Peacekeeping Days in Liberia

By Cao Wei Yang

Born in Wuhan， Hubei Province in October 1981， LiuYing graduated from Hubei Police Academy in 2002. Then the girl，  quite bravely， left her hometown came alone to work as a policewoman in a remote mountain town called  Xinchang in Zhejiang Province. In February 2013， she was transferred from the Police Bureau of Xinchang County to the Exit-Entry Administration of Yuecheng District Public Security Department.

At the end of November 2009，  the Public Security Department of Zhejiang Province issued a notice about establishing a peacekeeping force in Liberia. Through a stringent process， Liu Ying was singled out to join the first peacekeeping force dispatched from Zhejiang Province. In June 2010， after half a year of arduous training alongside 18 new force members， Liu Ying traveled a long way to the West African country of Liberia to carry out her mission， leaving behind her three-year-old daughter at home.

Hostile Environment

Poor economic development in Liberia has resulted in complicated social problems， contributing to the proliferation of guns and lack of security. The peacekeeping forces mission area was especially dire， suffering from a high crime rate and dangerous seasonal flooding， bringing all kinds of hazards to the peacekeepers daily lives.

Although Liu Ying knew that life during her peacekeeping mission would be arduous， no amount of psychological preparation could prepare her for her arrival in Monrovia， capital of Liberia.

“Along the road， her eyes were met with disorderly rows of dilapidated one-story tin houses， behind which rose the slightly taller and sturdier buildings of the UN. It seemed that the wars long shadow continued to loom over the land. The city was mired in chaos， without any noticeable plans for development. On the bumpy and rugged roads， there were only tattered taxis， some without plates， and no public transportation system.”

“After all， this is the capital city， where the situations are relatively good. If you go into the suburbs of Monrovia， there are thatched shacks everywhere， in which the local residents live without electricity. At night， it is as if you are living in a primitive jungle，” a local colleague told Liu Ying.

In Liberia， there is little infrastructure in terms of irrigation and plumbing， electricity， roads， and telecommunications. Food is in short supply， and almost all the necessities of life depend on import or external donations.

“There is a local saying： Climb a tree to eat， find a cloth to sleep， and look to donations to survive. We have to get electricity from generators and water from wells， as the whole country barely has any city construction projects， power grids， or plumbing. Water sources are often polluted， so we dont dare to drink it. We mainly drink mineral water supplied by the UN， which we go to fetch once a week. Yet we dont dare drink too much， as we spend much of our working hours in the field， and plus， few security bureaus have restrooms.”

Even an imported cabbage costs 9 US dollars at the supermarket， said Liu Ying， so police have to take Vitamin C supplements to keep a balanced nutrition.

“Once， during a patrol， our team leader Li Shulong happened upon a place that sold frozen pig knuckles. Since then， stewed knuckles have become our favorite dish.  Every time we can eat the knuckle soup cooked for us by our team leader， we feel that it is the best cuisine in the world.”

“For over 400 days and nights， our basic principle was to feed our stomachs， never mind the nutrition or flavor. Once， in a moment of carelessness， I ate something unsanitary， which made me suffer from gastroenteritis， then slight fever for a week.” said Liu Ying. Due to the hostile climate and environment， including rampant mosquitoes， flies， lizards， and geckoes， as well as limited medical facilities， catching malaria can be a fatal threat. Diseases somehow insinuated themselves into our dwelling despite our utmost caution. Once， one of the team members Lin Duguan was infected with malaria after being bitten by a mosquito. For nearly half a month， his body trembled with fever， and for two full days he lay motionless in bed. Luckily， he was treated in time， and came through.

“It is said that once one expert from China perished here from the same disease， and never returned，” said Liu Ying regretfully.

Peacekeeping Her Mission

On arrival， Liu Ying was stationed at Monrovias No. 7 Security Bureau， about 30 kilometers away from the capital.  Her mission included supervising and conducting the local police to enforce the law and handle lawsuits， overseeing whether there were cases of extended police detention or other illegal law enforcement， checking their daily work records， providing constructive suggestions， and innovating their police modeling and system. At the same time， she was responsible for patrolling the mission area， and rushing to the sites of all kinds of armed robbery， violent theft， murder， and more.

“My jurisdiction is the suburban area， where many guns have been left by the civil war， and there is frequent violence such as armed robbery and riots. The police bureau in the jungle is crudely built， with one bungalow partitioned into many small rooms to house the reception area， detention center， sheriffs office， and so on. Without water and electricity， one kerosene lamp is used for lighting at night.”

In the beginning， this girl， who has grown up in a city， worried most about the night shift. “The local public security is lax and dreadful， and night is the peak time for criminal cases， and I often have to drive to the suburbs， that is， a large area of primitive jungle， for night patrols.” However， Liu Ying quickly executed various dangerous missions， and often went to some bloody crime scenes to deal with cases.

In accordance with the sense of responsibility and mission of Chinas peacekeepers， Liu Ying quickly established a mutual trust and friendly relationship with the local police. She shared with them Chinas advanced policing work experience， and helped them standardize law enforcement， strengthen legal publicity， and spare no effort to prevent and reduce crimes. Furthermore， the police chief adopted Liu Yings suggestion to appoint community police， and assigned her to guide the regular community meetings， strengthen the communication and cooperation between communities， and increase the number of people to carry out alternate patrols， which led to a sharp drop in the incidence of various crimes in the jurisdiction.

Soon after， Liu Ying was transferred to the UN headquarters in Liberia in recognition of her outstanding performance.

What impressed foreign colleagues most was that this petite Chinese policewoman was not content with her relatively comfortable office work. She competed for a post at the United Nations motor vehicle management office and became responsible for the maintenance and deployment of more than 200 vehicles in the entire civil police system.

“The roads in Liberia are incredibly rudimentary with horrendous driving conditions， which requires high performance from vehicles. The raggedy bumpy roads also put vehicles quickly into disrepair. The United Nations has to spend a lot of money on changing clutch pedals every year.” Liu Ying said.

In order to ensure the normal operation and safety of vehicles for peacekeepers from various countries， Liu Ying and her colleagues carefully maintained and checked each vehicle and its performance during the day， and worked hard to learn the basic theoretical knowledge of vehicles at night. During this job， she never set herself apart as a woman. Like her male colleagues， she could often be seen checking and receiving vehicles， and coordinating with technicians in workshops. She herself lost count of how many times she had entered the workshops and how many times she had checked vehicles.

At that time， the United Nations civil police vehicle system was undergoing changes and reassignments. As a large number of end-of-life vehicles were scrapped and replaced with new vehicles in the mission area， the database was in urgent need of updating. Liu Ying not only updated the United Nations civil police vehicle database， but used her computer knowledge to add more reasonable and user-friendly design elements. Her improvements made the operation of the civil police database faster and more convenient.

Because of her patience and passion for work， she won praise from her colleagues and foreign counterparts. Seeing her on duty， many people would say， “Chinese lady， good.”

The Medal of Peace Is More Than Honor

Before the conclusion of her peacekeeping mission， Liu Ying had an extra medal on her chest—the “Medal of Peace” awarded by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the leader of the United Nations Mission in Liberia. This honor is a commendation for her more than one years excellent work.

Reflecting on the greatest insight of her peacekeeping experience， Liu Ying said： “Peace is the most precious. In Liberia， I have been to many bloody crime scenes and seen many bodies unclaimed because claiming a body costs money. There， life seems to be very trivial. Babies die of minor diseases， and even adults die easily due to armed robberies and wretched traffic conditions.”

Liberia used to be a relatively rich country， but after more than ten years of civil war， the country remains afflicted with social unrest and chaos， and is now one of the least developed regions in Africa. The civil war took tens of thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. Today， the country remains vulnerable to occasional turmoil. And peace is fragile.

Close to Lius police station， a family had several children. One of them was a little boy named Tony， who was just one year older than Lius daughter. Every time she saw him， Liu would think of her own daughter and gave candies to Tony and his peers. Chewing the candies， they gave her grateful smiles.

“Like anywhere else， kids here are in their vulnerable age. They， however， lead a different life. In this poverty-stricken country， the destitute endure hard times. Like anywhere else， people here are struggling for survival. They， however， live in extreme destitution， unaware the real meaning of life. Shouldnt they have the right to live a happy life？

Liu Ying said that during her more than 400 days in Liberia， everything she experienced made her feel happy and proud to have grown up in China. At the same time， she gained a deeper understanding of the word “peace” ： without peace， there is no economy， and the people could not live safely， let alone happily.

Pasted on Liu Yings mobile phone case is a yellowed family photograph. In the picture， her four-year-old daughter looks innocent and happy. Her husband Xiong Jian， also a policeman， is the chief of the Fatal Case， Criminal Investigation Division of Shaoxing Public Security Bureau， a master in man hunting. “I am working in the exit-entry administration in China. This peacekeeping experience has made me understand and support my husbands work more than ever.” Liu Ying said with a smile.

During the peacekeeping period， Liu Ying and her teammates not only worked hard and wholeheartedly to bring more peace to the local people in their work， but also often sought to improve Liberian peoples lives through their own efforts.

They spontaneously raised 7000 USD to build a new police station， donated more than 2000 raincoats and seven laptops to the local police， and donated school and daily necessities to children in orphanages and primary schools.

“The local people are very friendly to the Chinese people， saying that the Chinese people are their brothers and sisters.”

It is heroes and heroines like Liu Ying who have contributed to the cause of peace in Liberia， and promoted the great friendship between the two peoples through their actual deeds.

Daily Work

Tears， nostalgia， pain， struggle， perseverance， striving， success， joy， and other tastes constituted Liu Yings more than 400 days and nights in the mission area. The peacekeeping experience has become a significant part of her life. The turbulent social environment in the mission area has made her cherish the peace and security of the motherland more， the lack of material supplies in the mission area has made her cherish the wealth of the motherland more， and the painstaking working environment in the mission area has made her love the public security work back home more. After returning to China， her homeland awarded her many honors， including “First Class Merit” “Excellent Peoples Police of Zhejiang Province” and “Top Ten Outstanding Youth of Shaoxing.” Under the halo， there is Liu Ying devoting wholeheartedly to her work and the motherland.

Back in China， Liu Ying continues to work in the exit-entry administration at the grassroots level.

She and her colleagues arrive at their posts five minutes early every day to receive the masses， infuse their smiles into every aspect of their work， and strive to create a comfortable and warm environment for people to get their visas. Liu Ying said： “As long as we Peoples Police carry the peoples interests with us， and impart the warmth of our consideration， all problems are easily solved， because we share this feeling of mutual care.”

（Translated by Ma Qingyun）