From: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Date: 29 Sep 92 11:14:39 +0100
Article-I.D.: ZAMIR-ZG.5mhK2e53tC
Distribution: soc


  

Zagreb Diary
24-09-1992

Dobar Dan,

Slobodna Dalmatia had a report this morning about Albanians 
(from Albania, here mostly you immediately think about Kosovo 
when you hair about Albanians) who are working in Zagreb. 
They found a house where 112 men were living under conditions 
which were even worst than in most of the refugee camps, up 
to 10 persons on a small rooms. They work so-called black 
(without social and medical insurance and tax) in 
construction work in town. A guy from Zagreb is organising 
this and has got all their passports to be sure that they 
don't "escape".

It sounds a little funny if you know that there are nearly 
750.000 unemployed Croatians, and the conditions under which 
these people have to work remind me a lot on the conditions 
under which so-called "gast-arbeiter" (guest workers) had to 
work in the Netherlands and Germany, back in the sixties and 
seventies, and probably even now.

In the same newspaper however stood that Croatian 
construction workers want to have 100 Dm per day to work in 
the reconstruction sites in Croatia, some of them threat the 
state that they otherwise would go abroad and work in foreign 
construction companies, which are indeed paying a lot more.

When you are in the center of town you will see a lot of 
trucks with stickers on them that they or the loads in them 
are gifts from Kuwait or Saoudie Arabia towards the Islamic 
people of BiH. The must be over a hundred of them in town, it 
is good that so much help comes out of countries, which are 
normally not known of giving a lot of humanitarian aid. The 
only problem I have with it is that they impose there 
religion a lot on the refugees in the camps they are helping. 
I wrote it before about the activities of Islamic teachers in 
Gasinci, but it seems that the Islam relief organisation are 
opening up there own camps (mostly "illegal") around the 
country. Like Croats became more aware of being Croats during 
the last year, Muslim are becoming more aware about their 
Islamic background and this can costs enormous cultural 
difficulties in the near future. 
 
Rumours are out that the Croatian government has new 
intentions towards the refugees of BiH. In facto what I have 
heard is that they no longer are willing to open new refugee 
camps and centres in Croatia (even not when foreign states 
are taking all the finances involved on them), but only let 
people from BiH pass by the country. They also said that 
refugees camps should be build in BiH itself. I sincerely 
hope that this intention is not becoming a guideline in the 
near future. To my knowledge it would be possible f.e. to 
fast and cheaply rebuild the empty villages on the islands in 
the Adriatic sea.

From Dalmatia you hear more and more messages coming in the 
trend of, put all those refugees on boots and ship them to 

Italy or somewhere else since they are not able to cover all 
the problems involved in that area. Split and it surroundings 
is really overloaded with people from BiH. And more and more 
stories of the so-called "Rolling Stones" are getting in. 
This are groups of people living in the Mountain areas of 
Dalmatia and the border region of BiH, which are coming down 
the mountains in the nights to steal cars and food in the 
lower regions.

I had a short talk with a member of Croatian parliament today 
(the only member in parliament of Dalmatian Action, a party 
which is in fever of an independed Dalmatia), with whom I 
will have a longer talk tomorrow, and she spoke out that she 
is afraid that soon the tensions will be that high that a new 
civil war, between Dalmatians and Croats will break loose. 
Not particular a situation in which peace will grow.

On the hill side at the other end of the valley somebody, who 
seems to be very rich is building a type of castle. Every 
time when I pass by with some Croatian people they say that 
we have to find out who is the owner of that construction 
place, since they think it is a member of parliament who is 
doing it. Of course it is only a rumour like the rumours that 
some weapon smugglers or rather weapon suppliers as they 
official are called can import thinks like this red Ferrari 
(I was writing about some days back) and yachts of 44 metres 
long, taxfree and so-called own by Croatian Army. Maybe it is 
true, maybe not but those rumours are alive, and as we say in 
Dutch were there is smoke there maybe is a fire.

In Osijek there was this morning a demonstration in front of 
the Town hall, people from Baranja demonstrated against the 
refusal of UNPROFOR to declare the area safe enough to return 
to their homes. The people from Baranja say that they want to 
return now in order to be able to start rebuilding their 
homes before the winter. UNPROFOR stated that they are afraid 
of new fights, since a lot of houses in that area are now 
used by people of Serbian nationality, who use to live in 
Western Slavonia.

Huge shellings are reported again from Jajce in BiH, 
according to HTV (Croatian Television) far over a 1000 shells 
came down in the city. Also they report again the use of 
napalm and cluster bombs. New in the battle is that aeroplane 
dropped leaflets over the town, advising the people to stop 
the defence of the town and immediately surrender, if not 
they (those who dropped the leaflets) threatened to level the 
town.

Tomorrow will be a day of general mourning in Slavonski Brod 
to remember the 14 people killed in the attacks on the city 
yesterday. I wonder if we will notice any of this in Zagreb, 
probably not, the town will be as "normal" as always, 
Slavonski Brod is a long way from here.....

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

                            Wam :-)
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I dedicate Zagreb Diary to Tyche, Pjort and Rik
to know what their father was doing all that time