Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 20:36:00 CET
From: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de (Wam Kat)
Reply-To: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de
Distribution: world
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Organization: Zamir = for peace, Zagreb
Content-Length: 6701    
X-Gateway: UC xclhh [UZERCP V3.99]


Zagreb Diary
22 November 1992

Dobar Dan,

Tuzla is about 400 Km from here (straight through the air, if you want to go 
there from Zagreb you have to travel or over Split or over Beograd (via 
Hungary)) but it takes some time, sometimes days, before news, not only 
rumours travel all the way to Zagreb or Split (where the major newspapers are 
made). We often know better what happened in London (concerning former 
Yugoslavia, or the better rumours about the English royalties to fill the yellow 
pages in the newspapers). In Slobodna Dalmacija from today, most 
newspapers come out on Sunday, there are different reports about what 
happened yesterday in Tuzla (earlier it was said to be happened in Tvarnik). 

One report from a British UNPROFOR commander,  captain Filis, who lead 
the convoy to Tuzla state that an area of 30 Km around Tuzla is chemical 
poisoned  due the destruction by missiles of the chemical factory in Tuzla. 
They reported that the convoy had to put on their gas masks, since the air 
was full of chloride gases. This news was brought into the world by Reuter, 
mostly known for the fact that they check their information before publishing 
it.

A similar report was given Minister Zdenka Skrabala from Croatia on a 
meeting of some European commission in Austria, he stated that when it was 
true, what his sources said, this would mean a major catastrophe for the 
whole of Northern Bosnia. 

Later yesterday however messages from Tuzla came through which said that 
the whole thing was totally overdrawn, the major of Tuzla reported that it was 
not as bad as the report of Reuter made the world believe.  Also the British 
commander of UNPROFOR, Captain Balls, in Sarajevo spoke out that he had 
no proof of the earlier report of his captain in Tuzla. I hope that the first 
information was indeed wrong. since it really would mean a giant catastrophe 
for Tuzla (in which there are according to Reuter, between 50.000 and 
200.000 people)  and the a big part of Northern Bosnia.

This two different stories illustrate how we are balancing between rumours 
and true, between hope and reality, often everything can be true, but it also 
could be just a misunderstanding or to soon drawn conclusion.  The television 
news about Tuzla (HTV has again their own reporters in BiH) today didn't 
said anything about the chloride disaster. It showed a town under heavy 
attack, even Chinese LUNA rockets seems to be used. A town indeed were 
the defenders (armed mostly with very old weapons, one colonel of the 
(ethnically mixed) defence force showed a riffle from 1928) are using tank 
wagons which Chloride as threat. A town were, never the less the war, shops 
are relative full, although the prices are in DEM and not particular low.  A town 
also were art is still alive, I heard from people who have been there that there 
is an exhibition from solders artists. 

Today also the last list of the new counties of Croatia in the newspapers, what 
I earlier understood was not true, both Knin (part of the Zadar zupanija) as 
well as Glina region (part of the Sisak zupanija) are according to this list part 
of Croatia, but both areas have a special status (Kotar). Croatian friends 
reacted immediately that we have to expect a hard spring, since they expect 
that as soon as it is possible people will try to go in those region, if necessary 
by force.

In earlier diaries I have writing about illegal, that means not official (by 
Croatian state) recognised refugee camps or centres, the precise number are 
not known, also not where they are, if you travel around the country you can 
find them in nearly every village or town, some big, some small. In Zagreb 
alone there are now at least 13 illegal refugee camps, mostly in old building 
barracks, according to the one which did the research there must be over 
7.000 (not under registration) refugees in those camps. Besides these people 
there are many, many more "illegal" refugee in Zagreb living with their family 
the total number is hard to say.

Although there are no real combats ongoing in Croatia I find about every day 
little adds from solders who died in combat. Not many, maybe one a day, but I 
am only reading one newspaper. The place were they died is mostly not 
mentioned, I wonder if this solders were in Croatia when they died, probably 
there were fighting in BiH (this is just a thought, there is no evidence for it).

Michael Jackson has, as first of the big name, giving a relative big amount of 
money for the children in BiH, 2 million dollar is even for him not something 
he is carrying around in his back pocket. I wonder who will follow him, this 
makes more sense than those band aid activities which bring a few ten of 
millions, if all those artist, who where involved in it some years ago make a 
similar donation than this amount is soon be reached. I maybe even will buy a 
record of him, "BAD" or so.

I hope that nobody felt offended by what I wrote yesterday about the sudden 
interest for the raped women in BiH, of course it is terrible that that happened 
and there are no words to describe it, neither are the reason to give why it 
happens, but it is just one of those many things which makes a war a war. A 
reason for some women groups to be busy with this topic is the fact that 
raping, or rather being raped, is a ground to get asylum. I wonder why coming 
out of cities which are under shelling is not enough or dying from hunger or 
cold (the snow has come down in the north of Bosnia and has coloured the 
area nicely white, if nothing has happened).
 
Zupanja was again under attack.

Bog I Love from Za-Mir-Greb,

							Wam
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