Here It's OK to steal
Among many people who gathered at Suai in September to remember Fr Dewanto and the many other victims of the massacre was Br Thaddeus Tha.
Br Tha is in charge of a small farming project near the town of Suai. He lives in the Jesuit house which is surrounded by a small model farm. It raises ducks, goats and pigs, and contains a vegetable plot and orchard. Many people come to the chapel and simple reflection centre.
The Jesuit community also offers pastoral care to the local people. A nearby hostel will soon enable 80 boys from the outlying areas to attend high school in the town.
After long experience among Montagnard people in rural Vietnam, Tha has a knack for making things grow. ‘We planted many fruit trees on our two hectares of land’, he explains with a wide grin. ‘The villagers told me that was foolish, because people will come and steal the fruit. But I tell them that’s exactly the reason we planted the trees. The fruit is for the people. They are hungry. Here stealing is not a sin.’
He is a handyman too and can fix almost anything. He loves to cook for the community. His favourite specialty is barbecued goat and Vietnamese noodles.
On coming to East Timor Tha had to learn English and the local language, Tetum, and he now communicates well in both languages. He also took a special course at Searsolin, the Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute attached to Xavier University in the Philippines.
The land around Suai is rich, he explains, but the people lack the methods, the tools and the energy to work it properly. Indeed agricultural underdevelopment and hunger among rural people are a common feature in East Timor.
Tha also helps the people to work a common rice field. Land is cleared and ploughed with the Jesuits’ tractor, while harvesting is done by the people in the traditional way. All who work share in what they harvest. This year the harvest was plentiful and the people are happy.
After a full day in the fields, Br Tha spends the evenings in the villages with Bible sharing groups. Not many of the villagers can read the Bible easily, but there is always someone who can read for the others. The people enjoy these meetings and love to share their insights into the stories of the Gospel.
