Nachricht Nummer : 134 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 48 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ZER.sub.org Betrifft : Zagreb Diary 30 May, 1993 Erstellungsdatum : 01.06.1993 09:46:00 S+2 Realname: Wam Kat Zagreb Diary 30 May, 1993 Dobar dan, "Zdravica Hrvatskoj" (Congratulation Croatian) the state is three years old new, a baby state, you can say, but the state is also the nearly the same period in war. Last year I wrote in my diary that those who are allergic for national flags shouldn't go out. In fact I only so the flags last year, what I didn't recognize was the different in flags. I walked through the city I looked at them, and suddenly you start to see the different ones, starting with the "wrong" colour in the weapon of arms and without the crown with the symbols of the Croatian areas on top of the chess board. It is possible that people bought this flag three years ago, before the government changed it (at the first party at the main square, 3 years ago the square was full with this flags), but you can buy this "Utashi" one (as we call them) still in a lot of shops. The official party started with a long speech of Tudjman, it is unbelievable this guy, some times he can go on for hours with his speeches, although I think that none of his speeches ever will become part of a nice book I have with speeches that moved the world. Anyway his speech today contained a long part about the situation in Hercegovina between the Muslims and the Croats there. He more or less said that all sides in that conflict are guilty, the Croats, but also the extreme parts of the Muslim, BiH armija. Further more he warned the rest of the world that possible economical sanctions against Croatia, because of this fights, would be a disaster for the country. He claims that the Croatia influence in Hercegovina is used to stop the fighting and that Croatian state is not involved in any way in the politics of HVO. And than the parties broke loose all over the country, in Zagreb most of the big activities was planned around the rowing track in Jarun, from my apartment I heard pieces of known Croatian music floating through the air, as well as the sound of fire works, after such a time you hear the different between riffle shots and fire works quite clearly. Maybe it sounds strange to you but some how I am so used to this dry bangs out of automatic riffles that I miss them when I don't hear them for some time. It is part of the sounds which belong for me to Croatia. Later Astrid came by, she went swimming in the Jarun lake with some others from NeXus and since we haven't seen each other for a few weeks she passed by. We went into the town at the beginning of the evening, at the main square around the small well there, we found a group of a few hundred people, singing a very nice sounding song, a sounded a lot like a holy song in the church, a psalm or something. The spontanic chorus containing out of all kind of people out of the society, well and fashion dressed youngster, hard rockers, soldiers as well as at least 10 Nun's. When we came closer parts of the song texts we could understand "Ustasi" (stand up), "Slobodna Hrvatska" (free Croatia) and more of this famous lines. The well on the main square has been used a lot the last days, it was the middle point from the parties of the high school students, which had their last day at school on Friday and went in groups shouting and singing through the town. Girls and boys often separate, girls singing nice traditional sounding songs, dressed in big white T-shirts and other shirts full with drawing, tags and texts. The boys shouting "HSP", "Paraga", "Slobodna Hrvatska", "Spremni za Dom" in groups, marching like football hooligans through the centre of town, whistling and shouting at the girls, trying to steal cigarettes from you. After a few hours they meet up at the well on the main square and one after another get's thrown in the small pool. Until late in the evening you hear them going through the town, the trams are full with dancing and carneval alike dressed up youngsters. A lot more than last year. And on Saturday most restarted to whole ceremony again. Today the adults join in and the parties are a lot more quiet and civilised. On the main square Astrid and I meet Aida, who just come back from visiting a guy in the psychiatric hospital used outside the town. The guy coming from a small village in the Krupa area tried to commit suicide when the police came again to pick him up for joining the army "no state will own my body and brain" he told Aida. She describe him as a nice soft guy, which is running the local open air museum, that is his big passion. He joint the army already a year ago, but was send home since he had problems being away from his village and museum. A months ago he was called up again and refused to go, the police came and put him in jail for 15 days. Returned back after the jail in his home village he heard that they would come again to pick him up. After that he took two boxes of sleeping pills. When Aida asked him what they could do for him in the hospital was the blunt answer "Bring me again two boxes of sleeping pills". I haven't figured out yet how we will be able to help the guy. He has to get back to his museum that is clear, it would be easy for them, now the whole village knows that he didn't went into the army. But if we can find a way to help him to help him in his museum and maybe help him to repair part of the destruction in his village, which rather limited in his village, if you are familiar to the destruction of other places in that area, the story goes that the village used to hide Serbs from Krupa in the second World War against the Utasi army. Any way we would not bring him the sleeping pills. O, yes before I forget there was a major attack, shelling on Gospic today, at least 108 grenade's landed in the village. Bok I Mir from Zagreb, Wam ------------------------------------------------------ Zagreb Diary can be found on a lot of different electronic networks, it is copyright free and can be ported to any network or other means of communication you like, but please drop my a line, you can reach by sending a message to wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de or wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org. Zagreb Diary is dedicated to Tyche, Pjort and Rik, so that they found out what there father have been doing all that time in Zagreb. Financial support for Grassroot relief work in Croatia or BiH can be send to Kollektief Rampenplan (atn. Lylette, Postbox 780, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands, tel:. +31-46-524803 and fax: +31-46-516460 or to Zagrebacka Banka, Zagreb, accountnr.: 2440291594, to Kat, Pieter Jan Herman Fredrik, Brace Domany 6 6fl nr3, 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. ## CrossPoint v2.1 ##