Mach 5, 2003 Features Section Editor: Sven Bellamy the other press opfeatures@netscape.net Ken Hechtman: Canadian Journalist in Afghanistan Sven Bellamy Features Editor Ken Hechtman’s shirt sports the words: “I was captured by the Taliban and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.” Hecherhan actually got a lot more than a T-shirt. He learned some life lessons about working as a war-time correspondent in a hot zone, and gained international notoriety after spending time in a Taliban prison. Hechtman had made the decision to go to Afghanistan after being called over to the residence of Rupert Bottenberg, the assistant editor of the Montreal Mirror, on the night of September 11, 2001. “I’ve been an Afghanistan buff since I was a kid,” says Hechtman. “My friends and I used to read Soldier of Fortune magazine— in 1983 it was the only western publication that had reporters in Afghanistan.” “Three days after I was at Rupert’, I read three god- awful trade-protester-analysis pieces by the indy media.” Hechtman claims that it was to be expected that FOX news was going to get the Afghanistan story wrong, but if the independent media was going to get the story wrong, it would be inexcusable. On September 14, he called Bottenberg to get a freelancer’s letter to go over to Afghanistan. Hechtman’s eyes dart around the room. His olive com- plexion and dark tousled hair, beard and mustache, com- bined with a camouflage bandana around his neck, and khaki pants make him look like he just walked in from the dessert. “A street vendor that I met in Islamabad, told me that anyone who looked like a foreigner was being escorted to the nearest airport by police and regular army,” says Hechtman. “Anyone whose skin is lighter than a brown paper bag.” Hechtman’s dark appearance allowed him to fit in. He was able to move between refugee camps, interviewing anyone who could speak English. “Don’t be fooled by [an Afghan’s] appearance. Just because they look like barefoot hicks from the sticks, doesn’t mean they're stupid.” Hechtman explains that two British reporters were picked up in a crowd while in Kabul, even while fully dis- guised in traditional Talib clothing. “A native Afghan male is used to relying on their peripheral vision while wearing a full head and face wrapping. The two Brits got picked up because they continued to look from side-to- side.” Hechtman admits that it was his own naivete that got him captured in the first place. He extended his visa while in Islamabad, but that visa was only good in Pakistan. He had caught a cab to the Afghan border, but there were no border guards. “All the cabbie said to me was, ‘no one there.’ What he didn’t tell me was, ‘you are committing a death penalty offence just for staying in my cab, so you might want to get out and wait for some bor- der guards to show up.” Another thing that Hechtman didn’t realize was that the guys who were calling the American air strikes were not regular US ground troops, but local CIA operatives who carried maps, notepads, cameras and cellular phones— similar to the items Hechtman was using as a reporter. “I was accused of being a spy,” says Hechtman. Actually, when Hechtman first got picked up, he was- n'a prisoner. “I was conducting an interview with a doc- tor at one of the refugee camps,” Hechtman explains. “A guard came in, on some other errand, and asked me if I had a visa.” After admitting that he did not, the guard offered to call some officials from the foreign office to help. While he was at the foreign office—about six hours © page 18 later—the first American air strikes hit the area. “Before I knew what was going on, a whole room full of armed guards were pointing their rifles at me,” say Hechtman. He was transported to the offices of the city Mullah, the local military commander, and town judge. The first thing Hechtman was made to do was pick a name out of a hat. “When I asked why, I was told that I was picking the man who was going to shoot me.” Hechtman protested, and because he couldn't speak any of the local languages, his story was at least partly believed. His captors did put him through a little stress- testing though. “This kid, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, dry-fired an entire clip of his rifle at me. I could do was scream, ‘No Urdu! No Pushtu! No Fars No Arabi!” says Hechtman. After this he was dragged o to prison, where he spent the better part of a week unt the jailor decided to send someone to Pakistan to fin someone who could vouch for him. After his release, he was taken back to a Pakistan saf house, hounded by the western media. Finally, arrivin back in Montreal, he unplugged his phone for a week. “ don’ like telling the monkey-in-the cage story, so I wea this T-shirt instead.” Readings by Barb Adamski Lori O’Quinn Desmond O’Brien Sarah Gignac Special Guest plays and written for television. usic » Barbara Adamski « Selina Aghayani « Dione Ayivon « Rain Bone + Theresa Brodie « Catherine Bunce » Troy A. Cafferky + Alenaypbell « Sean Cassidy « Osama El Masri « Patti Enloe « Kara Foreman « Rodrigo Fuentes + Sarah Gignac « Cassandra Goldie « Christopher Green « Shawna Hall, « David Hamilton » Michael Hejazi » jeffery Holland « Alicia Homer « Marie Horstead « Toni Ignaci6é. « William Inglis « Bryan Johnson « AN EVENING OF Join us for the launch of Pearls 2003, thology of work by Douglas College Creative Writing students Friday, March 7, 2003 at 7:30pm © Bill Gaston, Douglas College 2003 Writer in Residence 4 Bill Gaston, nominated for the 2002 Giller Prize for his story collection, Appetite, is Douglas College’s 2003 Writer in Residence. After a dozen years in the Maritimes, he moved to Victoria in 1998 to teach writing at the University of Victoria. As well as teaching at various universities, he has worked as a logger, salmon fishing guide, group home worker and most exotically, hockey player in the south of France. He is married with four children. Gaston has published four novels, four story collections and a book of poetry, and has produced several rtin Reisle, Douglas College Music Department This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend (no host bar). Douglas College New Westminster Campus Room 1200 (Douglas Room) 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC fone block from the New West SkyTrain station) Phone 604-527-5465 www.douglas.be.ca * Shelley Smith » Lynda Strukoff « Lisa Terepocki « Jennifer Tumbull + Skylar Vine « Travis Walker « Teresa Walters « Brian Wilson « Teresa Woolhether « Ericka Young « Rain Bone Jeffery Holland Jennifer Aikman Look Bryan Johnson JEW UID © pooTPW 28INOT UNE © preuOCDY Wf = preuoCPY UNg + URBADEWY UeAY © JOO] URL Jaya « UaMao] UnSnf ) © aeay uantieyye wuINh.C) UO] © Gaug.C) PUOUISAC + UAYPWON parc] uosdiurg essaura » ung yeoN + proydous px AS Douglas College LAO-£O adc) SumarpeYy pur suoAEIUMURHO-) ayy dq PaORpOLy