31 January 2018 Warsaw, Poland
# TomekMackiewicz43 (aged 43)
Hope comes to a man along with another human being.
(Dante Alighieri)
Dear Sir or Madam,
In response to the media noise regarding the activities of the # TomekMackiewicz43 Group, acting in consultation with the parents and relatives of Tomek Mackiewicz, we would like to announce that:
- The inspiration for us to take one more attempt, one more effort to rescue Tomasz Mackiewicz was a great rescue action by the team of climbers from the national expedition to K-2: Adam Bielecki, Denis Urubko, Jarosław Bator and Piotr Tomala. What they did - exceeding their own physical limitations to save another human being - deserves the highest recognition and there is no reward that they should not get for their attitude. But most importantly, they saved Elisabeth Revol, and they restored our faith and hope.
- The group was created on the initiative of private individuals, who wanted to let hope for saving Tomasz Mackiewicz - do not leave him without help.
- We organized on January 28 (Sunday) because of disinformation and conflicting messages and misinterpretation of many data. It simply lacked facts and precise information. We took care of their collection, processing, analysis and the consultation process.
- A lot of people have been involved in the work of the Group with great experience and competence in crisis and extreme situations, at the same time having relations that enable checking every potential help. We will provide names at a later date, with the knowledge and consent of these people.
- We assumed and acted anonymously, except for the need to disseminate information that we are and can be contacted with us, which I made by name, as one of the initiators of Grupa # TomekMackiewicz43, a publisher, a person associated with the media. Thank you for your valuable feedback and support from people around the world!
- The group works in concert and with the participation of the closest family and relatives Tomasz Mackiewicz - especially Tata, Witold Mackiewicz, who proved to be extremely helpful in reaching a lot of information and fought us operationally in many moments.
- The group contacted in a very short time with experienced Adam Adam Bielecki - Adamusz Niedbał. Thanks to him, on the night of 28 to 29 January, we managed to pass on to Adam and his colleagues information about the initiative that we undertook.
- January 29 (Monday) in the morning, after nine o'clock, in a telephone conversation we received positive and positive information that mobilized us to take the race with time and intensive work. It was priceless, Janusz! I know that it could put you in a difficult situation, but thanks to this conversation summarized by SMS, we crushed many walls and acted with full determination.
- SMS - Monday, 29 January, at 9:59:
"Information from Adam and boys: they are ready to go to save Tomek. Three conditions must be met:
The helicopter has to blow them up at an altitude of 6,500-7,000 meters.
The weather must be favorable
This must happen within 24 hours. "
- In this situation, the actions started with full power. Helpful in overcoming obstacles and formal barriers, even the smallest, but at the moment kindness and giving us faith, or perhaps a chance, turned out to be: sports minister Witold Bańka, director Tomasz Fill from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, general Gromoslaw Czempinski, general Waldemar Skrzypczak, colonel Piotr Gąstał, minister Bartosz Cichocki from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, minister Tomasz Szatkowski from the Ministry of National Defense and a number of other people whose help can not be overestimated.
- The group met with representatives of the Ministry's Consular Department. The meeting took place on Monday, January 29 at 12.00. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following this meeting, the Polish Ambassador to Pakistan asked to the US ambassador with a request to check the possibility of engaging in American troops.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave the Group in writing information received by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Islamabad - Piotr Opaliński (http://www.islamabad.msz.gov.pl/pl/ambasada/islamabad_pk_a_28/) - and the military attaché, Col. Andrzej Stanek, after consulting the US Army Command in Afghanistan.
- From January 30, the Group was also in direct contact with Mr. Ambassador Opaliński and received professional information, and thanks (in a telephone conversation) for re-initiating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a wider than previously scale scale, which was possible thanks to social support, us, a group of believers, that "hope dies last."
- On January 30, the Group also received information that the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Poland was also involved in the talks.
- Following the launch of the Group and the involvement of opinion-makers in its operation, we managed to reach a lot of information, including from a friend of Tomasz Mackiewicz - Tomasz Kuczyński, who deals in high-tech medicine, secures and trains himalists, including Tomasz Mackiewicz, whose physical condition and predisposition he knows perfectly well.
- The group collected hundreds of information from other people who helped in finding further relations or reaching data on how and with what means a rescue operation could be carried out.
- The Group's activities are still ongoing. Their goal, apart from driving the unwavering hope of saving a man, is to gather knowledge and develop a set of procedures that will become a vademecum of actions in case of similar events.
If even today the faint spark of hope is only smoldering in the hearts of relatives of Tomek Mackiewicz - and in ours - we want this tragic experience not to be only a card in the history of Polish Himalayanism. We want to develop a scheme of action, in which public administration will not be constrained by procedures, but thanks to the support of thousands of organized citizens, it will have more active and active participation in actions in which life and security of Polish citizens are at risk.
Thank you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, thank you to the Ministry of National Defense, thank you to everyone who supported our search for information. We do not put up arms, we fight with full commitment. For Tomek, for his relatives - and for the future for anyone who finds himself in a life-threatening and insecure situation.
We worked late into the night to lead to a conclusion and a summary of our work today.
At this moment, we can not publicize all activities and information from January 30. Their disclosure due to operational sensitivity, I hope, will take place later with the knowledge and consent of the people and ministries they refer to.
On behalf of Grupa #TomekMackiewicz43,
(-) Michał Maciej Lisiecki
(-) Bartosz Czernecki (co-organizer of the group, treasury and administrator of the accumulated knowledge)
Additional commentary by Michał Maciej Lisiecki after a telephone interview with Krzysztof Wielicki (31/01/2018 at 6.55.)
- At 6:55 I had a telephone conversation with Krzysztof Wielicki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzysztof_Wielicki), the head of the National Winter Expedition to K2, showing the status of the group's arrangements and the possibility of a possible further rescue operation. Knowing the real limitations of the place, the conditions and the possibilities of people who could take this effort, we are aware that if we were able to carry out the action 24 hours from the start of our activities, from this important, key SMS, it would be possible to succeed and save his life .
- Still, I assess that in the course of our activities we have gained great knowledge and shared experience - for everyone. We have worn down many paths that no one has ever thought of or existed before. I hope that our effort will not be wasted.
- For my part, I would like to thank the many journalists and the media who have read our laconic communications with understanding and supported our activities with kind attention. Thanks to you, we have gained a lot of information that enabled us to take more leads, next steps. We will definitely want to transform this knowledge into something permanent for the future.
- The Wprost weekly Foundation, which collected and still collects funds for rescuing Tomasz Mackiewicz and helping his family, will settle transparently from each transferred zloty. If the funds are not used, they will be returned to the donors. Foundation's account number:
78 1140 1010 0000 5411 6100 1001 PLN
51 1140 1010 0000 5411 6100 1002 EUR
24 1140 1010 0000 5411 6100 1003 USD
1 Peter, 5: 7: "Put all your care upon him [God], because he is seeking you."
#TomekMackiewicz #NangaParbat #Revol #Mackiewicz #TomekMackiewicz43
From the beginning, informed about the activities undertaken by the group, Wprost.pl informed:
- Will the rescue action follow Tomasz Mackiewicz? There are three conditions (https://www.wprost.pl/kraj/10100796/ruszy-ponowna-action-ratunkowa-po-tomasza-mackiewicza-sa-trzy-warunki.html)
- Can we start another rescue operation for Tomasz Mackiewicz? There are three conditions (https://www.wprost.pl/komunikaty-pmpg/10100835/can-we-start-another-rescue-operation-for-tomasz-mackiewicz-there-are-three-conditions.html)
