Nachricht Nummer : 591
Übertragungszeit : 4 min 8 sec
Nachricht von    : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Wam)
Antworten an     : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Wam)
Betrifft         : Zagreb Diary 9 May 1995
Erstellungsdatum : 11.05.1995 18:10:00 S+2

Zagreb Diary 9 May 1995

Dobar Dan,

Yesterday after finishing my diary I walked to the BBS room in
Tkalciceva, these days email is one of those things which have to work
to keep ourselves and the world informed about what is really going on.
It is not really easy to get all the information. Just at the cross point
were the bells came down last week, again there was something found it
seems, the street was sealed off from both side, and for hundreds of
meters trams were standing, this is one of the most important tram
crossings in Zagreb. Thousands of people around it to watch it. I went
on to Tkalciceva, remembering that at one of the last de-mining actions a
specialist was killed when he was busy with his work. Nothing happened I
heard later, luckily, also no news about it on radio or television.

At ARK the messages were dropping in again from Pakrac and the region.
It seems that at least on the always Croatian side (north part) the
situation is quiet again. In talks with people in Zagreb, it get's clear
by bits and pieces that the thoughts we had the last days that this
whole action in West Slavonia was planned in beforehand gets more and
more true. F.e. Already a few days before the action somebody heard from a
friend that he got the order to join the police force in Okucani. People
laughed a bit about it and talked him that that was a nice job, since
Okucani was not reachable for Croatian police. Today even a Zagrabacka
Banka is opened in Okucani, although the question is for whom, since
from the almost 7000-7500 which we living in that region in the last 3
years only 120 or so seems to have stayed. The rest went or tried to get
out to Bosnia.

Heard an emotional story today from somebody who actually visit
yesterday the spot in Novi Varos, the story was macabre and the question
what has happened is still not solved. Clear is that the Nepal
battalion who have their barracks nearby weren't any more at their post
when it happened, they seems to have leave their place in a hurry on
Monday the 1st of May. This are the barracks from which most of the
military and personal stuff is been stolen, which UNCRO reported
missing some days ago.

On television just a minute ago a report from another official visitor
in Pakrac, the American embassodor get's the same site seeing tour as
Akashi. It was shown to them how all Croatian released soldiers get 200
Kuna, just enough to survive the first days to be honest. One of the
girls in the group around the ambassador was listening very active to
the translation, and reacted when it was told her "200 Kuna, a day ?"
With a face which clearly stated that she uses a lot more in Zagreb. But
actually the money seems to been giving only ones.

From the north part of Pakrac rumours can be heard that people are not
really happy with the sudden interest from the world and their
government for those "serbs" on the other side from what use to be the
front line. Some sated that they had really to do a lot of things to get
a "Domovnica", a paper to proof Croatian citizenship and now "Serbs" are
getting it with even don't want it. Also the promise that the Croatian
state will take care that in the next 4 months all the damaged houses in
the south part will be rebuild wasn't directly taken in without
comments. We are waiting for 4 years, they get it, it is not fair.

Normal reactions I would say, not really surprising that people are not
completely following the repeat changes in thinking of their government.
The other side was "the enemy", overnight they are friends now.
Nevertheless it is clear that most people at the other side seems to be
willing to leave. Waiting for their men to return from the detention
place for the time being, but than they will go immediately is what
people in the are hear from most persons they talk to.

It is hard to know how to react as project, as peace builders, as
activist at this moment. Hopefully we soon will be able to start some
kind of "normal" activities especially at the north side. All those
"foreigners", high rank officials, and so who are now passing through
their town, and also how necessary it is protecting actions of local
Serbian politicians, is letting them standing a bit on the side line.
And I can imagine that some people will feel if the world do not trust
them. Today and tomorrow some volunteers already returned, but for the
coming days it will be more be on-spot fact finding what can be done,
than real work.

The really emergency work from the last days, what the remaining
foreigners have done the last week seems to be bit over. Slowly long
term approaches are being discussed again, although nobody has a real
picture what it will be in the near and longer future. When indeed so
many people will leave, we may even have to follow them, or what ever,
it is all a bit unclear. Clear is that the work is not over and that new
work is coming up.

In the afternoon I went to the yearly manifestation against @facism at
the former square for the victims of facism, there were at least 1500 or
more people, it look a bit like a kind of demonstration against what has
happened in the last days. Although some speeches made a link between
the brave partisans in the WW2 and the Croatian forces at the moment.
Not much applause at such moments. The declarations of ARK was spread
out and people we eager to get a copy of the small amount which had
been made. Also ARKzin was widely spread. Although younger people are
coming it is however still a manifestation from people who actively went
through the WW2. In the back rows I heard the story that Tudjman had
visit the queen of the UK, he was specially invited since he is the only
president in the world who actively took part in the resistance during
the WW2. He was 21 when the war stopped, the youngest general in Tito's
army.

Also in Jasanovac a manifestation today of remembering the 50 years of
liberation of the camp. People reacted a bit around me like, "no Serbs
were there, Jasanovac is now part of free Croatia, that's why, all the
people who normally went there the last years, are either in detention,
or in Bosnia". And it is a bit strange to imagine. When I visit the
south part of the sector before, we not often talked about it, but when
we talked about it, we surely noticed that Jasanovac played an important
role in the fair of the Serbian population in that area.

In the evening I had a talk with somebody from Dalmatia, he told me the
strange story how two friends had to join the Croatian army in the WW2.
Both were in different groups and had the order to do actions against
two different small Serbian villages in @Gorska Gotar, near Karlovac. One
group killed all the men in that village, the other groups behaved
correctly. A bit later the friend who took place in the correct action
some how fall in love and decided to get married with a girl in the
village were killed. He invited his friend on the wedding in the
village. When his friend arrived and realised that this was the village
were he killed all the men, he started to cry and asked for forgiveness.
Things like that will be happening again soon, I think.

Love from Zagreb,

Wam

P.s. Pjort, Tyche and Rik I think about you. Heard that Pjort had
his first sailing lesson today, keep up.
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