PART 3 OF DAY THREE: DILI STADIUM (JUNE 25, 2008)

by Katharine Schroeder

We left the soccer field and drove to the Dili Stadium, where Jackie would be leading martial artists in the unifying exercise. Since this was the first time that some of the martial arts gang members would be occupying the same space together, security was very tight and there was a large presence of UN police, local police, and UN soldiers.

Jackie arrives at the stadium. The seats right behind him in this photo are clear for security reasons.

This is what the crowd looked like from where Jackie was sitting. Click to enlarge.

"Cheng Long wo ai ni"
(Jackie, I love you)

Jackie was led up to his seat and was joined a few minutes later by Prime Minister Gusmao and his family. After greeting each other like old friends, the two of them sat down to watch a heartfelt but unusual Dragon dance performed by a group of local Chinese. A cheerleading squad also performed, as did representatives from many of the different martial arts groups.

Jackie with the Prime Minister at Dili Stadium.

Then the moment that everyone had been waiting for arrived; Jackie was invited down onto the stage to lead the hundreds of martial artists in what was being called a “unifying exercise.” Appearing completely at ease, Jackie jumped onto the stage, took his position, asked everyone if they were ready, and began.

Before I tell you about the exercise, I must explain why I have photos from only one angle. There were UN soldiers and police posted to keep everyone back from the stage and one soldier in particular – a very large Australian soldier - refused to let me move from where I was standing despite my pointing out to him that the other photographers were able to circle around. His stony silence in reaction to my requests made me accept my fate and do the best I could to get interesting photos from just one angle.

As Jackie led the martial artists through each move of the sequence, the stage he was on shook from the power behind his thrusts and punches. He was electrifying and it was a magnificent sight to see: hundreds of marital artists echoing Jackie's moves in the golden afternoon sunlight.

Dorothy took this photo from the stands.

UNICEF photographer Josh Estey took this great picture from another angle and was nice enough to share it with us.

When he was finished doing the exercise (at the request of the audience he performed it twice!) he began speaking. He started by telling the crowd about his beginnings; about how angry he had felt when his parents left him in Hong Kong when he was only seven years old; how he'd had to find a way to channel all his feelings into something constructive. He told them that he'd worked as hard as he could to be the best at whatever he did. He asked them to continue to devote themselves to the "beautiful sport of martial arts," saying that martial arts were good for the mind and the body. He encouraged them to find peaceful ways to settle their differences, and to remember his message of discipline, respect, and unity.

The words on Jackie's shirt are Tetum: "Unite for Children"

Jackie is counting off on his fingers the three things his father told him to avoid: drugs, gambling, and Triads (gangs)

Jackie gets a big applause for a job well done.

Back at the hotel we had a few minutes before it was time to go to dinner at President Ramos-Horta’s residence. Jackie changed into some new clothes - his luggage had finally arrived – and as we got ready to leave, X Lee told me that he’d be riding ahead in the police car so he could get some footage along the way. I got into my usual car and our convoy soon pulled away from the hotel. As we drove along the coast road, I tried to take some photos of the beautiful waterfront, but the light was fading and so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. As we were driving, we passed a lone figure standing beside the road holding a video camera. X Lee. I shouted to the driver to stop, pointing back and saying “X Lee…X Lee!” After a bit of confusion - the driver’s English wasn’t that good - we pulled over and I got out of the car. In the distance I saw X and called out his name, waving to him to signal that we were waiting for him. I got back in the car to wait and to my horror, the driver took off, trying to catch up to the convoy. I shouted at him to stop, telling him that we had to wait for X, but he didn’t understand. Finally he pulled over, and just at that exact moment X Lee, perched on the back of a small motorcycle and smiling broadly, whizzed past, calling out “Bye bye!” If I live to be a hundred I will never forget the sight of X Lee, wearing a little mushroom shaped helmet and grinning from ear to ear, passing by our car. For a few moments I was unable to speak because I couldn’t stop laughing. Finally I told the driver to go, but he misunderstood and started to make a U-turn. Using hand motions and repeating X Lee’s name over and over, I eventually succeeded in telling him that X had now passed us by on the back of a motorcycle and we needed to catch up to him. Because it was nearly dark out, I knew I would be unable to take any clear photos of X on the back of the scooter, but I tried anyway:

That's X Lee with the orange shirt, riding on the back of a scooter.

When we got to the gated entrance of the President’s house, X was just getting off the motorcycle, and he jumped into our car for the ride up the hill to the house. I was still laughing and all I could manage to say was, “What were you thinking?!” It wasn’t until later that X told me his side of the story. He’d gotten out of the police vehicle so he could film along the roadside, aware that I’d be coming along momentarily and trusting that I would see him and know to pull over. “Are you insane?” I interrupted. “What if I were looking out the opposite window?”

“I knew you’d be looking out the window that faced the water,” he calmly reasoned.

He then continued, telling me that he’d seen us stop and begun heading towards our car, but then seen us pull away. So he waved down a guy on a small motorcycle and somehow convinced him to drive to the President’s house.

“But how could you talk to him? Did he speak English?”

“I don’t think so. I just kept saying ‘President, President’ and he seemed to understand.”

When I told Dorothy what X Lee had done, she was amused, but not surprised. Seems that X has a reputation for somewhat offbeat behavīor and hitching a ride in a foreign country on the back of a scooter driven by a guy who doesn’t speak English wasn’t too out of the ordinary for him.

We arrived right on Jackie’s tail and after saying hello to everyone, we just sat and chatted while Jackie visited with the President and some of the other guests. The dinner took place outside on a patio, and Jackie commented on the fact that they were using candles and gas lamps instead of electricity. He thought that the President was setting a good example in conserving power. After enjoying a splendid buffet dinner and taking a bunch of pictures, we left.

Jun talks to Jackie and President Ramos-Horta

Jackie with the President.

Back at the hotel we went to our rooms and just as I was preparing to download my pictures to the computer, the phone rang. Jackie wanted me to come back to his room to take some photos of a group of Chinese policemen who had come to say hello. Much to their amusement, I greeted them in Mandarin and we chatted for a few minutes in the hallway outside Jackie’s room. They proudly showed me the welcoming banner they’d made for Jackie and after I got everyone arranged and took a few test shots, I called Jackie out to take the group photo. Jackie visited with the policemen for a few minutes, then bid them farewell. We went back to Jackie’s room where we talked for a while about the events of the day and the plan for tomorrow. After saying goodnight, we all retreated to our rooms for some much needed sleep.

"Welcome Big Brother Jackie"

PART ONE, DAY THREE: AINARO

PART TWO, DAY THREE: CAMEA VILLAGE

Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.