Sky.com. July 5, 2000.
Little Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban shipwreck survivor, who went home to Cuba after a long and bitter custody battle, hasn't a clue where he is, according to Cuban officials.
The 6-year-old is apparently confused by his surroundings and there are fears that his ordeal, including being snatched by armed American authorities from his Cuban relatives' home in the middle of the night, may have left him disorientated.
The Cuban government, which welcomed him back with great fanfare and promises of a blessed future, has been taking him on a tour of his home town, because Elian didn't know where he was.
Are we nearly there yet?
The government had moved him and his family into the luxurious but unfamiliar surroundings of a seaside villa in Havana. Officials described the tour as "necessary, because two days after his arrival in the country, he asked his father when they would travel to Cuba."
Elian last saw his home town of Cardenas seven months ago before he left on a boat which capsized at sea, killing his mother and ten other Cuban migrants attempting to reach the US illegally.
Tug of war
Elian miraculously survived and was taken to the home of his Miami relatives where he lived until his father came to get him returned to Cuba.
The relatives fought long and hard to keep Elian in the United States where they said he would have a better future and refused to hand him over to his father.
Since his return Elian has been kept out of the spotlight by Cuban authorities, wary of accusations that they were exploiting the young boy for political gains, a charge levelled at the Miami relatives during the custody battle.
© 2000 sky.com |