From: Onnik Krikorian
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 02:51:58 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Letter on the ArmeniaNow article “New Society…”

26 February 2006

Re. http://www.groong.com/news/msg138826.html

Dear Groong,

Armenia Now’s article, New Society, New Problems, New Solution, on 24 February 2006 failed to chronicle the series of events that led to the opening of the first ever homeless shelter in Yerevan. In fact, it was a series of articles published in Hetq Online at the beginning of 2005 as well as a documentary film produced by Hetq’s Editor-in-Chief and Yerkir Media TV that forced the Armenian government to allocate funds for the shelter opened last month.

Unfortunately, even then, the government had to be forced not to postpone the opening until March by another series of articles on the homeless published at the beginning of January and further collaboration between Hetq and the Yerkir Media and Shoghakat TV stations. It also took a threat from an anonymous Diasporan donor to hold a press conference to accuse the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of incompetence and the mishandling of his donations to have the shelter opened on time.

Even when it was, however, the first homeless to be admitted into the shelter had to be physically transferred there by Hetq Online and Vem Radio in a van borrowed from the Zatic Children’s Home (Orphanage). The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs refused to do so, citing lack of money for petrol. All of this was well documented by Hetq Online articles that were reproduced in the local Armenian print media and through my blog at:

http://oneworld.blogsome.com/category/homelessness/

Sincerely,
Onnik Krikorian

—
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am

When I sent the letter, which can be temporarily found at http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg138915.html, to Groong, I also cc-ed Armenia Now. However, I have yet to receive a response, let alone an explaination.