From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: ZAGREB DIARY
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 08:23:06 GMT

The ACTivist, Volume 8 #9, September 1992.

The ACTivist, Ontario's peace monthly, is published by ACT for
Disarmament, 736 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2R4,
phone 416-531-6154, fax 416-531-5850, e-mail web:act. Hard copy
subscriptions are $10 for a year ($25 for institutions and funded
agencies).

Reprint freely, but please credit us (and send us a copy!)

/** gen.newsletter: 138.9 **/
** Written  8:56 pm  Aug 31, 1992 by web:act in cdp:gen.newsletter **
ZAGREB DIARY

By Wam Kat

August 14
Something that worries me at this moment is the game Serbian 
authorities in northern Bosnia are playing with the United Nations 
High Commission for Refugees. I wonder if you can put the life of 
20,000 people at stake for a principle. 

UNHCR received a list of 20,000 names of mostly Muslim people 
who want to leave the Serbian (mark the word Serbian, not Serbia) 
controlled region of Bosnia-Herzegovina for Croatia. The Serbian 
authorities said that these people are refugees and that their lives 
are endangered if they stay in that region. UNHCR refused to do this
 operation, since they see this as doing the ethnic cleansing for the 
Serbians.

And of course this principle of not being co-responsible for ethnic 
cleaning is a good principle, but the situation in northern Bosnia is 
real, people are getting killed, houses looted and burned. And the 
reports from UNHCR monitors also stated that they found clear signs 
of violence against people on the basis of ethnic differences, so they 
know that they are playing a very high-stakes game. It is a difficult 
decision to take.

August 15
Another reality is the phrase books, or let's say the more or less 
touristic war guide-books which cities make for tourists. Today I 
found another from Nova Gradiska , which is published by the 121 
brigade of HV. The interesting part is the second part of this booklet, 
which contains around 30 pages of phrases. Under the header "some 
useful phrases", you will find:

I am exile - Ja sam prognanik
I am refugee - Ja sam izbjeglica
My house has been demolished - Kuca mi je srusena 
My son is a prisoner of war - Moj sin je ratni zarobljenik
He is dead - On je mrtav
I am afraid - Bojim se
Please, call the police - Molim Vas, zovite policiju

I doubt if that last thing would be helpful. They probably 
will answer you, "It is war, what can we do?"

Some of the volunteers from our Savudrija camp came back 
yesterday and went straight to Osijek in order to help the peace 
group there clean and build up their office. 

Very slowly my dream are getting realised, our Center is like 
an international mad house where journalists, hitch-hikers, peace 
groups, etc. run in and out. It took some time and we all are deadly 
tired but it starts to become hopeful for the near future. Around 
the globe a network of supporters grows and that gives dreams 
back to the people of ARK (Anti-War Campaign) and the Center. 

August 21
Last night was the hardest nights in many months in Sarajevo, 
Bihac, Goradze and Slavonski Brod, the shelling was heavy and the 
damage was great. It reminds me on a quote of Lewis Mackenzie 
(Commander of UNPROFOR in Sarajevo) "God, protect us from all 
those peace treaties, every time when such thing are signed or 
going to be signed the war gets worse". Next week the peace 
conference starts in London -- maybe this is the reason the war 
has become heavier the last few days.

Like in so many wars civilians get the hardest blows in this war. 
I am trying to think peace, but more often I have this feeling that 
if armies like to fight, let them fight, but let them fight on the north 
pole or whenever there are no civilians around. 



** End of text from cdp:gen.newsletter **

Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive