南蘇丹“東興派出所”的新生

文/張敏嬌

東興派出所 (Dongxing Police Station) 以一名中國維和警察——孫東興的名字命名，位于南蘇丹西加扎勒河州首府瓦烏市。13年前，孫東興目睹前蘇丹警察在幾近廢棄的可榮果警察局辦公，自籌經(jīng)費(fèi)修繕了警察局。為了感謝孫東興的無私幫助，蘇丹人民以他的名字命名了派出所。13年后，歷經(jīng)歲月洗禮的東興派出所在中國第九支赴南蘇丹維和警隊(duì)的修繕下重獲新生。

13年前的無悔選擇

孫東興現(xiàn)任江蘇省徐州市公安局經(jīng)濟(jì)技術(shù)開發(fā)區(qū)分局巡特警大隊(duì)副大隊(duì)長，說起13年前在前蘇丹的維和經(jīng)歷，他說：“中國人總講‘做好事不留名’，我只是做了一點(diǎn)事情，卻得到了太高和太大的榮譽(yù)……”

2008年7月，孫東興作為一名中國維和警察，被派往聯(lián)合國蘇丹任務(wù)區(qū)，開始了維和之旅。他與南蘇丹的緣分也從此開始。抵達(dá)任務(wù)區(qū)后，孫東興被分到了第二戰(zhàn)區(qū)瓦烏，主要任務(wù)是對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)鼐爝M(jìn)行監(jiān)督、指導(dǎo)和培訓(xùn)。

據(jù)悉，東興派出所并不是孫東興援助修建的唯一一所警局。第一個(gè)引起孫東興注意的是婁可婁可的警署，他看到警員都在一棵大樹下辦公，而警署卻閑置不用，感到很奇怪。經(jīng)過詢問得知，原來是警署的房子年久失修，嚴(yán)重漏雨，根本無法使用，雖經(jīng)多次申請(qǐng)，卻苦于政府沒有經(jīng)費(fèi)，無法整修。得知原因，孫東興當(dāng)即從生活費(fèi)中擠出500美元，幫助警署修繕了房屋，解決了困難，為此受到時(shí)任戰(zhàn)區(qū)司令薩芬女士的表揚(yáng)和一些外國同事的好評(píng)。

在瓦屋戰(zhàn)區(qū)，孫東興和其他同事的主要工作地點(diǎn)是瓦烏警察局，然而他發(fā)現(xiàn)大家最不愿來的地方恰恰是這兒——不是工作繁重，也不是路途遙遠(yuǎn)，而是警察局里所散發(fā)出的氣味。由于警察局辦公室有大量蝙蝠居住，天花板上遺留有大量蝙蝠的糞便，散發(fā)的難聞氣味不僅令人窒息，還對(duì)人體有很大損害。當(dāng)?shù)鼐旌苌僭诶锩孓k公，而維和人員則每次都是匆匆工作后便迅速離開。聯(lián)合國經(jīng)費(fèi)有限，無暇顧及，而且在瓦烏警察局所資助的一個(gè)小項(xiàng)目已被擱置了兩年。惡劣的環(huán)境對(duì)孫東興觸動(dòng)很大，他主動(dòng)找到時(shí)任警察局負(fù)責(zé)人雷諾局長，將準(zhǔn)備出資清洗房屋的想法和盤托出。沒想到由于蝙蝠的多年居住，僅靠清洗已經(jīng)無法解決問題，只有將房頂和天花板全部更換，墻體全面清洗、重新粉刷才有效，資金則需要5000多美元。巨額的費(fèi)用讓孫東興只能暫時(shí)放棄念頭……

然而，后來他每次到瓦烏警察局，聞到那種令人作嘔的氣味，想要為當(dāng)?shù)鼐熳鲂┦裁吹南敕▍s越來越強(qiáng)烈?！白鳛橐幻?lián)合國維和人員，只有真正去幫助當(dāng)?shù)氐木?，為他們做些?shí)實(shí)在在的事情，雙方的關(guān)系才能更加融洽，才能真正開展合作，他們才能更好地配合聯(lián)合國的監(jiān)督、指導(dǎo)、培訓(xùn)，才能真正達(dá)到維和的目的?！睂O東興說。

他開始省吃儉用，把從國內(nèi)帶來的生活費(fèi)全部拿了出來，又向同事借了一些。經(jīng)過一段時(shí)間的籌集，終于湊齊了5000多美元。竣工典禮時(shí)，西巴爾嘎扎州分管安全的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，州警察廳、郡警察局的所有高官，以及很多當(dāng)?shù)刂耸繀⒓恿藨c典，并且對(duì)此都給予了很高的評(píng)價(jià)。當(dāng)?shù)弥且幻麃碜灾袊木S和警察無私地幫助了他們時(shí)，他們對(duì)聯(lián)合國、中國政府和人民的幫助表示了誠摯的感謝。

2008年11月，前蘇丹西巴爾嘎扎州時(shí)任警察廳廳長佛朗西斯將軍又找到孫東興，懇請(qǐng)?jiān)俅螏椭麄冃藿蓸s果警察局，因?yàn)樗闹饕ㄖ呀鼜U棄，根本無法使用……

孫東興利用回國的時(shí)機(jī)，拿出了家里一些積蓄，又向維和同事借了一些，加上所有補(bǔ)助的生活費(fèi)，先后花費(fèi)了8000美元。為了節(jié)約成本，除了完成聯(lián)合國的日常工作，孫東興要頂著酷暑冒著各種危險(xiǎn)在充滿戰(zhàn)亂的國家到處跑，到遠(yuǎn)離任務(wù)區(qū)幾十公里外的一些村落采買便宜的材料，小到一顆螺絲釘都得自己操心。此外，還要自己找施工單位，自己監(jiān)工，事無巨細(xì)，他儼然成了集設(shè)計(jì)師、建筑工人、工程監(jiān)理于一身的“超人”。

孫東興無私的幫助和誠意打動(dòng)了當(dāng)?shù)鼐?，佛朗西斯將軍?duì)孫東興說，“對(duì)于你的無私幫助，我們無以回報(bào)，只有以中國人的名字命名警察局才能表達(dá)我們的謝意，蘇丹人民要讓你的名字和中國人民的友情永遠(yuǎn)留在蘇丹大地上?！痹诰炀纸遗茟c典上，無論是蘇丹政府、蘇丹人民，還是來自世界各國的聯(lián)合國同事，都給予了中國維和警察很高的評(píng)價(jià)。孫東興的行動(dòng)進(jìn)一步加深了當(dāng)?shù)鼐鞂?duì)維和警察的信任，表示一定會(huì)更好地配合聯(lián)合國的工作。

中國維和警察的大愛接力

2021年4月，中國第九支赴南蘇丹維和警隊(duì)到達(dá)任務(wù)區(qū)執(zhí)行維和任務(wù)，兩名隊(duì)員部署在瓦屋戰(zhàn)區(qū)后第一時(shí)間前往東興派出所了解情況。13年飄搖歲月，歷經(jīng)風(fēng)吹日曬、歲月蹉跎，派出所外墻出現(xiàn)裂縫、室內(nèi)墻體脫落、屋頂出現(xiàn)漏洞，當(dāng)?shù)鼐觳坏貌辉俅卧陂T前的大樹底下辦公……這讓所有警隊(duì)隊(duì)員心情都十分沉重，紛紛表示決不能讓孫東興付出的心血、見證中南友誼的派出所就這樣荒廢下去，于是警隊(duì)決定集體出資修繕該派出所。

據(jù)中國第九支赴南蘇丹維和警隊(duì)隊(duì)長廖潔介紹，本著在聯(lián)合國框架下工作的原則，警隊(duì)向聯(lián)合國南蘇丹特派團(tuán)警察部門匯報(bào)了東興派出所的來歷和予以修繕的想法。特派團(tuán)警察代理總監(jiān)對(duì)中國維和警察孫東興的善行表示肯定，并對(duì)中國第九支赴南蘇丹維和警隊(duì)修繕東興派出所的想法予以支持，還要求特派團(tuán)警察各部門和瓦屋戰(zhàn)區(qū)警察部門予以積極配合。

在警隊(duì)的安排下，在瓦屋執(zhí)行維和任務(wù)的盧小偉、劉戈兩名隊(duì)員主動(dòng)利用休息時(shí)間實(shí)地前往調(diào)研，查看派出所損壞情況，并與當(dāng)?shù)鼐截?fù)責(zé)人交流，收集對(duì)方需求建議，多方咨詢了解修繕?biāo)璨牧?、?jīng)費(fèi)，制定修繕方案，聯(lián)系施工單位等。

中國維和隊(duì)員在東興派出所了解情況

修葺一新的東興派出所揭牌儀式

中國維和警隊(duì)與當(dāng)?shù)鼐瘑T在記載東興派出所歷史的牌子前合影留念

由于南蘇丹常年戰(zhàn)火紛飛，當(dāng)?shù)毓I(yè)發(fā)展十分落后，加上東興派出所位置偏遠(yuǎn)，無論是購買建筑材料還是尋找施工方，都困難重重。警隊(duì)跑遍了當(dāng)?shù)卮笮〉胤?，都找不到合適的解決方案，翻新工作一時(shí)陷入僵局。中國駐南蘇丹大使館得知該情況后，對(duì)中國維和警察孫東興的無私奉獻(xiàn)、維和警隊(duì)的勇于擔(dān)當(dāng)精神表示贊賞與支持。經(jīng)大使館介紹，警隊(duì)聯(lián)系到在當(dāng)?shù)卦闹袊髽I(yè)天元公司。天元公司被警隊(duì)的初心想法深深打動(dòng)，立即決定全力支持并配合警隊(duì)需求，并抽調(diào)業(yè)務(wù)骨干投入修繕項(xiàng)目。經(jīng)過與當(dāng)?shù)鼐椒磸?fù)溝通確認(rèn)，最終敲定了施工方案。在修繕過程中，警隊(duì)多次前往現(xiàn)場(chǎng)溝通、協(xié)調(diào)并關(guān)注進(jìn)度和質(zhì)量。最終在各方的共同努力下，僅用10余天的時(shí)間，就完成了派出所內(nèi)外主體結(jié)構(gòu)翻修，還捐贈(zèng)了一些急需的桌椅板凳，極大改善了當(dāng)?shù)鼐斓霓k公環(huán)境，為更好地開展當(dāng)?shù)氐膱?zhí)法工作提供了便利條件。

中國維和警隊(duì)無償捐助、不求回報(bào)的行動(dòng)引起了強(qiáng)烈反響。東興派出所的當(dāng)?shù)鼐鞂?duì)中國維和警隊(duì)所做的工作表示由衷地感激，也為自己能夠在這個(gè)派出所工作感到驕傲。西加扎勒河州警察廳代理廳長由衷感謝中國維和警察向瓦屋警察局提供的幫助，稱贊中國維和警察用實(shí)際行動(dòng)再次證明中南友誼是歷久彌新、綿綿不斷的。聯(lián)合國南蘇團(tuán)特派團(tuán)瓦屋戰(zhàn)區(qū)維和警察總指揮對(duì)中國警察的所作所為表示由衷地欽佩和贊賞。中國駐南蘇丹大使館表示，東興派出所修繕完工是中南警務(wù)合作的良好開端，希望維和警隊(duì)在聯(lián)合國框架下，繼續(xù)與南蘇丹警方開展廣泛的警務(wù)交流合作，增進(jìn)中南友誼。聯(lián)合國南蘇團(tuán)特派團(tuán)還刊發(fā)專文向各國維和警隊(duì)宣揚(yáng)中國警隊(duì)的模范行為，各國維和警察對(duì)中國警隊(duì)的實(shí)干精神表示欽佩。

在看到翻修后派出所的視頻和照片后，孫東興激動(dòng)地說：“看到煥然一新的派出所，卻依然難抑心中的激動(dòng)和愧疚——自己做得太少，得到的卻已太多……”

翻新東興派出所只是中國維和警察對(duì)維和精神傳承的一個(gè)縮影，據(jù)悉，下一步警隊(duì)將繼續(xù)關(guān)注東興派出所發(fā)展變化，協(xié)調(diào)東興派出所后期擴(kuò)建工程的有序推進(jìn)，改善其硬件環(huán)境。不定期選派警隊(duì)業(yè)務(wù)骨干到東興派出所實(shí)地交流、座談，為派出所在社區(qū)警務(wù)、執(zhí)法辦案、保護(hù)婦女和兒童等方面工作的提供幫助。

正如警察總部時(shí)任參謀長羅莎女士所說，對(duì)東興派出所而言, 東興已經(jīng)不再是一個(gè)人的名字,而是聯(lián)合國的名字?！?/p>

Renovation of Dongxing Police Station in South Sudan

by Zhang Minjiao

Recently, the China 9th UNPOL Contingent in UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) celebrated the completion of a renovation project for the Dongxing Police Station. Located in Wau, capital of South Sudan's Western Bahl el Ghazal state, the police station (formerly known as the Khor Khorongo Police Station) had been christened after former peacekeeper Sun Dongxing 13 years before, when the Chinese officer helped restore the institution with his personal savings during his service in the African country.

Now Deputy Chief of a Patrol and Special Police brigade in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, Sun Dongxing was all modesty as he recalled his experience 13 years ago: “I have been given too much credit for what I did. I believe in the old Chinese saying that the only reward for a good deed should be the good deed itself.”

Back in July 2008, Sun Dongxing was deployed to Wau, Headquarters of the Second Sector of the former UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), where he and his UN colleagues supported the capacity building of the host police force. From then on, the Chinese officer has developed a deep attachment to this northeast African country.

Before funding the renovation of what was later known as his namesake, Sun Dongxing had already supported a renovation project. In his visit to the Lokoloko Police Station, Sun Dongxing noticed that the local officers spent hours working outdoors under a tree, while leaving the police station nearby vacant. He later found out that the roof of the building was badly deteriorated and leaking water, causing an unhealthy work environment for the officers. While the police had been pushing for a new roof for years, the renovation project had been shelved by the government due to budget difficulties. Having learned about the situation, Sun donated 500 dollars out of his mission subsistence allowance to have the roof renovated for the Sudanese colleagues. His charitable act was both highly commended by the Sector Commander and well received by his international colleagues.

Following this initial endeavor, Sun found another project where he could effect a difference: the Wau Police Department where he himself and other UNPOL officers worked for the most part of their mission. The Chinese officer noted that, compared with the common workplace challenges such as high workloads and long commutes, his workplace itself posed a more serious problem. The offices were infested with bats, which contaminated the ceiling with mounds of reeking droppings, exposing everyone inside to health risks. As a result, the building was practically deserted, with the Sudanese officers hardly working there at all and the UN peacekeepers staying away from it as much as possible.

Despite the direness of the situation, the Wau Police Department received little help from UN then, when financial constraints had prevented the latter institution to even help its host fund a minor project in the previous two years. Deeply concerned, Sun consulted the director of the police department about the possibility of paying for the cleanup himself. To his frustration, this project turned out to be more costly than he had expected: after years of bat infestation, the building needed thorough refurbishing with an estimated bill of over 5,000 dollars, covering roof and ceiling replacement, disinfecting, vacuuming, and repainting of walls, and so forth.

The prohibitive cost gave Sun pause. However, his urge to help the local colleagues only grew stronger every time he visited the odorous offices of the Wau Police Department. The Chinese officer later explained, “to accomplish my mission as a peacekeeper I needed to collaborate with my local colleagues closely in building their capacity; I could never achieve this without establishing a good rapport with them, and there was no better way to build rapport than to address the real issues that affected my colleagues' well-being.”

Undaunted by the challenge, Sun began to raise funds for the 5,000-dollar renovation project: he cut back on his expenditure, borrowed from colleagues, and donated all the cash he had taken from home. Thanks to his unrelenting efforts, the renovation project was finally carried through. At the completion ceremony, Sun's selfless endeavor was highly commended by law enforcement officials of the Western Bahr el Ghazal state, high-ranking officers from the state police headquarters and the county police department, and local celebrities. When the Sudanese learned Sun was a Chinese UNPOL officer, they expressed their sincere gratitude to the United Nations, the Chinese government and the Chinese people.

In November 2008, another donation request was made to Sun Dongxing, this time by the state's Police Commissioner and Director, for the 8,000-dollar renovation project of Khor Khorongo Police Station. Long out of repairs, the main building of the police station had been largely deserted and in dire need of renovation.

To fund the new project, Sun donated all his daily mission subsistence allowance, borrowed from colleagues, and even took out some of his family's savings while on home leave. Moreover, the Chinese officer had to wear many hats while off duty to keep the budget under control: to buy materials cheaper, he risked his life in the war-torn country by making numerous excursions tens of kilometers away from the mission area in the sizzling weather. He was ready to fill any role big or small, be it procurement manager, architect, contractor coordinator, construction worker, or engineering supervisor.

Sun Dongxing’s selflessness and determination moved the local police. To express the deep appreciation for the Chinese officer's help, the state's Police Commissioner and Director decided to have the renovated police station named after him, thereby permanently commemorating the friendship between the Sudanese and the Chinese people. At the inauguration ceremony, Sudanese government officials, local community members, and Sun's UN international colleagues lavished praises on the Chinese peacekeeper. As a result of Sun’s charitable acts, the local police’s trust in UNPOL officers was further enhanced, which in turn facilitated the smooth functioning of the UN.

In April 2021, China sent the ninth contingent of police officers to South Sudan. Two officers visited the Dongxing Police Station as soon as they were assigned to Wau. To everyone's dismay, the police station fell out of repair after 13 years, with its exterior walls cracking, interior walls peeling, and roof leaking. Once again the local police officers had to desert the building and work under a tree. Upon learning the situation, the officers in the ninth contingent unanimously agreed they would not allow the fruit of Officer Sun’s painstaking endeavors and the token of friendship between Chinese and South Sudanese people to go down to dust. They decided to fund the renovation of the police station collectively.

According to Contingent Commander Liao Jie, the contingent reported to the police component of UNMISS in accordance with UN protocols about the origin of the Dongxing Police Station and the Chinese officers' renovation plan. Deputy Police Commissioner for UNMISS highly commended Sun Dongxing's charitable endeavors and supported the renovation plan; he also called upon the police departments of UNMISS as a whole and of Wau in particular to lend their support to the project.

The contingent entrusted the implementation of the project to two officers on mission in Wau, Lu Xiaowei and Liu Ge. While off duty, the officers visited the Dongxing Police Station for site appraisals and inquired the local police about their needs and suggestions. They also collected costing information to formulate a specific renovation plan and identify potential contractors.

Due to the remote location of the construction site and the industrial underdevelopment in the war-torn African country, the contingent met with tremendous difficulties in material procurement and contractor selection. Unable to either find a qualified contractor or formulate a cost-effective construction scheme, the officers had to temporarily suspend the project.

This situation was later reported to the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan. Highly appreciative of Officer Sun Dongxing's selfless endeavors and the contingent officers' determination, the embassy officials introduced the officers to the Tianyuan Construction Group, which was then engaged in humanitarian engineering work in Wau. The leadership of the Tianyuan Group promptly responded to the contingent's request by sending a team of skillful workers over to the construction site. As a result, a renovation scheme was finally formulated after the team thoroughly discussed the details with the local police.

During the implementation phase, the contingent officers visited the construction site frequently for coordination, progress tracking, and quality control. With their hard work and the joint efforts of all the other parties, it only took the construction team more than ten days to renovate the interior and exterior structures of the building. Moreover, the Tianyuan Group also donated some much-needed pieces of furniture to the police station, thereby significantly improving the local police officers' work environment and facilitating the law enforcement processes.

The Chinese peacekeepers’ charitable work was well received. To the officers at the Dongxing Police Station, their workplace both marked the Chinese colleagues' selfless contribution and became a source of pride. Deputy Police Commissioner of Western Bahr el Ghazal expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Wau Police Department, praising the Chinese peacekeepers for taking another concrete action to cement the long-standing bond between Chinese and South Soudanese people. Commander-in-chief of the police unit of Wau also expressed heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the Chinese counterparts. The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan commented that the renovation of the Dongxing Police Station marked a good first step towards the cooperation between Chinese and South Sudanese police; Looking forward, the Embassy expected to see more friendly exchanges and cooperation in extensive areas between the Chinese contingent and the South Sudanese colleagues under the aegis of the UN. Finally, UNMISS released a special report to promote the Chinese officers' work, which inspired great respect from the other international contingents.

Seeing the renovated Dongxing Police Station in video recordings and photographs, Sun Dongxing could not withhold his excitement, “I am both proud and humbled. What my colleagues did is once again a reminder of how little I did and how much I have been given credit for.”

The renovation of the Dongxing Police Station is an epitome of how the Chinese officers carried forward the peacekeeping spirit. In the future, the contingent will coordinate with the Dongxing Police Station closely to assist in follow-up expansion projects and work environment upgrading. Moreover, the Chinese officers will visit the police station from time to time to share practices in community policing, case handling, protection of women and children, and so forth.

After all, as former Chief of Staff of the police component commented, the renovation project is not only in the name of Officer Sun Dongxing, but also the United Nations.