Fired Up
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Spotted in an insignificantly tiny space of today's newspaper.
4 Teens Suspected of Murder
Tokyo: Japanese police were set to arrest four teenage boys yesterday on suspicion of killing a disabled homeless man by throwing a fire bomb at him, the Kyodo news agency said.
Mr Makoto Amazutsumi, 60, died after his cardboard box shelter caught fire last October.
Police suspect the boys throw the fire bomb after being scolded by another homeless man. - Reuters
Was in Tokyo last December and I got to witness the other side of Tokyo - without the bustling crowds and bright lights. Had a late night and was walking back to the hotel from Shinjuku station when I saw homeless old folks shuffling in droves into quiet corners of the station to set up their homes for the night. The station security guards walked quietly among them at a respectful distance. Their cardboard boxes looked crisply new for recycled materials that had been put to daily use.
First, up with the sides, then a quick check of their belongings, tuck themselves inside and with the last cardboard piece, sealed their shelter from the fluorescent lights. I'm sure that by next morning, these people will be long gone before the first horde of early commuters enters. Winter's bitingly cold in the city, and as I was shivering under my layers of turtleneck, sweater and jacket as the wind blew, these folks had to make do without warm futons and heaters.
Took a quick picture with my horrid camera as I didn't want to used the flash in case I disturb them. There are 3 (and a half) shelters as well as a couple more behind the yellow barricade.
As I walked on I could not help but feel respectful of how organised and tidy they were. Those cardboard boxes situated along the exit tunnel were perfectly parallel to one another. While some were not tucked away behind pillars, it still looked quite discreet. The forgotten people of society, but they still have a lot of personal pride.
The news of a homeless man dying at the hands of some kiddos' vengeful prank was upsetting for me. It's bad enough sleeping on hard floors with only a cardboard box to shield against the elements. I guess the kids were disturbing the peace so they were told off by a cranky homeless person. Instead of hurrying back to their respective warm cosy homes and not letting machismo take over, they set one homeless folk on fire.
Seriously...
I hope those 4 hotheads get crammed into a cardboard box before getting not one but four firebombs thrown at them. |
