The
Turn Of An Unfriendly Card
Some time ago I was contacted by an individual who works in a challenging environment.
Having read my review of the film about the siege of Benghazi, suggested that I might comment on what to do if someone happens to be caught up in a crisis like this.
I am very grateful for this person taking the time to read my review – and I very much appreciate the input.
It's difficult to know where to start without 'stepping on someone's toes'.
All Western Embassies will have their own emergency procedures for particular situations so it would really be counter-productive for me to input my views about what are internal security issues formulated by governments to protect their missions and their staff.
I did however keep this person in mind and for the first time in a long time, have come across articles described by retired officers and staff caught up in such crises and what the responses were.
For myself, they are very moving, some very tragic stories (and I got a little emotional reading them) because the nightmares of who was chosen and who was left behind - often to obvious certain death - when not everyone can be evacuated - sometimes haunt individuals for a very long time afterwards. That is common knowledge from their memoirs.
What I can again say is that I am more than 60% certain that such crises are more likely to occur during Diwali, Ramadan, Eid, Songkran, Christmas, Nowruz, Easter or some other festive occasion or official holiday than at any other time.
I would like to refer my readers to the articles below written by people with first-hand experience.
I believe that the person who was kind enough to contact me might find useful information somewhere in the references below.
© Patrick Emek, October 2017