** Topic: Zagreb Diary **
Response   6  of  67
** Written  2:06 PM  Apr 21, 1992 by ark in gn:yugo.antiwar **
Subject: Zagreb Diary

Zagreb Diary

Eastern monday

I know that I should write about Sarajevo now, since the attacks, which I had expected will start any moment now, the faxes are rolling in, but I think it is time to give some other information first. Most of all information about the press in a War Zone.

The Croatian press is now totally under control of the government, no information what so ever is coming out about things which haven't been screened one way or another.

Talking with reportors in the pubs give a lot of informations you otherwise don't hear. Like to deads on Croatian side in the war, army reports something like 3459 people killed, and the reports I have heard from reporters (not able to be published) talk about 10000-15000 soldiers dead. (In Zagreb you see deadmessages on trees and telephone poles all over the city, special shops for black cloves and so are opened since the war started).

Other things like VD and AIDS are totally left out of the media, a doctor told me that the numbers of AIDS patients is rapidly increasing, due to bad conditions in the war hospitals.

Big numbers of suicide are reported in newspapers (like 12 last weekend) but the rumours are that the real numbers are much higher.

Accoording the normal news, no Croatian soldiers are fighting in BiH, but the rumours are that a special bataljon of at least 1000 students has been send to BiH in the last weeks. (a lot of students joint the army as volunteers, by the way, a total wipe-out of a new generation of intulectuals).

The number of (illegal) abortions, as well as expecting women is much higher then normal, no anti conceptions available, and in this winter long black out without television or any thing else.

Further more the news from Beograd is limited, the only news today in the news papers here was that the Center for Anti War Activities in Beograd has ask officially their government to stop the war in BiH now. Please send them thanks from us, they need it and still the connections are not established.

Last but not least is the total lack of information about the outside world, the world news on Television is limited to 3 minutes per day, basicly stories about how the rest of the world react on Serbia. (If there is anybody out there who can send us a few times a week the headlines about the world news we would be utmost thankful). The very limited copies of Spiegel, Hereld Tribune, etc, are sold out in no time, and post takes at least more than a week from the west.

I will try to get some more information on the things I mentioned here, but believe me it is not easy to find people willing to speak about those things.

Other important things are that there are more woman than normal beaten up by there man and the woman shelter (for woman running away from home) is more than full, they get no help from there government and are in a sqauted house, the only gift they ever got was 5000 Dmark from a german group a year before the war started.

Other things I want to get more information about are those HOS soldiers, the black nazi look-a-likes around the corner, since a few days a canon is standing straight in front of their door and passing by I see often normal Croatian soldiers running in and out. Lots of the HOS soldiers are wearing besides there normal signs, rune signs, simular to swatikas and black leathern gloves with needles on it (like football hooligans).

Prices went up over the weekend witjh at least 30%, excahnge rates with over 40%, the blackmarket price for a German Mark is now around 125 dinars, when I came it was 75 and that makes life for most people not easier.

Love and Peace from Zagreb

wam:-)

PS I was reading the magazine WHY produced by the Sarajevo Peace Forum the other day, they discriped Sarajevo as a peacefull 4500 year old town, where all kind of nationalities and religiuons were living together all that time. 
One of the stories was about Dubrovnik, how the people in the shelters cry out for help to the rest of the world and got as reaction, "sorry it is impossible to get to Dubrovnik", now it is Sarajevo crying out for help, how will the world react.

by the way the French UNO soldiers are in town, joking around with the girls.
** End of text from gn:yugo.antiwar **