Attacks in India

Many of you are worried to know Pierre and Marie-Claire Talleu in India, considering the serious attacks in Mumbai.

We dit not hear from them, but they are very far from Mumbai and these events.

As soon as we can, we will  reassure you completely.

Thank you very much for your worries and signs of friendship you gave.

Warmly, 

Elisabeth de Ruffray.

Treasurer of the association "AJB"

Edit: We finally got in touch with Marie-Claire and Pierre, they are fine, they did not even hear from the events in Mumbai. The Monsoon is very strong and does not allow them to do much but they are doing well. They should be staying in Pondichery until the end of December.

The research program established while visiting the consul

On our meeting with the Consul, we established our program of research:

-English classes at the Alliance francaise,

-Contact with the police,

-help for media coverage,

-posters,

-T-shirts with the head of Jean-Baptiste (idea of the press attaché)

-local TV and newspapers,

-press conference as soon as our english will be better.

Also to her (the Consul): a great thank you for the precious help, which allowed us not to scatter our actions, and thus saving us a lot of time.

The french TV News report: presented by Marie-Claire through her journal

(See the post from 20th November : "Parents of Jean-Baptiste in Pondichery)

Lise and Julie, two journalists from TF1 (french TV channel), arrived from Delhi the day before our arrival to cover for 2 days our arrival in India.

Friday 14th of November

They start by interviewing Sister Therese.

They then find us a tanslator, after our misfortune at the Alliance Francaise.

They follow us to the Radj Lodge inn, where a witness saw a cyclist resembling Jean-Baptiste. Unfortunately, checking the registers (already done by the consulate) does not lead anywhere: no sign of JB's name.

The innkeeper does not remember any cyclist.

We all go (taxi driver, translator, journalists, and us) have lunch in front of the see to rest and recover from the stress.

Saturday 15th of November
We meet, the morning after, to put up posters. The rickshaw drivers spontaneously ask to put posters on their rickshaws. Their kindness is very heart-warming.

10am: meeting with the consul, who accepted to meet us, even though it was saturday. We evaluate what could be done to help us.

Around 11am, last shot, on the beach, feeling very much down...

We leave the two journalists at the beach coffee shop, they tell us, before leaving about our luck to have such faith, which helps us very much to go through this ordeal. They go back to New Delhi with the first plane. We thank them with all our hearts: their help and the impulse they gave us were very substancial. They were also very nice to us.

http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/jt/0,,4160544,00-disparu-il-y-a-un-an-en-inde-et-toujours-introuvable-.html

Sister Therese

Sœur Thérèse fait partie de la Congrégation des Sœurs de St-Joseph de Cluny.
The Cluny Embroidery Center, give work to about forty indian woman with fair wages. The embroidery, of good quality, is famous.

She also welcomes, occasionally, old priests, tired or sick, children, disabled people... and ourselves, we are very welcome in this haven of peace, close to the sea side, the french Alliance and Consulate.

Back from a walk, Sister Therese told us it's been many years she doesn't have time, sunday evenings, to stroll alongside the sea. Today for example, she went to visit one of her protégé at the hospital, such a devotion! She is lively and petite, always on the go. She made me think, from the second I saw her, to Sister Emmanuelle

A l’occasion d’un retour de promenade, Sœur Thérèse nous dit qu’elle n’a plus le temps, depuis des années, d’aller, le dimanche soir, flâner le long de la mer. Aujourd’hui par exemple, elle est allée visiter une de ses malades hospitalisée… Le dévouement ! Elle est vive et menue, toujours active. Elle me fait penser, depuis la seconde où je l’ai vue, à sœur Emmanuelle. (A famous french sister)
(extracted from Marie-Claire's journal)

12 hours on the plane

Here are the first news sent by Marie-Claire herself :

12hours on the plane - Thursday 13th of November - Friday 14th of November
11 h : plane takes of from the french airport "Charles de Gaule".
19h30 - 20h30 : stop over at BAHREIN. We find the time to change 20€ at the airport before meeting Vincent Billot and Jerome, from "Point Coeur" at 5am.

Pierre barely sleeps through the trip.
23pm (Paris time) / 3.30am local time : arrival at CHENNAIS.

Finally, after 2 and half hours of travel by car, we arrive at PONDICHERY, at sister Therese's place, who offers us a breakfast as a warm welcome, there is french baguette, which seems to very much please Vincent Billot.

It is here we will be staying, in a cute colonial house the congregation of the Sisters of St-Joseph of Cluny inherited 150years ago. It now belongs to Sister Therese. We have a very large a beautiful room.

Express your solidarity with Jean-Baptiste's familly

You can find the petition to sign (version you can print and sign or online version), you can also subscribe to the Facebook group: "soutien a la famille talleu"

Parents of Jean-Baptiste in Pondichery

It has now been more than a week that Jean-Baptiste's parents are in India. They are staying in Pondichery in a religious community. The French TV followed them for the first few days to keep French people aware of the case

Jean-Baptiste's parents departure for India

Jean-Baptiste parents will go to India Thursday the 13th of November. They will arrive in Pondichery on the morning of the 14^th and will be welcome at the airport by leaders of a community then received by the consulate authorities. The lead of Jean-Baptiste stops in MUMBAI, but following the broadcasting of his disappearance, they got two serious testimonies:

 

One in Pondichery, the other one in Kerala (south west India); they wish to verify these leads themselves and spread his missing posters in the areas.

 

For the reminder, Jean-Baptiste does not use his bank cards  and does not go on the internet since he went missing in Mumbai on the 5^th of December 2007. To this day no material clue was found and the French police is still waiting for the agreement of India authorities to come investigate in joint effort.

 

Please continue to send and sign the petition.

 

Association of support AJB: Alert Disappearance of Jean-Baptiste Talleu

 

associationajb@gmail.com