Nachricht Nummer : 404 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 53 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 10 February, 1994 Kopienempfänger : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA Erstellungsdatum : 10.02.1994 13:10:00 W+1 Zagreb Diary 10 February, 1994 Dobar dan, When I came back in Skorpija from my tour with the German, yesterday (I decided on the last moment to stay in Pakrac, poor Vesna), to see my volunteers on this side, Jura welcomed me with an automatic revolver, which he gave me in exchange for my picture in uniform. Some of the volunteers got nearly a heart attack when I put it in my pants like a real "fighter" in civil clothes. But when they touched it some hours later they understood that the thing looked real but was from plastic, a wonderful weapon to fight a war. After that Jura, Davor and I had a real business talk about opening a camping in the summer, since it is more clear than ever before that we can't stop the waves of visitors anymore, even the message from Alex that our Inn is overfull haven't stopped any body from coming this week, we are at Thursday and had already 15 visitors this week, luckily not all of them decided to stay for a night or more. Later Davor told me that two of the police agents with whom I have been dancing two week ago had a nervous break down this week and been send to mental hospital. I asked him about that some days ago, since when I spend that evening with the police cops (25 of them, every body else left the pub) I felt how tens they all were and really to start to get worried for them. From all the people in the town they were for me always the most far away in feeling. In my own country I never ever would have consider to even talk with somebody in uniform when it was not absolute neccessary, but in this country I seems that all my prejudices has changed in the upper side of what they were or use to be. Who of my friends backhome ever would understand that I feel at home in this surrounding, that I feel at home in a pub full with semi-, neo- and real fascists symbols and I am now sitting in Skorpija again with my laptop on my lap, listening to a song which I haven't heard in at least a year, "Hrvatski Dom" (Croatia House or country). This music is probably the result of a big wave of visitors today (I said they keep coming from all sides), to be absolutely sure that this Croatia under control by Croats. Two months ago our nice mayor on this side refused us to invited some artists in the town, since they had Serbian names, today he invited himself 14 journalists from Beograd to Pakrac (who are already in Croatia since Saturday, they met with people from ARKzin in Zagreb on Sunday). And some of you who are reading the diary longer know that Thursday is market day in Pakrac, so you can imagine the security risk in the town, having openly 14 people walking on the street from the "wrong" side. Besides the Serbian journalist, their was also a flock of Croat ones (at least 15 photo ones and 4 film teams). When they arrived at the Opcina the poor people from Beograd had to walk through a long tunnel of people who were looking at them if they came from another planet. This all was surrounded by at least 15 policemen in civil, 7 high officials from UNCIVPOL and 25 uniformed ones, you hear the Motorola's every where. It was a strange march through the town, our nice mayor explaining how JNA shoot the town apart. I asked Davor, who of course had to make photo's for the local newspaper, which language the mayor was talking now and if this people from Beograd didn't need a translator, since everybody is always saying that Serbian and Croatian are two totally different languages, although only a few words are different, for the rest it just like two different dialects from f.e. German. All people came out there houses to see this huge group of raincoats, but I didn't hear anybody screaming at them, probably if they had come incognito nobody would have ever seen them. Although it is true not many women in Pakrac are wearing fir coats. After this parade in the town the Croatian and Serbian journalists met up for one hour meeting with eachother at the Opcina, it would have been much better if they would have meet in Skorpija I think at this moment, looking at the flock of Croat press people who just arrived here from that meeting. The tables are full with bottles which are emptied in no-time, but strange enough nobody is actually talking about what they just have been doing. As far as I can follow the talks they are busy to exchange jobs for the different newspapers and radio stations. Three are hanging over my shoulder trying to understand the principle of Email, which I am explaining them at this moment. My little laptop goes from hand to hand and they are surprised about the weight (about 2 kilograms), which is a lot less than the monsters they have on their editorials. Through the door comes our mayor, with some high officials from Zagreb, which stand still in front of the big photo above the take. Like the journalists from Beograd this is probably one of the first time that they see the war zone. And realise that almost everybody on this photo they have seen today, as journalist, municipality clerk, barman, police agent, coffee woman and so on. Now the "strangers" are gone again and Jura put on the German radio for me to listen to the news, there is along message about the massacre which took place last weekend in Sarajevo. On the take are sitting two guys from the special force, with their revolver hidden in their pants, next to them is the chairman from HSP (one of the most nationalistic and right wing parties in Croatia) and strange enough I feel at home and a warm wave of peaceful shifferings are going over my back. In a couple of minute I will walk over the front-line to bring Lynette and the Muppets their post. Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, 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 . 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 (postbox 33), 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. 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