I just wanted to offer my personal counterpoint to a lot of the coverage you might be receiving on the demonstrations in Moldova. I've been silent and haven't updated my previous diary simply because it has been business as usual for Mrs. Dood and I. The unrest has had no effects upon our responsibilities during our working vacation and we have since traveled to Bălţi and Cahul as a part of our responsibilities. Today we will go to Orhei as a final trip.
I have spoken with many people here, but, I will freely admit, virtually no communist supporters. I was told that Bălţi, for the most part remained sympathetic to the Russians and communists overall, and had a very tiny demonstration in support a couple of days ago.
Mrs. Dood and I have been totally safe and secure throughout, and we ventured out to the square and other locations of the violence a couple of nights ago. at the time, there were still a few thousand people assembled and chanting in front of the main government office, blocked by riot police. We also took pictures of the damage done to both the presidential palace and the parliament building, and it was pretty extensive. Things appeared to be very quiet last night, and the government building seemed deserted from a distance.
You have probably read in the press about some of the steps that the current communist president Veronin has taken. I discussed these at length with many people here, and they seem to agree that this is the beginning of a probable crack down. The press reported about the expulsion of 2 Romanian ambassadors, and this is viewed as fairly ridiculous, but apparently expected, as Romania appointed two replacements immediately, pending the approval of the Moldovan government. Also, Gabriel Stati was arrested yesterday and charged with funding and leading the unrest, and according to people here, this was equally preposterous and viewed as just another power grab.
What wasn't reported yet, as far as I can tell, is that they quietly started arresting some of the students yesterday, pulling them from classes. They relied upon some of the tried and true tactics honed in America of covertly videotaping protests and going after identified people after the fact.
Clearly, everyone here is convinced the election was rigged. I had first person accounts from people who voted and saw dead people and people abroad checked off as voting on their precinct rolls. Also, the claim that displaced/absentee workers in Italy, Romania, and other places voted overwhelmingly Communist is absurd. The bottom line is that election monitoring was primarily Russian, and other nationalities simply did not exercise due diligence.
I doubt I will be able to hang around, but I will try to update again before we leave.