Advance Parties of Refugees Arriving?

Serbs from Eastern Slavonia in RS

As the Association of Refugee Serbs from Krajina stresses, 2,700 people from the region of Srem and Baranja have sought refuge in Republica Srpska, and the greatest number of them are expected to arrive after the elections in Croatia.

AIM Banja Luka, 5 April, 1997

Assessments according to which a new wave of refugees could surge into Republica Srpska are not unfounded. According to agency news, tractors, cars and trucks with licence plates from Vukovar and Beli Manastir loaded with minimum possessions have been seen in the corridor of the Sava river valley moving towards Bijeljina, Brcko, Modrica and deeper into the territory of Republica Srpska.

As confirmed by Bora Martinovic, secretary of the Association of Serb Refugees from Croatia seated in Banja Luka, these people are "advance parties" of 60-70 thousand Serbs from Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem who could seek refuge in RS after reintegration of these regions into the constitutional and legal system of the Republic of Croatia. According to Martinovic's words, these data were obtained from an investigation in the field carried out by a delegation of the Association during its recent visit to these regions.

According to the data obtained by the Association, there are about 100 thousand Serbs from the former Republic of Serb Krajina already in RS, about 80 per cent of whom have not solved the fundamental existential problems.

Entrance into houses and apartments of the remaining Bosniacs and Croats often ended in unpleasant scenes, and the initiative of repair of houses in Kozarac near Prijedor advocated by Milan Martic has not yielded the expected results. Although the official media in RS put the emphasis on this "as a brilliant example of self-organization", only about a hundred families have been provided for in this way. Work was interrupted when bad weather began, but Serb refugees unwillingly consider this "accommodation combination", because for quite some time information have been circling that Bosniacs are highly interested in returning to Kozarac. Apart from that, Kozarac is considered to be a classical example of ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Bosniacs in B&H during the past war.

That something is happening and that the Serbs from the region of Srem and Baranja are slowly arriving in RS is confirmed by examples from Dolina, Novo Selo, Zeravica, Dubrava and Lipovaca, vilages in the vicinity of Bosanska Gradiska. As it is possible to learn from Dragan Kovacevic, commissioner of the Association for this part of RS, until now seven families which have arrived from Croatia have registered, and there are as many in the "zone of their responsibility" which have not registered at the Association. In expectation of a large number of people, according to Kovacevic's words, the problem of accommodation would be resolved by reconstruction of 100 housing units in Dubrave and 200 in Dolina.

It was not possible to establish contact with the commissioner of the Association in the nearby village of Orahova. The man refused all possibilities of a conversation about this topic under the pretext that he was not "authorized to give statements for the newspapers" and that we should address "the competent structures". Nevertheless, we learn from Bora Martinovic that at the moment there are 152 people who have recently arrived from Srem-Baranja region.

First signs that a new wave of refugees could soon begin to arrive appeared after signing of the Erdut agreement, and gradually increased with announcements of the end of the UNTAES mandate after elections in Croatia and certain moves of the Croatian Government conected with the process of amnesty. Recent protests of the Serb population were "adding oil on the fire", but also exchange of "compliments" between the local Serb authorities in Eastern Slavonia and international mediators headed by transitional administrator Jacques Klein.

In a letter to Jacques Klein carried by Flash agency and written in mid March by Vojislav Stanimirovic, President of the Executive Council of Srem-Baranja region, progress in implementation of the Erdut agreement is supported, but Klein is also reminded that some provisions for return of refugees and banished persons have not been effectuated, nor survival in the region with respect to all internationally recognized rights and freedoms.

Stanimirovic also demanded "consistent implementation of the Law on amnesty, a list of those who would not be granted amnesty approved by the international tribunal in the Hague and guarantees for all refugees and banished persons of their survival in the region". Demanding that the issue of double citizenship be urgently resolved by Croatia and Yugoslavia, Stanimirovic referred also to Serbian President, Slobodan Milosevic, insisting that the joint council of municipalities should not have only an advisory function, but also the function of a legal subject.

According to data of the Association of Serb refugees from Croatia, at the moment there are about 168 thousand Serbs living in Srem-Baranja region, 47 thousand of whom have received Croatian papers wishing to preserve their property in this way.

As stressed by the Association of Serb refugees from Krajina, so far 2,700 people from Srem-Baranja region have sought their new refuge in RS, but the greatest number of them is expected to arrive after the elections in Croatia.

Reception of new refugees which is the current decision of the ministry for refugees of RS, will be intensive in the region of Modrica-Brod-Derventa, while Banja Luka is not mentioned because "it is overpopulated as it is and does not offer adequate conditions for reception". Although according to some, locations around Brcko are not a very good solution, the head of the Association Boro Martinovic, predicts colonization of this part of RS.

The fourth session of the National Assembly is a testimony what the current authorities in RS think about this. Deputies, mostly of the ruling SDS, stressed that "RS will offer material and moral support to the Serbs who wish to come to live here". Although certain documents were adopted which should offer a solution in this sense, the fifth session of the National Assembly of RS was just "empty talk" with much less patriotic ardour.

Miso Vidovic