状況ではありませんでしたが、約10分で男たちはどこかに去り、人々が市場に戻り始めました
私も駐車場に戻り、車を出そうとしたときに馴染みの漁師が声をかけてきたので何が起こったのか聞いてみました
昨夜この市場で喧嘩があって、一人がブッシュナイフで首を切られて死に、その死んだ男の仲間が仕返しにやってきたということでした
すぐに市場を離れてJICAの隊員連絡所に行って、そこから調整員に事情を報告し、すぐに首都にいる隊員に警告が発せられました
その15分ほどあとに、表の道路で群衆の騒ぐ声と走る音が聞こえて、のぞいてみると二つの若者のグループが投石合戦を展開していました
一方のグループが優勢で、連絡所の前から遠ざかって行ったので、その間に車で自宅に帰りました
その後大使館からも情報が入って、外出を控えるようにと警告が出され、12時過ぎには沈静化したという情報が入りました
昼食にホットケーキを作りましたが、分量の目安を失敗して作りすぎたので、焼く前の状態で連絡所に持っていきました
連絡所の方へ曲がる交差点で警察官が道路封鎖をしていて、ここから先は危険だと説明を受けましたが、あと50mぐらいなので事情を話して通らせてもらったところ、連絡所入口のすぐ下の道路で若者が数十人道路上で拘束されていました
やはり先ほどの投石騒ぎに続きがあったようで、相当数の警察官も出動したようです
おそらくこの若者たちは、昨夜からの騒動とは無関係な連中で、何かのきっかけですぐにこのような騒動に発展します
政府や議員の汚職と腐敗、不平等感に対する若者たちの鬱積した不満は、常に発散する場所を求めていわゆる一触即発のような状態になっています
8:30 this morning I went to the central market for weekly shopping and when I was going to buy some lettuce, the screaming voice and the something noise whack-whack had happened from the sea side end of the market.
Soon after then many people had rushed on to the exit of road side with the shout of several men.
I didn’t realize that what was happening and I asked to the other people and they said it seemed some people were fighting.
All merchants started to close their shop and people became like a panic.
I found about 10 thickset men with 1m length bush knives swinging and shouting behind the crowd.
I parked my car at the sea side lot but I felt so dangerous and I evacuated too through the road side exit to the main street.
The road was full of crowd and no vehicle could pass through.
After about 10 minutes the hoodlums went somewhere and people went back to the market one of my friendly fishermen told me that there was a murder last night and the fellows of the victim had come to revenge.
Then I went back to the parking lot and drove out from the market.
I went to the JICA dormitory soon and reported the happening to JICA officer through the phone.
Then JICA alerted to the volunteers around the capital city immediately.
During I reported the shouting voices and the sounds of people running had heard from the outside.
We looked down from the dormitory and found two groups of about 20 young men had fought with throwing stones.
One group got advantage and all of them went away around the dormitory and I went back home.
After then the information and the alert had issued from the Japanese Embassy to stay at home.
Just after noon the information of that the disturbance had suppressed.
I baked the pan cake for my lunch but I made the dough too much.
I went to the dormitory again with the pan cake dough.
At the entrance of the road for the dormitory the police locked out and I told them to go to JICA dormitory and they permitted to go.
Around the entrance of the dormitory many young boys had arrested on the road by the police.
The stone throwing disturbance had continued and the many polices had mobilized.
However these young men were probably not related with the incidence of last night.
Even a small trigger they start this kind of disturbance.
The pent-up discontents of people feeling unfair to the corrupted government and parliament members are always looking for the outlet and it is an explosive situation.
