From: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de (Wam Kat)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Date: 21 Aug 92 12:22:00 GMT
Organization: ComLink-Network Germany - For Peace Zagreb


Zagreb Diary
17-08-1992

Dobar Dan,

This morning I was waked up very early by telephone, since a 
lady called in panic from Karlovac. She spoke half/half 
English but I understood it. She told me that just a hour 
before (around sunrise) Croatian Military police made a razia 
in a sport hall in the town. In that sporthall were sleeping 
about 900 refugees from Tuzla, who arrived about 2 weeks ago. 
The aim of the razia was to arrest all man from Bosnia 
between 16 and 60 years old, put them on trucks and send them 
back to Bosnia to join the BiH army. The last part however 
she didn't know at that moment, she ask me to find out via 
UNHCR, who didn't knew anything as well when I phoned them a 
few minutes later. The reason of the razia was told us hours 
later and we informed on our turn the women in Karlovac, who 
still wasn't told why their men were taken away. 

This kind of razia in refugee centres and camp are normal 
since BiH and Croatia formed a military federation some weeks 
ago, but it is an open question if it is useful to send men 
who are escaped from BiH back into the war. Some "strong" 
Croatian Croats fighters told that those brought-back (most 
Muslims) soldiers are bad and dangerous fighters. Dangerous 
because they run at the first shot and leave so their 
comrades alone.

Later on the day this story got a nice small tail since two 
German from Berlin, who co-incedently heard it, we talk about 
it on the office, said that we had to go to Karlovac with a 
bus full of activist and help those women and block the 
military barracks there so they could not take out the men to 
BiH.

Not only are Zoran, Milena and I tired from a surplus of 
visitors over the last days, we also start to imagine how 
many miles and kilometres we need to drive to all those 
places around Croatia where men are taken out refugees center 
and camps and brought to BiH. It is happening all over the 
place and our small group would need at least two helicopters 
to visit all those places. And then we stand with 5 people in 
front of a gate and say "Don't do it" , they laugh and give 
some gas.

We agreed to help them with making a declaration, which, we 
are any way busy with it, also need to contain a line that 
Croatia should become part of Yugoslavia again, which and 
that is clear brought some smiles on our faces, but we 
refused to sign it in the name of the AntiWar Campaign, such 
resolution are totally out of reality.

Besides a growing group of international volunteers who like 
to help the refugees and us, we have also a growing group of 
peace activists, who still haven't understand that Yugoslavia 
is over.

On television I see later that day refugees coming in by 

train into Germany, it reminds me a lot of what I have seen 
on picture from the second world war, long lines of people, 
with piece of paper pinned to their clothes with the names, 
date and destination on it. Nevertheless it is their ride 
into paradise it looks rather depressing.

In war even journalist become news, when Armout Vanluyden 
(SKY television) visit Zagreb today there were more 
journalist who wanted to speak with them then with the 
obvious important people he came to interview in Zagreb. He 
mentioned that it was much easier to work in Sarajevo, a lot 
less problems with the authorities than in Croatia. I needed 
for every picture and every film a permission he said, in 
Sarajevo we only have to drive fast with our Golf (only BBC 
has an armoured vehicle).

When I pick up the French EP delegation later hat day from 
Zagreb airport I hear that the relief flights from RAF are 
been shot at and they decided to stop the flights for a 
while. Fat Albert (25 years old Hercules will be standing for 
a while at the airport).  The bar of the Airport was nicely 
fulled up with French UNPROFOR soldiers so I didn't have to 
explain much about the role of UNPROFOR to this people, they 
only have to follow their stories.

Nevertheless the fact that we will be waked up tomorrow 
morning very early by Ivo Soric from, new York for an live 
interview and discussion on some kind of USA radio network 
Milena and I discuss long into the night what we will say. We 
decided that see will say that she don't know about military 
intervention, if it will help or not and I will be strongly 
against. This because of the fact that we don't have a 
straight position about with ARK at the moment

The street between the main Croatian Bank and the main square 
becomes more and more a kind of beggar avenue, almost every 5 
meter there is somebody sitting. Mostly gypsies, with poor 
babies hanging over there mothers lap, but also more and more 
wounded people and women which are obvious not gypsies. Also 
the illegal market, held on the green market next the the 
Cathedral is becoming bigger and bigger all the time. Not 
only people who bought material abroad, but also more and 
more people who sell there last expensive things. The country 
is really slowly cracking up, the situation looks good, since 
the shops are still full and people seems still to be able to 
buy a lot, but the facade becomes more and more clear.

When I was sitting in a restaurant the other day, behind me a 
"Shark" was eating with a HOS soldier. He explained how he 
made fast money in former DDR and how he would do it here as 
well. This is the land of thousand possibilities he said, I 
full agreed with him, but in an other way. This juppies 
should stay far away from these countries, But we see them 
everywhere in there fast BMW, making a fast bucks.

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

Wam:-)


This weekend the line in Germany with London broke somehow so 
my Diaries are piling up somewhere and I don't know when you 
will be able to read this.