Playlist: Tina Loh's Portfolio
No text
Featured
Making Trouble or Peace?: Martial Arts Groups in Timor-Leste
From Tina Loh | 08:18
In Timor-Leste, members of Martial Arts Groups outnumber the local police officers forty-five to one and are legendary for the violence they have wreaked on this youngest nation in Southeast Asia. In this eight-minute radio documentary, student reporter from Singapore, Tina Loh meets and speaks to victims, gang members and those who dabble in mystical rituals.
Joquina de Jesus will never forget what happened to her in 2006 when a large group of men armed with machetes attacked her and burnt down her house. Being a widow, there was no one to fend for her, other than herself. In the end, her arms and ears were badly slashed and three of her fingers were brutally sliced off. Four years after the incident, what was left of her, was not only the apparent physical wounds but also a deep psychological trauma within.
In this 8-minute radio documentary hosted by student reporter Tina, the history of violence caused by the Martial Arts Groups in Timor-Leste is explored by some of its first recipients: the victims of conflicts between Martial Arts Groups, the members of these groups and the leaders whom are now working alongside with the government, hoping to build peace in Timor-Leste.
Their stories and others illuminate the history of these Martial Arts Groups that have existed even before the country’s independence and also showcase the mysterious Ritual Martial Arts Groups, widely known to practice black magic in the country.