Lost in a warzone

Daily Telegraph, Australia
July 15 2006

By Lillian Saleh

UP to 25,000 Australians are stranded in Lebanon as Israeli jets strafe
the streets in a nation virtually cut off from the outside world.

With the Australian Embassy in Beirut shut, they are being forced to
fend for themselves.

The battle between Israel and terror group Hezbollah has turned a
traditional annual pilgrimage for thousands of Australian-Lebanese
into a living nightmare.

Among those trapped were 70 teenagers from the Armenian Sydney Dance
Company and their 10 chaperones.

The troupe was only stopping in Lebanon for two days after returning
from a dance competition in Armenia.

As bombs rained down on the Lebanese capital, the dancers — average
age 17 — have been told to stay in their rooms at the White Tower
Hotel.

Half a world away, frantic parents are desperately trying to reach
their children to ascertain their well-being.

Dance company president Reg Kolokossin’s two sons, Peter, 16, and
Garbis, 18, are among those trapped in their besieged Beirut hotel.

"Some parents here are comforted by the fact their children are
telling them they are okay, but we are worried about the long term
affects and how long they are going to be stuck there," Mr Kolokossin,
whose three nieces are also stranded, said.

"None of us here have been getting any sleep. We are overcome
with worry.

"We are hearing the American President talking about bringing in
ships and helicopters to get their citizens out.

"We want to hear what our Government is going to do and how quickly
they’re going to do it to bring our children home."

Australian Muslim Doctors Against Violence president Dr Jamal Rifi
fears for the safety of his sister Rajja Rifi, her husband Azam
Allouche and their three sons Hilal, 12, Adam, 15 and Ahmed, 17.

"My sister hasn’t been back to Lebanon since she moved here 20
years ago — she has spent the past six years planning this trip,"
Dr Rifi told The Saturday Daily Telegraph.

He spent several hours yesterday trying to contact his sister via
telephone.

"We just can’t get through. The other night we tried for four hours
but the lines are constantly congested," he said.

Dr Rifi said his sister and her family were seeking refuge in northern
Lebanon while plans were being arranged to get them out via Syria
or Jordan.

"The problem with that is that the Australian Embassy is closed and
they cannot get visas," he said.

He said, with major highways in the country closed, any plans to
escape via the road network would be fraught with danger.

In Sydney, Arabic-speaking Australians with relatives stranded in
Lebanon are inundating Arabic commercial radio station 2ME with their
fears for loved ones.

Station general manager John Martin told The Saturday Daily Telegraph
the network’s 16 phone lines had been in "meltdown" since the crisis
in Lebanon escalated.

He said listeners were desperate to know why the decision was made
to close the Australian Embassy — effectively stranding thousands
of Australians enjoying the northern summer.

He said callers had put aside religious differences to express their
fears for their motherland and relatives caught up in the bloody
violence.

"We have 16 phone lines and every one of them has been in complete
meltdown all day," Mr Martin said.

"People are validly worried for their relatives."

For announcer Anis Ghanem, that fear is close to home, with his wife
Jacqueline stranded in eastern Beirut.

"She went over late last month to visit her sick mother and was due
back in two weeks," a worried Mr Ghanem said.

"I have been trying to get through to her for the past two days
but because others are also trying to check on relatives, the lines
are congested."