Visiting Nahr Al-Barid

A visitor to Nahr Al-Barid sent me this (I cite with her permission) (pictures will follow):

"The Lebanese army is resuming the role of the intelligence service (2ème bureau; maktab tani) as we used to hear about in the sixties and fifties..You might have all of a sudden a checkpoint (for the Lebanese Army) and you will be arrested immdiagtely. My friend N.. faced it many times (although she has a permit, she is from bared and everybody knows her as she is......She got arrested so many times with her female colleagues.. Also they told me about racism from Sunnis, from Akkar inhabitants..The Army officers are very nice if they happen to be Shiites..I was crying when I was touring the camp, it is worse than destruction when you see these "barns" with elderly insisting on coming back to the camp instead of staying with their sons in buildings and apartments.. Lots of money are being poured to hold workshops to teach the refugees "good governance" and the refugees don't want anything except going back to the camp. There is an architect... and he is doing an awful job: very tiny houses and large roads to allow the Lebanese army tanks to be in full control. .... in one of his lecture (ourtside the camp, in front of the Bared refugees) hold the refugees responsible for what happened to them not he lebanese army. He pretends here that he is the "hero" of Bared, when yoou go there you hear a complete different story.. All of them they are upset against PLO, since they never felt any presence.. ONE SINGLE PERSON is being regretted: KAMAL MEDHAT who was assassinated last year. He was always present, asking people about their needs and trying to help problems with the army.. You can see his pictures all over the camp.."