Worcester Telegram Gazette

May 11, 1999

WORCESTER MAN AIDS REFUGEES
FEELINGS OF SHOCK, ANGER DURING TRIP TO BALKANS

Author: Emilie Astell

Standing in a "no-man's land" between Albania and Yugoslavia, Frank Beshai could feel the anger rising inside him as he videotaped Kosovar refugees crossing the border.

While friends called for him to return to Albanian soil just beyond the border gates, Beshai, a Worcester resident, said he felt a need to continue to capture images on film.

"I got caught up in it," Beshai said yesterday, as he recounted the two weeks he spent working with longtime friend and former Worcester police Detective Chris Dakas and his wife, Laura.

A member of the Triumphant Life Ministries, Beshai is national director of the church's Balkans Missions Outreach program. He was stationed at the Stephen Center in Tirana, founded and directed by the Dakases.

Frank Beshai, center, unloads bread at the Kuwaiti refugee camp in Kukes, Albania, during his humanitarian-aid trip in the Balkans.

During his trip, Beshai saw first-hand the shock and trauma of war as written on the faces of young and old as they made their way to the border and safety. Many of the children, separated from their parents, looked askance as they rode flat-bed trucks to freedom.

Old women wailed, young women sat transfixed, and men - those fortunate enough to escape with their lives - all rode together to the border. They left behind homes and personal belongings they may never see again.

"I was angry seeing the refugees coming through," Beshai said. "The first thing we gave them was water so that they were not dehydrated."

MANY WOUNDED

An estimated seven of every 100 refugees had gunshot or shrapnel wounds, he said. There were no estimates of the numbers of rapes and beatings.

Beshai helped distribute food and other provisions to refugees in camps in Kukes and Duresse. He left the United States April 22 and returned Friday.

While the trip from the United States to Greece was uneventful, Beshai said he experienced fear firsthand as he and others traveled mountain roads to Kukes.

"The roads are like fire roads," Beshai said. "You can't make a mistake on the road, or you die."

Two trucks loaded with 4,000 loaves of bread and medical supplies made the journey.

The 24-hour trek turned into a grueling trip, Beshai said, including two stops by masked Albanian secret police armed with machine guns. The police, wearing black clothing and black masks, inspected drivers and passengers. When the officers realized they were dealing with "Americanos," they let the trucks pass.

NO GUARDRAILS

Adding to the danger, the winding mountainous road had no guardrails to prevent vehicles from skidding down steep embankments. Beshai said he drove the curving road at night, traveling little more than 15 miles an hour.

Bandits are another hazard along the road, he said, although he did not encounter any.

Beshai said he witnessed a convoy of American troops on their way to Kukes at night as the two missionary trucks were driven down the mountain. During daylight, Beshai had seen troops from other nations, but never Americans. This led him to believe a ground war is imminent.

In camps at Kukes and Duresse, refugees wandered around waiting for food and hoping they would one day be able to return to their homes.

"A lot of people hope this will end and they'll go home," Beshai said, "but they won't go home for years."

Food provided to the refugees, many of whom are Muslims, is mostly rice and fresh vegetables. Nearly 2,000 refugees in Duresse were in four camps run by the Stephen Center. The camps are international, Beshai said, with nationalities such as Italians, Saudi Arabians and Kuwaitis represented in separate settlements.

Camp conditions were deplorable, he said. While thousands of refugees are in the camps, scores of homeless people squat outside the camps waiting to get in. Many try to get as close as possible to wire fences around camps to grab loaves of bread passed over the fences.

GETTING WORSE

Bad conditions are getting worse as the weather warms, Beshai said. Water supplies are contaminated. Refugees have only the clothes they are wearing.

In photographs he took, many refugees are shown wearing winter sweaters or overcoats, although young children wore undershirts.

In many camps, he said, bathrooms consist of make-shift outhouses set up directly on level ground without a trench. After being used for a time, Beshai said, the building is picked up and moved to another location, leaving behind wide stretches of feces-covered ground.

Clothing is not a problem, he said, noting that donations of clothes have been overwhelming. What is needed is cash to buy supplies for refugees.

The Albanian government has banned bringing in such items as detergent, soap and toothpaste because they can be bought in Albania, where taxes on the products provide needed revenue.

And while the United States is opening its doors to scores of refugees, most arriving on American soil are professionals, according to Beshai. Farmers and children separated from their parents aren't leaving Albania, he said.

Albania is the poorest country in Europe, according to Beshai, who was last there in 1995. On his recent trip, he said, he observed that the poverty is still widespread, but now there are more people to feed.

OFFERS OF HELP

A number of organizations have offered to help collect donations for refugees. Beshai said the Stephen Center has support from the International Christian Association in Switzerland and Germany, the Pentecostal Mission Union in Sweden and Partgage in France.

Balkans Missions Outreach also is seeking contributions from organizations nationwide, Beshai said. He plans to open a Worcester office by summer to organize donations of money and merchandise for shipment to Albania.

Donations to the program may be made to Balkans Missions Outreach, c/o Triumphant Life Church, 102 Randolph Road, Worcester, MA 01606.

Copyright (c) 1999 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
Record Number: 9905110861