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From OTVORENE-OCI_ST@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org Sun Aug 20 12:26:54 1995 Received: from bi-node.zerberus.de (194.77.23.10) by MediaFilter.org with SMTP (MailShare 1.0b10); Sun, 20 Aug 1995 12:26:55 -0500 Received: from bionic.zerberus.de by bi-node.zerberus.de with zconnect (Smail3.1.29.1 #6) id m0skCp2-0002C1C; Sun, 20 Aug 95 18:02 MET DST To: act@web.apc.org, aktiebnk@antenna.nl, antenna@earn.cvut.cz, Barnett_Rubin_at_CFR1@email.cfr.org, bruno@bbeloff.demon.co.uk, eagro@igc.apc.org, G.R.Beckett@bradford.ac.uk, GSOA@gsoa.link-ch1.ch, idee@dgs.dgsys.com, ifor@gn.apc.org, igcnewsdesk@igc.org, maggie@gn.apc.org, newsdesk@igc.apc.org, nizichi@hrw.org, peacemedia@gn.apc.org, peacenews@gn.apc.org, pmiller@amnesty.gn.apc.org, pnbalkans@igc.org, radiopanik@gn.apc.org, sj@mediafilter.org, verforum@vub.ac.be, w04boj31@icineca.cineca.it, warreport@gn.apc.org, zukicn@wu1.wl.aecl.ca CC: DEBRA@OLN.comlink.apc.org, HHO_ZG@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de, GRADJ-ODB_ZG@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de Message-Id: <5sDzDCJh_7B@pz-balk.zamir-zg.ztn.apc.org> From: OTVORENE-OCI_ST@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Otvorene oci ) Path: bionic.zerberus.de!zamir-zg.ztn.apc.org!OTVORENE-OCI_ST Organization: Otvorene Oci Subject: NGO visit to Knin Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 14:57:00 +0100 X-Mailer: CrossPoint v3.02 X-Gateway: ZCONNECT UB bi-node.zerberus.de [UNIX/Connect v0.73] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Z-Post: Male Putine 2/V; 41000 Zagreb CROATIA X-Z-Telefon: +385-21-553-610 +385-1-156-349 X-Z-DDA: 19950820155226W+0 Lines: 141 NGO visit to Knin [Split, 19-08-95] Gaining access to former sectors South and North is getting less difficult for domestic and international human rights organisations. Not only did the Dalmatian Committee of Solidarity (DOS) accompanied by Otvorene Oci Split manage to get to Knin on August, Friday 18th, so did representatives of the Karlovac branch of the Croatian Helsinki Committee. DOS (Mrs. Roza Roje and Mr. Vojko Ivica) and Otvorene Oci monitored the situation along the road to Knin, the situation in Knin, visited the UN compound in Knin, held talks with UNHCR (Mr. B. Otim), Mr. E.G. Flynn (Human Rights Action Team) and Mr. B. Pupovac (president of the refugees in the UN compound) and made an inquiry into the necessity and possibility of establishing a form of presence in the area. The road to Knin is dotted with small villages, none of which is untouched by burning or looting. Otvorene Oci verified statements made a day earlier by a Serb who stayed behind in Kricke, that the villages of Zitnic and Tepljuh had been burnt. At least 2 out of 3 houses were set on fire. The same goes for other villages (Siveric, Ramljane, Kosovo, Vrbnik, Kalmdra). In some of the villages all houses had been burned (Cenici, Uzdolje, Zvjerinac). According to B. Otim from UNHCR the houses were set on fire during the past 7 days, a statement which was verified by the fact that one of the houses was still smoldering. As is visible inside the houses, looting is widespread in these villages. While passing through the village of Kalmdra in the afternoon Otvorene Oci witnessed three soldiers loading a truck full of items from one house, a house that it had visited earlier in the day and seen everything still inside. The ghost villages are mainly uninhabited. Nobody takes care of the lifestock that is running around freely everywhere. Vegetables in abundance in the gardens, but no one to eat them. The road along these villages is used mainly by vehicles with Croatian Army license plates, by buses filled with Croatian Army soldiers and also by a relatively small number of civilian cars. The situation in Knin was somehow rather eerie, the presence of civilians only few and far between. Here, the destruction was less than in the villages, there was no sign of burnt houses and the only structural damage was minimal. The majority of the damage was in the form of collapsed roofs and broken windows. Widespread looting was witnessed as Otvorene Oci saw civilians and military openly going into shops and taking whatever they want. Along the main street, the majority of properties had been claimed by Croatians and their names put on the entrances. Otvorene Oci visited one apartment block, containing six apartments none of which had been looted. The only evidence inside the apartments were of people leaving in a hurry and taking very few possessions, if any, with them. Military presence in Knin was high, although there appeared to be no restriction of movement within the town. A few cafes were open for business but few shops, only the kiosks selling cigarettes and daily newspapers. Also noticable were a number of pictures of President Tudjman and written beneath, "Tudjman, covjek koji pobjeduje" (Tudjman, the man who wins). DOS and Otvorene Oci visited the UN compound and first discussed the situation with the head of the UNHCR office, B. Otim. He stated that lots of Serb villages all over former sector South had been set ablaze. He reported that the village of Kistanje, previously inhabited by 3000 people, was totally burnt and deserted. The vast majority of the Krajina Serbs has fled. Out of the almost 900 people that sought refuge within the UN compound 780 are still there. 67 Croatian inhabitants stayed in the compound during the first week as well out of fear; they have returned to their homes. Another 250 refugees currently reside in an elementary school building under control of the Ministry of the Interior. Mr. Otim also reported that every day dead bodies are being found in the villages. The day before our arrival in the village of Zagrovice monitors found 8 corpses, old people, all shot in the head. He said the were shot 7 days ago. He stated that monitors found corpses every day. Mr. Otim stated that the situation of elderly people in the outlying villages is quite desperate and humanitarian assistance badly needed, a fact that was verfied by Otvorene Oci while accompanying Mr. Otim on a humanitarian mission. A 90 year old woman, living in a village on her own was visited to deliver " meals ready to eat". Her house was burnt, as are all the others in the village, and so she is living outside, sleeping on three chairs, with just a blanket for warmth. The woman is too scared to leave, despite UNHCR attempts and so remains with only UNHCR food (which she has difficulty opening) and nothing else, including water. UNHCR have still not been able to ascertain the situation in all of the villages. Apart from transport problems people can not come to UNHCR themselves as a specific documents are required to be able to move freely within the sector. The NGOs discussed the situation with E.G. Flynn, head of one of the 4 "Human Rights Action Teams" (HRAT) established by the UN and designed to work in both sectors. Their monitoring efforts were hindered by restrictions of movement until 08-08- 95 in most areas and until 11-08-95 in other areas. According to his information fewer than 50 Serbs are left in Knin, mainly old people. In 3 of the UN compounds where another 55 refugees were residing until yesterday, Croatian Army police came to take away the men because of allegations of committing war crimes. The UN refused, even when the army police created a threatening atmosphere by shooting in the air to back up their wishes. Therefore the UN decided to take them to the main compound. Negotiations with Croatian Army general Cermak subsequently led to the agreement that the Croatian authorities would not interrogate every man between 18 and 60, but only approximately 10 men whom they suspect to be war criminals. The UN will be present at the interrogation and only if the authorities provide sound proof of war crimes, will the army be able to take them to a detention centre. All other men may leave for Serbia. Mr. Flynn stated that the majority of the 835 refugees will do so next week. Mr. B. Pupovac represents the `refugees from the camp of sector south in Knin' and reported on the mood and future of the refugees. They are well taken care of but most of them feel afraid and do not want to stay in Croatia. 650 out of 780 applied for transport to Serbia. The refugee population consists mainly of elderly people, but there are also 110 children, 2 of which were born within the compound. A doctor from the Knin hospital, now a refugee, said that during the first 2 days the Croatian Army consisted of professionals who behaved correctly towards the population and their belongings. These soldiers left however and were replaced by other soldiers. Then the burning and looting started. The Dalmatian Committee of Solidarity is currently taking an initiative on behalf of the Croatian Coordination of Human Rights Groups to establish a presence in the area of former sector South. Positive reactions were expressed by representatives of the HRAT, UNHCR and the refugee community. The Dalmatian Committee of Solidarity deems it necessary to establish this presence as soon as possible. ## CrossPoint v3.02 ##