** Topic: Zagreb Diary **
Response  37  of  67
** Written  9:10 PM  May 30, 1992 by wamkat in gn:yugo.antiwar **
Subject: Zagreb Diary

Zagreb Diary
30-05-1992

2 Years of Democratic Croatia

"Abandon that glory which is the cause of discord, and turn unto that which promotes harmony"

Baha'u'llah, Words of Paradise(this weeks wisdom in the Housemans peace diary)

Dear Friends,

If you are allergic for national flags or for chess boards you better not have been in Zagreb today. It was the second anniversary of the democratic state Croatia and literally every house had her or his flag hanging out. Big festival in Maksimir and in the Cathedral, Tudjman everywhere in the front row looking at all kind of old fashion traditional dances and other real Croatian culture.

The last days the newspapers were full of hero story about Tudjman, who has done more for Croatia in 2 years then most of the Big Croats in history ever did in their whole lives. He is loosing in the election poles like hell, but that is not the point, Croats loves Tudjman and Tudjman is Croatia (I have heard a similar story here some years ago (15 years), about do-this (Tito)). During the big feast he is honoured by many choruses who made special songs for him, doctora Tudjman. But he can't move an inch without having at least a dozen body guards around him. Big in the papers also the fact that Tudjman himself will go in his private jet to the UNCED meeting in Rio.

On the big square there were more nationalistic stands then normal and when I passed by on my way to the centre to pick up some faxes from Ibrahim from Sarajevo and send some to Vesna J. and Milena on Vis (telling them that I hope that the shelling on Dubrovnik wouldn't take long, they probably otherwise can't get of the Island. Yugoslav (JNA) army is now slowly nearly totally gone from Vis. But the warships from Vis are now again shelling Mostar and Dubrovnik.)

Croiatia is also probably one of the only countries of the world were nearly daily the short history of the country is shown in replays on television. How it started, how Tudjman was elected, how they surrounded they JNA barracs, how Vukovar was lost, how Migs blowed up the television tower and how.....

If they continue every year to organise this big type of parties, it is nice for the schoolchildren, but the country will be soon bankrupt. I think I have never seen so many red-white-blue in my life as today. According to Tudjman the war is now over and we have to celebrate, ask it the people in Slavonski Brod and Dubrovnik, who were again under fire today.

In Eastern Slavonia it is still relative quiet, probably thanks to UNPROFOR, at least since they officially took over the shelling in Vinkovci and Osijek and all the villages around it has slowly stopped and it is peaceful in that area already for nearly a week. The last shelling took place Friday evening last week. The only explosions in Osijek which were really big, were the blowing up of some houses of Serbians who left the city.

In Osijek yesterday a load full of glass arrived from Australia, fantastic, but they need much more. When I was in Osijek we were already joking that the best job in town was a the glass placer, every window in town is nearly broken, so work enough for some time. 

Tomorrow there will be elections in Serbia, I am curious what will happen, probably the government get re-elected, since I wonder if the democratic level of those elections will be that high as under a normal situation. When elections could change something they were forbidden. But you never know maybe tomorrow will become the day that everything change in these countries, never give up the hope, now the Orthodox church has turn their back on the government you can expect some changes in opinion among the people. Only it is a pity that Serbian television didn't broadcasted the whole speech. According to HTV (Croatian Television) in Beograd only a part was broadcasted and not the part were the church officially announced that they don't support the acts of the government and JNA anymore. The same source showed that in Sarajevo just that part was broadcasted. But as always is it true?

The last days there are surprisingly much soldiers or civilians with symbols of the so-called "Black Legion" in Zagreb, after Aida had seen a few I started to see them aswell. I wonder how old partisans will react on their uniforms and symbols, this name and symbols are connected with a lot of slathering and killing in the second world war.

We have now Green, Blue, White, Black and Red legions in town, it is time that I found the "Rainbow Legion",  a group of international volunteers which comes for shorter or longer to warzones and help Peacemovement and refugees where ever they can. Private persons, not member of any big humanitarian organisations, but those who are willing to raise their money somehow themselves or via friends and over their help. They can use for their work the electronic networks to keep in contact with other activist and helpers around the globe. A nice symbol with rainbow, globe and peace dove mustn't be so hard to make. 

When you are sitting in Zagreb you always can hear a radio somewhere playing as soon as the news start and names like Bosnia or Dubrovnik are said you see everybody, on the street, in restaurants and pubs become quiet and listen to the latest news. In many ways you are living from news to news, every thing what lays further away then one week is some how far away in the future. So many things can happen in one week. In a week from now f.i, the violence in BiH can be over, but it also possible that the violence starts in Kosovo. Maybe Sarajevo don't exist anymore, the attacks seems to be harder every day and now nearly all foreigners have left the city, inclusive all humanitarian aid organisations and journalists, only a few 100 UNPROFOR soldiers stayed behind, but are also ready to leave, things look if they are going to the worst. I can't imagine what it is to leave to city at this moment, knowing that you leave so many people behind.

For those who are interested in the newest ARKzin, our magazine with more background stories from all over former Yugoslavia, in Croatia (one of the only real free press publications, Danas the bigger so-called undepended opinion magazine refused to publish the advertisement from War Resisters International, they where afraid for the reaction and go through a difficult time already (Vreme in Beograd published the advertisement by the way)). The only problem you may have is that it is in Croatian, but maybe you can overcome that. For those who doesn't read English and want to have besides e-mail information ones and a while our faxbulletin (app. 4 pages every 3 weeks) with general information about the plans of ARK and the Centre can order that bulletin per fax at +31-46-516460 (European Youth Forest Action in Sittard, Netherlands, they distribute the bulletin, since faxing from here makes people mad) or by e-mail at gtn@gn.apc.org, the bulletin comes by fax and cost about 5 Dmarks (telephone costs) per issue, but EYFA will send a message with how and where you can leave your deposit. This bulletin is meant to be spread on information meetings and as general leaflet of ARK and the Centre abroad.

Further on we are more and more thinking of organising next summer a series of bigger manifestation and camps during the summer, as high point Ecotopia in the first three weeks of August (see conference gn.ecotopia on the APC networks). If there are people who already now think that Ecotopia'93 in Croatia or in any other country from former Yugoslavia is a good idea, please say so and if there is anybody out there with ideas don't hesitate and send to us at ARK@GN.APC.ORG and when possible a c.c. to: eyfa@gn.apc.org, gtn@gn.apc.org, ckane@gn.apc.org and wisepaxus@gn.apc.org (people in EYFA involved in Ecotopia).

I tried to reach Vis tonight but Vesna J. and Milena only can be reach via the postoffice and their fax address was also not reachable. That is a stupid situation, knowing that they are there, seeing the withdrawal on television and not able to reach them and asking what happens. I miss them a lot, a lot of people of ARK are now away, most will come back from the all yugoslavia meeting in Vianne on monday, but then others will leave for UNCED in Rio (if people go there, please contacted Vesna Terselic), UNSAID in Freiburg, a women peace meeting, some talks about refugees in Paris and I will probably go back to Osijek for some days to arrange some more for the refugees workcamps.

Last but not least we know now for sure that Joel will come from America for some months and probably two people from the Minonite church for some years, but there is still place for more international volunteers, here and in the other former Yugoslavia Republic Capitals. Eric from Germany has said that he will go to Beograd for a month to help them to get online and hopefully the Swedish find somebody for Beograd (if not please contact Eric to clarify things, e-mail e.bachman@bionic.zer.de, he is the one who coordinates more or less all peace and email activities in former Yugoslavia abroad).   With Love and Peace from Zagreb,

Wam:-)

P.s. We really like to know a bit in Zagreb who is ready this diary, since we know that it is travelling over different nets, but never really get a picture how many people are reading it real. Making up our budget and workplanning for the near future we have to know if it is good to continue this fast, but expensive information. Actually we are dreaming of starting our own electronic network in Zagreb for Peace and other activists in Croatia and the free media (Via Ljubljana we hope to link it on GreenNet). We believe that a more professional Electronic Network system (as alternative for the official university network (which are not open for everybody) and the amateur BBS system (which are open for everybody and you will notice that)) in Croatia has a good change for survival and a lot of aspirant users. We hope to find the money for an extra telephone line and a 286 computer with lots of harddisk space to build up the node. The software, modems and know how is already there.

We are still looking for volunteers for our workcamps in the end of July and beginning of August as well as for sponsors for play and education material for the activities we want to do with the hundred of thousand refugees children in Croatia.
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