In Prilep armed police reservists loyal to Interior Minister Ljuben Boskovski, a VMRO hard-liner, have mounted a campaign of extortion against mostly ethnic Macedonian local businesses. The VMRO is Macedonian acronym for Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation. It first appeared in late August. Its members wear red berets, camouflage uniforms and police insignia. They carry automatic rifles.
Most townspeople say that some of the largest businesses in the town have been hit.
They beat up anyone who refuses and loot and vandalize his business. The tobacco firm gave a tonne of cigarettes, and the mill gave ten tonnes of flour. The manager of the mill was beaten up when he initially refused to comply. Most of these companies also gave large sums of money. None of their managers was prepared to describe what had happened.