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Tillbaka till hemsidan
June
- BELGRADE: Two nights ago there was a strong explosion on the road between Grabac and Bica in Klina Municipality, reported these settlements' inhabitants. According to them, the explosion took place near the bridge that links the two villages. No one was injured in the explosion.
Several dozen Serb returnees have been living in Grabac and Bica for three years now.
"Glas javnosti", 1. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Passengers who travel abroad with "Jat Airways" two or more times between today and August 31st, will have the opportunity to buy tickets in the autumn at prices similar to those charged by "low-cost" airlines, i.e. 1 - 78 euros.
Those who travel twice with "Jat Airways" during the high summer season, will pay 78 euros for a return ticket in the autumn; those who fly 3 times, will pay 39 euros for a return ticket in the autumn; those who fly four times from June to August, will pay 2 euros for a return ticket between September 1st and 15th.
The price doesn't include airport tax and the cheap flights do not apply to flights to Podgorica and Tivat in Montenegro, regardless of the official results of the referendum.
"Vecernje novosti", 1. 6. 2006.
- PODGORICA: The majority of Montenegro's citizens (55,5%) voted for independence at the referendum on May 21st, so the ceremonial proclamation of independence will be held on June 4th in Podgorica.
"Danas", 1. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: There is a big debate in the European Union on whether the EU needs Serbia at all. The leading European countries are getting more and more rejective towards the aspiration of Serbia's officials and the majority of Serbia's public for our country to join the EU as soon as possible.
Erchard Busek, South-east Europe Stability Pact coordinator, said in an interview for "Spiegel" that "there is a very real possibility for Serbia not to be admitted into the European Union at all" and that the Bavarian Minister President, Edmund Steuber, had asked him openly "Do we really need Serbs?!"
"Glas javnosti", 1. 6. 2006.
- PRISTINA: Ethnic Minorities Security Council was established in Kosovo yesterday. The head of the Council is Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku. "The aim of the Council is to work with the minorities in order to ensure them that security is equal for all Kosovo's citizens", said Ceku and added that this agency will later turn into the National Security Council.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 6. 2006.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Miljan Veskovic (aged 23) was killed two nights ago on the road from Zvecan to Zitkovac where he lived, the UNMIK police annouced yesterday. According to the reports from the Serb sources in Kosovo, the murder took place between 3 and 4 am. when Veskovic had to stop his car due to the barricades made of tree trunks which were placed on the road. At that moment one or more unidentified persons started shooting at the car from automatic weapons, reported the Coordination Center for Kosovo.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 6. 2006.
- BUJANOVAC: Serbi'a Ministry of Finances has ordered rationalization of the expenses in the Press Center in Bujanovac because monthly telephone bills for the Press Center and the Coordination Center for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja have been 120.000-160.000 dinars. The reporters accredited in the Press Center could use the telephones for free, but from now on they will get 300 dinar cards each per month. These reporters cover the municipalities of Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja, as well as Kosovo.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 6. 2006.
- SMEDEREVO: The Roma family of Kurtesi in Smederevo picks less rotten and moulded bread from garbage containers. The head of the family, Sefik Kurtesi, says that his family of six survives by collecting old bread and all kinds of waste from garbage containers. Sometimes they use the loaves which are fresher and better for food for themselves, and the rest they sell for animal feed.
Although Sefik was wounded in the war in 1991, he doesn't receive any benefits from the states to help them maintain his family.
"Glas javnosti", 2. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, head of the Coordination Center for Kosovo, has said that since October 24th, 2005, when the UN Security Council made a decision on the start of the negotiations on the status of Kosovo, there have been 187 ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs in the Province. "Two persons were killed in the attacks, 25 sustained severe injuries, around 30 houses were torched and badly damaged, and there have been 101 thefts of cattle, tractors or other inventory necessary for living", said Ivic at the opening of the international conference on IDPs and refugees.
"Glas javnosti", 3. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: According to UNHCR records, there are 115.267 citizens with refugee status living in Serbia&Montenegro - 34.438 from Bosnia&Herzegovina, 80.829 from Croatia and 225.157 IDPs from Kosovo, altogether 340.424 persons. In Kosovo there are 21.000 registered IDPs who are members of ethnic minorities, and 629 persons with the status of refugees from Macedonia - these are some data from the written materials presented at the international conference on "Internal Displacement - How Much Longer".
"Glas javnosti", 3. 6. 2006.
- BUJANOVAC: The orthodox church of Saint Jelena in the village of Veliki Trnovac near Bujanovac has been desecrated ahead of today's church holiday, report the local Serb sources. According to these sources, a group of Serbs went today to arrange the inside of the church and the churchyard and they found the front door broken down, the windows and the chandelier crushed, the furniture destroyed and they found human dejection on the floor.
Veliki Trnovac is a mono-ethnic Albanian village - the last Serb family moved out in 1962. However, Serbs have been coming to the orthodox church in the village every year.
"Glas javnosti", 3. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Last night (June 3rd 2006), with the official proclamation of Montenegro's independence, the state union of Serbia and Montenegro ceased to exist.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 6. 2006.
- KRALJEVO: The distribution of humanitarian aid provided by the "Caritas" humanitarian organization for 140 most vulnerable Roma families, started yesterday. The "Caritas" catholic humanitarian organization has provided aid in food, drinking water and hygienic products for the Roma in Kraljevo.
There are around 2.500 Roma living in Kraljevo in inhuman conditions. A large number of them are living in a cardboard settlement in Grdica and in a tent settlement for IDPs.
"Glas javnosti", 4. 6. 2006.
- VUCITRN: In the village of Priluzje in Vucitrn Municipality, Veselinka Dejanovic (aged 52) was shot in the shoulder outside her family house, reports the Srna news agency. She has been operated in the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica and her life is not in danger.
It is believed that she was shot from a nearby forest.
"Glas javnosti", 5. 6. 2006.
- BEOGRAD: UNMIK has announced that 25 persons have been sentenced so far to up to 18 years imprisonment for crimes committed in March 2004.
"Danas", 2. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Coordination Center for Kosovo plans to build 580 houses for returnees in Kosovo, investing a billion dinars from the state budget.
"Danas", 3.-4. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia was proclaimed independent state on June 20th of 1878 for the first time. In June of 2006, Serbia will become an independent state again in a few days, when the Parliament adopts a declaration of independence.
"Blic", 3. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: In Yugoslavia right after Second World War, mixed marriages were fashionable and desirable. In the 1880s, they were - common. In the 1990s, mixed marriages were condemned and in 21st century, the number of mixed marriages on the territory of former Yugoslavia is slowly increasing, although, according to the latest records, the number of marriages between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks is still 3 times less than the period before the latest wars.
Between 1945 and 1991, there were around 800.000 mixed marriages on the territory of former Yugoslavia.
According to an opinion poll conducted in Serbia by the UN Development Program last year, 65,5% of the questioned persons were against a marriage of a close family member with an Albanian, 31% were against a marriage with a Muslim or Bosniak, 24% were against a marriage with a Croat, 21% were against a marriage of a close family member with a Roma and the same percentage was against a marriage with a Hungarian. The highest level of ethnocentrism was determined among young people aged 20-23.
"Blic", 4. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia renewed its independence at yesterday's session of the Parliament by proclaiming Serbia to be the heir of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. Neither Serbia's President Boris Tadic nor the Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica attended the session of the Parliament, let alone organized a ceremony for such an important event.
The information from the President's cabinet is that he didn't attend the Parliament session because no one had invited him.
"Glas javnosti", 6. 6. 2006.
- BEOGRAD: Yesterday in Pristina, Dardan Gasi, head of the working group for dialogue on IDPs' return and Milorad Todorovic, deputy head of the Coordination Center for Kosovo, signed the Protocol on IDPs' Return.
Soren Jessen Petersen applauded the verification of this document , which was agreed more than 12 months ago, as part of the negotiations on technical issues.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 6. 2006.
- ANDRIJEVICA: 20 households in the area of Andrijevica have announced collective moving to Serbia because they don't want to live in an independent Montenegro.
Branislav Otasevic, president of the Local Community, has stated for the press that all the Montenegrans of orthodox religion in the village have decided to sell their homes, their land and cattle. It is similar in the villages of Belici and Gornja Rzanica, where the vast majority voted in favor of the state union with Serbia at the recent referendum.
"Glas javnosti", 7. 6. 2006.
- PRISTINA: UNMIK Police Commissioner, Kai Vittrup, has announced that the security measures have been stepped up due to frequent incidents and criminal acts.
"500 UNMIK policemen will be sent to the north of Kosovo. They will be protecting the safety of the citizens along with the increased number of Kosovo Police Service officers", Vittrup said.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- PRISTINA: The Reuters news agency reports that the Contact Group member-countries have given 6 months to Kosovo to take 13 concrete steps towards the improvement of the situation of Serbs living in the Province.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- Croatia will most probably be the next country to join the EU after Bulgaria and Romania, but not until 2010, said the European enlargement commissioner Oli Ren in Paris.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- NIS: The Serbian Committee for Refugees NGO will insist, among other things, on the revision of the National strategy paper on refugees providing the return to Kosovo as the only solution for IDPs, said Anika Krstic, secretary-general of the Committee, at a press conference in Nis.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- ZAGREB: Croatia might bring an indictment against Savo Strbac, director of the "Veritas" Documentation Center, because he was a minister and a secretary in Krajina's governments and one of the main actors of the crimes against Croats, claims the Zagreb "Vecernji list" daily. The daily accuses Strbac of forging the documents on crimes against Serbs in Croatia and presenting them to the Hague Tribunal and of publically proclaiming Vladimir Seks (president of Croatia's Parliament) and Stjepan Mesic (Croatia's President) criminals.
Strbac says that this is an unceasing campaign against him and the "Veritas", that this organization has had a good cooperation with the Hague Tribunal since 1994 and that they have never modified any of the documents.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- PODGORICA: On the door to the toilet on the first floor of the Basic Court in Podgorica, there is a written instruction on how to use a toilet because it has been noticed that most employees don't use it in an adequate way. The instructions contain seven items that the employees have to respect in the future, among others: "After entering, lock the door so we don't burst in uninvited", "Only use the toilet bowl for all forms of egesting", "After egesting flush with water from the water closet", "Leave the sink clean", "Must wash hands in the end"... etc.
"Glas javnosti", 8. 6. 2006.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: A larger group of Albanian children in the village of Rudnik stoned an UN bus transporting Serbs from Bica and Grabac to Kosovska Mitrovica once a week, report Serb sources in Kosovo. One of the passengers was slightly injured and the windows on the bus were crushed, reported the same sources.
"Glas javnosti", 9. 6. 2006.
- ZAJECAR: Cafe owners in Zajecar have received a decision from the local authorities that they must have concrete pots with cranesbills around their summer terraces! If they don't plant cranesbills, their terraces will not be legalized. The decision orders for cranesbills to be 0,9 to 1,5 meters off the ground.
If the cafe owners don't respect the decision, their terraces will be removed within three days.
The local authorities say that cranesbills are the cheapest flowers and also - people's flowers - so they will not give up their decision.
"Glas javnosti", 9. 6. 2006.
- BEOGRAD: Representatives of G17+ demonstratively left yesterday's session of the Parliament because Zoran Krasic of the Serbian Radical Party indicated the Minister of Agriculture Ivana Dulic-Markovic as an example of how ustashas infiltrate into the structures of power.
During the discussion on the Government's Draft law on salaries for state employees, Krasic said that ustashas were not nationalists but criminals and added that "the close family of the lady in question has boosted about how they participated in the Homeland War in Croatia where they gave particular contributions. Ask around about their traces, where her family has been". After this, the representative of G17+ left the session.
"Danas", 7. 6. 2006.
- BEOGRAD: G17+ has demanded that the Republic Public Prosecutor start a procedure before the Constitutional Court of Serbia to ban the Serbian Radical Party for not distancing itself from the speech of its member Zoran Krasic where he insulted the Minister of Agriculture Ivana Dulic_Markovic.
"Danas", 8. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: G17+ is collecting citizens' signatures for banning the Serbian Radical Party and we will continue with this in the following ten days and we expect the campaign to result in the banning of this political party, Cedomir Antic said, top official of G17+.
"Glas javnosti", 12. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Minority Rights Center has filed charges against three officers of the Police Department in Novi Knezevac - Toncika Jeres, Goran Kukuska and Mirko Kecman - for abusing Mladen Miklac of Roma nationality on June 2nd insluting him on ethnic basis.
It says in the Center's statement that on May 15th, the owner of the "Duo" store, Stevica Brzak "without any explanation went into two Roma houses in Srpska Krstur and beat up Milan Miklac and Savo Petrovic" and broke Miklac's ribs.
The beaten-up citizens called the police in Novi Knezevac to ask for protection and they refused to come to the scene. After that Miklac and Petrovic went to the Municipal Police Department in Novi Knezevac to report the case where the employee Toncika Jeres told them that they should get beaten up in the police station as well and demanded that they admit to have robbed Stevica Brzak's store. Brzak also came to the police station and punched Savo Petrovic on the head in the presence of the police.
The Center states that on June 2nd, police arrested Mladen Miklac and they insisted using force that he admit to the robbery. After the "information interview" in the police station, Miklac went to the Health Center but he didn't get aid from the doctors, says the statement.
The Center has filed charges against officers Jeres, Kukuska and Kecman, on suspicion of committing abuse from article 66 of the Criminal Law of Serbia, as well as for the violation of the relevant regulations of the international conventions preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading forms of punishment and treatment.
"Danas", 8. 6. 2006.
- SARAJEVO: Director of the Belgrade Crimes Against Serbian People Investigations Center, Milivoje Ivanisevic, has confirmed that the Center has names and accurate data on 5.515 Serb civilians killed in the part of Sarajevo under Muslim control during the war between 1992 and 1995. Another 500 names are still being checked and not all the mass graves have been opened yet so the final number of Serb victims can only be more than the above figure.
Ivanisevic said that the Center has registered 123 detention camps and 3.350 direct perpetrators of the crimes.
"Glas javnosti", 13. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The participants of a round table on "The news media and refugees" held in Belgrade yesterday, said that Serbia shows less interest in the problems of refugees than the other countries in the region, but that it is the news media who contribute to such Serbia's attitude the most with their bad and incompetent reports. They concluded that it would be of extreme importance to establish a specialized news media to deal with the problems of the refugee population.
"Glas javnosti", 13. 6. 2006.
- BERLIN: Criminal gangs from eastern Europe and the Balcans are spreading terror among the tourists on the Spanish coast, as well as among the citizens in the rich neighborhoods of the Spanish cities, reports the German "Spiegel" daily. The "Spiegel" reports that the members of the gangs are "mostly former policemen and officers from Romania, Kosovo, Bulgaria and former USSR". They "abuse their victims and force them at pointblank to give away the secret codes of their safes and credit cards".
The resorts in the area of Taragon have been targetted the most in the last weeks, where a "wave of brutal criminal robberies and kidnappings" has been reported.
"Glas javnosti", 13. 6. 2006.
- LEPOSAVIC: The local parliament in Leposavic has decided to declare state of emergency on the territory of this municipality in the north of Kosovo and break up all forms of communication with the provisional Kosovo insitutions. This is the third municipality in the north of Kosovo, after Zvecan and Zubin Potok, to decide to break up all contacts with the Government of Kosovo, due to "alarmingly deteriorated safety situation" in this part of the Province.
"Glas javnosti", 14. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: G17+ political party has collected more than 22.000 signatures of the citizens who support this party's initiative for banning the Serbian Radical Party "for its chauvinism and language of hatred".
"Glas javnosti", 14. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Youth Human Rights Initiative NGO has filed charges against Zoran Krasic of the Serbian Radical Party for inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred and for violating the equality of Serbia's citizens. The municipal prosecution office in Belgrade has launched an investigation against Krasic on suspicion of violating the reputation of a people, national or ethnic minority. The Youth Human Rights Initiative thinks that it is not the adequate qualification of what Krasic committed and it is not what this NGO charges him with. The law provides up to 5, i.e. 8 years imprisonment for the acts this NGO charges Krasic with.
"Danas", 12. 6. 2006.
- CROATIA: Croatia should make additional efforts when it comes to the return of refugees, ethnic minorities rights and the rule of law, because it is progressing very slowly in these areas, said Jorge Fuentes, head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia. The Mission's report will be presented to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. It says in the report that Serbs and Roma are the most vulnerable when it comes to the implementation of their rights, reports the TANJUG news agency.
"Glas javnosti", 14. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Unemployment in Serbia is increasing at a dizzying spped, so now there are a million unemployed, although Serbia's Minister of Work, Employment and Social Policy, Slobodan Lalovic, claims that the number of those who want to work but can't find a job isn't more than 550.000. The largest percentage of the unemployed are young people aged up to 30 and people over 40, which is the consequence of privatization, transition, wars and the insane state policy in the previous 15 years.
"Glas javnosti", 15. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Yesterday Serbia officially recognized Montenegro as an independent state.
"Glas javnosti", 16. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: At a round table on "Sustainable return to the Republic of Croatia - situation and prospects" held in Belgrade yesterday, Miodrag Linta, president of the Serbian Democratic Forum, said that even though it has been 11 years since the end of the war, refugees are still one of the problems in Croatia.
"Today in Serbia there are more than 200.000 people who fled Croatia, and around 120.000 of them have either taken or applied for Serbian citizenship. Although some steps forward were made a year and a half ago, there are still obstacles to the permanent solution of the problem of refugees' return to Croatia", said Dragisa Dabetic, Commissioner for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia. he stressed that the two biggest problems when it comes to refugees' return is the tenancy rights and the recognition of their years of employment.
Vojislav Stanimirovic, president of the Serbian Independent Democratic Party and representative in Croatia's Parliament, says that a major problem is also the war crimes suspects list which had more than 3.000 names until recently. But he says that this political party still advocates return to Croaqtia and appeals to refugees associations in Serbia to unite.
"Glas javnosti", 16. 6. 2006.
- NOVI PAZAR: The Minority Shareholders Association of Serbia (UMA for short) warned yesterday that there is a danger of a dramatic deterioration in the economic situation in Sandzak.
"The paralyzed economy, the sale of state-owned companies and deliberately leading the companies to bankruptcy, could also generate major political pressures", says the UMA in a statement.
The UMA has also analyzed the situation in more than 30 companies in Sandzak and then based on this analysis proposed a list of necessary measures to improve the situation in the local economy.
The Association has announced that on June 15th, it will organize a round table in Novi Pazar to discuss the burning economic issues in Sandzak.
"Danas", 14. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Yesterday the Minister of Work, Employment and Social Policy, Slobodan Lalovic, the Austrian Ambassador in Belgrade Gerhard Yandl and the coordinator of the Domestic Violence Counselling NGO Vesna Stanojevic, signed a donors contract for the "Shelter for people-trafficking victims" project.
This is the third time Austria's Government finances this project in Serbia and the Domestic Violence Counselling implements it.
The project is aimed to provide protection for people-trafficking victims over the next three years and the total cost will be 289.000 euros, of which 75.000 will be provided by the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy.
Minister Lalovic stressed that the Government will adopt the Strategy for struggle against people trafficking in one of the coming sessions. The Strategy was made by the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy.
Vesna Stanojevic stressed that this is the first time the state shows interest in the problem of people trafficking and said that since 2002, when the Shelter for trafficking victims was established, 208 girls have been taken in, of which 69 are Serbia&Montenegro's citizens and 41 are children.
The Austrian Ambassador said that this form of aid, the aid in shelter, represents "a paradise for women and children - trafficking victims - and they get first aid, medical aid, psychological aid, social aid and all other forms of aid here".
"Danas", 15. 6. 2006.
- PODGORICA: Montenegro declared independence on June 3rd and so far numerous countries have recognized it, including the EU which consists of 25 countries.
"Danas", 15. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Given that around 800.000 people in Serbia live below the poverty line, it is only normal that begging should appear as a social phenomenon and primarily in "subcultures without solid social norms", says Lidija Kozarcanin, advisor in the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy. In these subcultural environments, begging is regarded as an opportunity to obtain means of support.
Dragan Grinvald, director of the Homeless Shelter Center, says that based on his many years of experience, he believes that only every 10th beggar in Serbia begs out of need, i.e. falls under the social case category and that most beggars are alcohol addicts or persons with various deviations. Grinvald claims that as many as 90% of the beggars in the streets of Serbia are "professionals" - well organized criminal gangs for whom begging as a lucrative business. Grinvald says that in former Yugoslavia, a beggar could make 100 German marks on average by noon, meaning that their boss made around 25.000 German marks per month because beggars are usually organized in groups of 10. Grinvald is sure that despite the decrease in living standard in Serbia, a beggar can still make around 150 euros per day. Following the situation of the registered beggars, Grinvald says that most beggars live in unhygienic settlements or pay their helpers for shelter. According to Grinvald, begging is never an isolated phenomenen - it frequently goes with drifting, prostitution, people trafficking and other deviances.
Police along with social workers and experts of the Homeless Shelter Center sometimes organize raids, more and more rarely lately. Most beggars were registered after these raids and it was noticed that the same groups operate in the area of Belgrade.
The most alarming fact when it comes to begging is children abuse. In a publication on child labor in Serbia, it says that it is estimated that around 400 children live, i.e. "work" in the streets, and more of 200 of them can be seen in the streets of Belgrade every day. Begging is the most visible form of abuse of child labor and previous investigation show that it is probably just the top of an iceberg.
Grinvald says that beggars often take advantage of the legal "loopholes" so, for example, women always take their children when they go out into the street to beg. "Those who have no children, rent a child paying daily rent of 10 euros per child and this is not just for invoking pity but also for avoiding legal punishment, because under the law, a judge can't separate a child from its mother. So even though the punishment policy exists, it is very difficult to implement. The abuse of handicapped children is also wide spread. In the environments from which beggars traditionally come, children are deliberately disabled in order to make the begging as efficient as possible", Grinvald says. He says that the organizers of begging knwo the law very well, they have developed the logistics (a network of helpers, cars, means of communication...) so they are very hard to track down. Grinvald thinks that a single institution can't solve this problem, but the entire society should be involved in the prevention of begging - social work centers, shelters, police, justice system, citizens and volunteers. The regulations don't need to be strict, they need to be implemented.
The beggars centers in former Yugoslavia were mostly settlements in Bosnia&Herzegovina, especially Zvornik and Bijeljina. Now the organized begging centers in Serbia are Ruma, Sremska Mitrovica, Tutin, Vlasotince and other settlements in the south of Serbia which is traditionally the most destitute region in Serbia
"Danas", 15. 6. 2006; op.cit. 16. 6. 2006.
- SJENICA: A soup-kitchen will be built in Sjenica by the end of the year, thanks to the Red Cross of Luxemburg and the project manager Emir Ferhatovic from Novi Pazar. There are 450 soup-kitchen beneficiaries in Sjenica.
"Blic", 14. 6. 2006.
- OBILIC: Unknown persons vandalized the "Branko Radicevic" Elementary Shool in Obilic last night. They demolished the interior of the building and stole the computers. They also destroyed the pedagogic documentation, the employees' files and the grade books, said Predrag Stojcetovic, the Ministry of Education representative for Kosovo.
"Vecernje novosti", 15. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The federal Ministry of Human and Minority Rights has been closed down by the decision of Serbia's Government and its powers are partly transferred to the ministries of justice, internal affairs and local self-government. A special office or agency will be established within the Government to take over the remaining jurisdictions of the former Ministry. The head of the agency will be Petar Ladjevic, current Republic Secretary for ethnic minorities. I have already told him that I will help him all I can in order to carry out the transfer of jurisdictions as fast and efficiently as possible. It is particularly important for most employees to stay in the new agency. So, i am no longer a minister - says Rasim Ljajic, now former minister of the closed Ministry of Human and Minority Rights with the longest years in service - since October 2000.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 6. 2006.
- ULCINJ: Although the hotels in Ulcinj were opened in April, they have been empty ever since and the beaches have been deserted. According to the municipal Tourist Organization, there are only 312 guests in Ulcinj region, of which 140 are domestic tourists. The trailer camps are also empty, which hasn't happened in a long time. There are 15 foreign guests in the trailer camps and no domestic tourists. The hotel owners expect the first major influx of traditional tourists from Kosovo in the beginning of July.
"Glas javnosti", 17. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The time limit for the election of Serbia's ombudsman expired three months ago, and the representatives of most groups in Serbia's Parliament don't have any candidates yet. Head of the Democratic Party of Serbia's group in the Parliament, Milos Aligrudic, says that the ruling coalition will soon propose a candidate.
"Glas javnosti", 18. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: A round table on "Vulnerable refugees and IDPs in private accommodation - problems and prospects" will be held tomorrow in the building of the Red Cross of Serbia in Belgrade. Special attention will be dedicated to the problems of numerous IDP families from Kosovo. The round table will be attended, as announced, by the representatives of IDP families living in private accommodation, of the Commission for Refugees, the Coordination Center for Kosovo, the Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy, the international organizations and domestic NGO.
The round table was organized on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, June 20th.
"Glas javnosti", 18. 6. 2006.
- ULCINJ: Two unnamed inspectors of the Security Department in Ulcinj slapped the citizens of Roma nationality, of which the Committee for Civil Control of Police Work has informed in a letter the director of the Police Department of Montenegro, Veselin Veljkovic.
The letter says that on June 9th, 2006, the inspectors acted contrary to the current regulations and ethical codes.
Ramazan Salifi and Arif Zidi were arrested and taken to the Security Department in Ulcinj and Fadilj Salifi came to the police station voluntarily. The members of their numerous families and their friends gathered outside the police station demanding the reason for their arrest and detention. An unnamed police inspector from Podgorica slapped one of the arrested Roma several times and cursed him, and pointed his gun at Nada Omerovic (the wife of one of the arrested Roma) and threatened to shoot.
During the three Roma's stay in the police station, they were not allowed to speak and no one gave them any explanation as to why they had been arrested, says the letter by the Council for Civil Control of Police Work.
"Glas javnosti", 18. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The orthodox church in Obilic was demolished and robbed yesterday. Unknown persons took 4 crosses off the roof, the drainpipes and a piece of the copper roof.
Mirce Jakovljevic, coordinator for Obilic Municipality, said for the KIM radio that "this is just another attack in a series of attacks on everything that is Serbian" and added that "this was another proof that the international community can't put an end to it".
"Glas javnosti", 19. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Ministry of Education is a target of lots of criticism. "Every innovation is always met with resistance at the start. I have already said that everything is allowed to education, except for experiments on children. My team's motto is 'Saint Sava protects us because we mean no harm to anyone'. I wish Serbia was like Norway or England, where you come into power and you lose power over education. The best example is Tony Blair who said that he would have three goals: education, education and education", says Slobodan Vuksanovic, Serbia's Minister of Education.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The team of the Red Cross of Serbia won first place in the European First Aid Championship. The competition took place in Perugia, Italy, and 25 teams participated.
The same team also won gold medal at the World First Aid Championship in Germany 3 years ago.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Zoran Loncar, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-government, said yesterday that the Government of Serbia, aware of the importance of NGO's activities, has introduced liberalisations into the NGO sector with a proposed law on civil associations, but the proposed law also regulates completely their activities and financing.
"The law is one of our country's remaining obligations, resulting from our membership of the Council of Europe and on the adoption of the law the activities of the so-called third sector will be legalized, i.e. associations or NGOs, in a way in accordance with the rules of the developed countries", said Loncar to the TANJUG news agency.
A complete liberalisation is introduced in the formation of the associations - an association can be registered by a group of three citizens at least.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 6. 2006.
- CACAK: As part of the Social Housing Program implemented by the UN Habitat and financed by the Italian Government, 76 apartments will be built for refugees and socially vulnerable persons.
Cacak is one of the 6 municipalities in Serbia to take part in this program which is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for Capital Investments. The construction of the apartments in Cacak will start in September and the municipality has provided a location in the settlement of Kosutnjak.
"Glas javnosti", 19. 6. 2006.
- LIPLJAN: At least 30 tombstones in the orthodox cemetery in Staro Gacko near Lipljan have been destroyed and desecrated, Serb sources in central Kosovo reported yesterday.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Minority Rights Center appealed to the state authorities yesterday to find and punish the persons who used an axe and a baseball bat to beat up three citizens of Roma nationality. Unidentified persons stopped Elvis Ramadani, Sabedin Ramadani and Dragan Todoski on June 16, who were on their way from work, insulted them on ethnic basis, destroyed their car and brutally attacked them, says a public statement issued by the Minority Rights Center.
Elvis Ramadani sustained head injury inflicted with a baseball bat, nose fracture and slight injuries to the torso, and Sabedin Ramadani sustained head injury inflicted with an axe.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: There are 421 registered political parties in Serbia.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- SARAJEVO: President of the Demographic Policy Committee of Republika Srpska, Stevo Pasalic, has stated that he has infomration that during the war in Bosnia&Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, there were 159 execution sites and 441 detention camps where Serbs were killed, confined and tortured. The space where the largest number of Serbs were killed was the region of Sarajevo, where 28 execution sites and 91 detention camps have been registered where 5.000 -10.000 Serb civilians were killed - Pasalic said for the news media in Republika Srpska.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: "We are among the countries with the largest number of brain strokes to a million citizens. Only Russia is ahead of us. The developed countries have solved this problem with a healthy way of life. People in our country don't cure hypertension, they eat fat food, and they are all risk factors leading to brain blood vessels disorders", says dr Bumbasirevic, neurologist of the Emergency Center in Belgrade.
Dr Dragana Kulic, head of the reception ward in the "Saint Sava" hospital in Belgrade, says that "it is alarming that the age limit is getting lower and lower, so more and more often we get patients aged under 27. It is a consequence of constant stress".
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia's President Boris Tadic has said today, on World Refugees Day, June 20th, that the situation of more than 100.000 refugees in Serbia is still difficult and the state must find solutions to the concrete problems of refugees, through local integration or return. He stressed that it is necessary to speed up the integration process, because a large number of refugees become social cases due to their undefined status.
The Commissioner for Refugees, Dragisa Dabetic, said yesterday in the Parliament that Serbia has 107.000 registered refugees and another 200.000 who have taken Serbian citizenship. According to Dabetic, it is necessary to adopt the changes to the Law on refugees to enable the refugees to solve their housing problems and in order to separate them from asylum seekers.
"Glas javnosti", 21. 6. 2006.
- GORAZDE: Around 1.250 Serbs have returned to Gorazde. Around 12.500 lived there before the war. Novo Gorazde is in Republika Srpska and it is 3-4km from the center of Gorazde which is in the Federation of Bosnia&Herzegovina.
The president of the municipality of Novo Gorazde, Ivica Jagodic, says, "since June 11th, when the gate to the cemetery was stolen and the cemetery was desecrated in Pothranjen near Gorazde, fear and disquiet have been increasing among Serb returnees in Gorazde in the Federation of Bosnia&Herzegovina. Due to the lack of safety, Serb returnees in Gorazde are preparing for moving out of the town collectively, and the local Bosniak authorities do nothing to protect them", Jagodic says. Jagodic has shown a letter by Serb returnees Pothranje, reading "On several occasions since 2003, the returnees in the villages of Pothranjen, Obarak and Popov Do have been exposed to constant harassment and provocations by Bosniaks. Most incidents have been reported to the police station in Gorazde, but there is no feedback on the measures taken. The returnees' houses and accessory buildings have been pillaged, local roads have been destroyed, it has been shot from firearms, dogs and pigs have been killed, even human lives have been threatened. One of the most drastic examples is the Milovic family's house which has been torched and the orthodox cemetery has been desecrated. The villagers are warning once again of the lack of safety, we demand energetic measures, or we will be forced to move out collectively because both our properties and our lives are threatened by extremist activities".
Jagodic says that the employment policy, i.e. unemployment policy towards Serbs in Gorazde is another form of silent pressure on Serbs and a message to them that there is no room for Serbs in Gorazde. "There is also a risk for Serbs to silently leave these regions. If there is no work for Serb returnees, then they have no means to support themselves, so they have to leave", Jagodic says. He says that the evidence of the policy of unequal standards is also the fact that 85% of Bosniaks' houses in Novo Gorazde have been reconstructed and at the same time, not even 30% of Serbs' houses in Gorazde have been reconstructed.
Safet Strahonjic, president of the Municipality of Novo Gorazde, who lives in Republika Srpska, doesn't deny that, as he says, incidents happen from time to time, but he strongly rejects the very thought that an organized intention is behind it to prevent the return of Serbs to Gorazde or to force them to leave. He says, "the persons who torched Milovic's house have been found and legal procedures against them are underway. The authorities have promised to rebuild his house by the end of this year. Serb children go to school in Gorazde without any problems".
Starhonjic also denies the claims of Serbs in Novo Gorazde that they are discriminated against when it comes to donations. "The local authorities have no funds to finance sustainable return. So we go for humanitarian projects which are implemented through the municipality. More than 50% of the beneficiaries of the humanitarian projects are Serbs. The real problem is that there are not many similar projects and the funds are small. The problem is also that the budget of Republika Srpska is larger for stay than for return, and settlements are built in the towns in Republika Srpska for those who don't want to return", Starhonjic says.
"Danas", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The situation of refugees and IDPs in Serbia is alarming. They live in housing units lacking basic facilities, their existence is insecure, many of them are starving and can't afford to by medicine, said the participants of a round table on "Vulnerable refugees and IDPs in private accommodation - problems and prospects", organized on the occasion of the World Refugee Day.
In Serbia there are 106.700 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia&Herzegovina and 207.293 IDPs from Kosovo. Most refugees, a little over 50%, live in Vojvodina and another 1/3 live in Belgrade; 10.000 live in collective centers and many live in private accommodation, mostly as renters in abandoned houses, basements, without water and electricity.
According to the information gathered by the mobile teams of four NGOs (the "Amity" from Belgrade, the Novi Sad Humanitarian Center, the "Horizons" from Cacak and the "Sigma plus" from Nis), providing psycho-social support for this population - more than 10.000 families in private accommodation or 35.000 members of the refugee and IDP population live in extreme poverty, on minimal incomes or even without any incomes in some cases. They mostly live in extremely bad conditions and their health has deteriorated, while at the same time health services are becoming more and more expensive and unaffordable.
Nadezda Sataric, president of the "Amity" NGO, points out that the refugee issue is being solved in some ways. Those who have decided to return, go back to their original countries. Those who have decided to stay, have the same rights as the domicile population, and they also have the right to apply for housing to the Commission for Refugees, to get loans for building their own housing units, they have the right to support in purchasing old people's households, they have the right to stay in the social housing apartments under protected conditions. "Unlike them, IDPs from Kosovo are in a far worse situation. The position of the state is that they should return to Kosovo although there are no conditions for their safe return. There are no special programs to solve their housing problems, which is the main problem of IDPs. Many of them have no personal documents to prove their identity and status and many have no work documentation", Sataric stressed.
"Danas", 20. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Around 30 houses for Serb returnees have been built in Zociste in Kosovo and the 4 monks living in the monastery of Zociste hope that the life of the monastery will also go back to normal with Serbs' return.
Before the NATO bombing, this monastery was the second most visited orthodox temple in former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Albanian extremists destroyed the temple to the ground in the summer of 1999 and it is under reconstruction at the moment.
"Danas", 20. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: Serbia and Montenegro are the territory with the largest number of refugees and IDPs in Europe. No significant improvement of refugees' and IDPs' situation is possible in the conditions of increasingly bad economic situation and political instability in the country. The breakup of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro, as well as the future status of Kosovo, will have a direct impact on the issue of citizenship of refugees and IDPs in particular - stressed Vesna Golic, executive director of Group 484, on the occasion of the World Refugee Day.
"More than 140.000 refugees were registered in Serbia in the last counting of refugees, but refugee status was only confirmed for around 107.000. The decrease in number of refugees doesn't mean, unfortunately, that their problems are being solved. When it comes to IDPs from Kosovo, many of them don't even have personal documents. Their situation in Serbia is additionally worsened by the exhaustion of the assets they brought with them, the impossibility to use their properties in Kosovo and the reduction of foreign aid", said Danilo Rakic, editor of the publication "Human rights of forced migrants in 2005". He said that in 2005, Serbia and Montenegro became the country with the largest number of asylum applications (21.927) and as long as Serbia has such statistics, it won't enter the "white Schengen list".
The representatives of the Serbian Committee for Refugees said that there had been positive improvements when it comes to the return of refugees to Croatia, but obstacles still exist, including safety and property problems.
"Since the 1990s, when Serbia had 700.000 refugees, the number has decreased to around 140.000, of which 73% are from Croatia, 26% from Bosnia and 1% from other countries. There are also 207.293 IDPs from Kosovo", said Anika Krstic, secretary general of the Committee.
Drago Kovacevic of the Serbian Democratic Forum, said that the overall situation is better when it comes to the return of refugees to Croatia, especially in the returning of the properties. However, there are obstructions such as illegal selling of refugees' properties, and the number of victims of such illegal transactions is increasing. There is also a considerable amount of violence against returnees. Police have registered 65 cases in Croatia, of which 4 had fatal outcome, Kovacevic said.
"Danas", 21. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: President of the Serbian National Council of northern Kosovo, Milan Ivanovic, says that the security in the Province has deteriorated in the last couple of months and that 70 incidents (among them killings of Serbs, woundings, planting explosives) have been reported only in the area of Kosovska Mitrovica.
"Glas javnosti", 20. 6. 2006.
- KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: An explosive device was found on the road Pristina-Kosovo Polje yesterday, confirmed the UN police yesterday.
"Glas javnosti", 20. 6. 2006.
- NOVI PAZAR: A group of 10 youths, dressed in typical clothes of the members of the Islam sect of vehabia, didn't let the "Balkanika" music band hold their concert in Novi Pazar. A little bit later a group of fans of the Novi Pazar Football Club stoned the stage on which the concert was to be held.
The police department of Novi Pazar announced yesterday that they had arrested another two persons for preventing the concert, on suspicion of inciting ethnic, racial and religious hatred.
"Danas", 17.-18. 6. 2006.
- BEOGRAD: A conference on "Women's health in the health policy in Serbia" was organized in Belgrade by the Palgo center, supported by the Open Society Fund. Snezana Simic, assistant minister of health, said that women's health is a rather neglected aspect in the health protection system and the average age of the population is increasing. According to the statistics from the year 2002, the average age of women in Serbia is 41,5 and the average age of men is 39.
Djurdjica Zoric of the "Bibija" association said that at least 65% of the Roma population, of which 40% are women, don't have medical booklet. "It is necessary to provide easier access to health protection for Roma women and easier access to information on contraception, pregnancy, most common diseases and children's care", Zoric said.
"Danas", 24.-25. 6. 2006.
- GORAZDEVAC: The entire crops on some 100 hectares in the area of Gorazdevac were destroyed in a storm on Thursday night. The storm totally destroyed the wheat on around 85 hectares and corn on several dozen hectares, reported the FONET news agency. The storm also destroyed the gardens and orchards of around 1.170 inhabitants of Gorazdevac, who live exclusively by farming.
"Glas javnosti", 24. 6. 2006.
- SUTOMORE: Refugees from Kosovo are not wanted in Sutomore, judging by the decision of the waterworks company in Bar to cut water to the refugee camp in Sutomore due to a debt of several thousand euros.
Nearly 100 refugees from Kosovo have been staying since 1999 in a hotel which belongs to the Ferial Union of Kosovo in Sutomore. The hotel's status of collective IDP center looked after by the Montenegran Commission for Refugees and UNHCR, was cancelled two years ago so no one has been paying the bills for water and electricity. At the same time, the owners of the hotel have started a legal procedure against the IDPs and they insist on the IDPs to move out so the hotel can be used for it original purpose again.
"Glas javnosti", 26. 6. 2006.
- NIS: The birth register office for the municipalities of Pristina, Podujevo, Obilic, Glogovac, Lipljan and Kosovo Polje will be closed from June 27th because they are being moved from the Construction and General Affairs Department in Nis to the new premises at BB Kosovske Devojke Street also in Nis.
"Blic", 24. 6. 2006.
- NOVI PAZAR: Sefko Alomerovic, president of the Helsinky Human Rights Committee in Sandzak, passed away in his family house in Belgrade two nights ago, said the members of his family for the FONET news agency.
"Blic", 22. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: With 44% unemployment rate among young people, Serbia is in first place in Europe, said Jadranka Dimov, national director of the CARDS program of "Employment support".
"Blic", 22. 6. 2006.
- BELGRADE: The Ministry of Work, Employment and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia has abolished additional family invalid care allowance for the families of the persons killed in the wars in Croatia, Bosnia&Herzegovina and in Kosovo.
"Blic", 22. 6. 2006.
- PRISTINA: That the efforts of the Kosovo authorities to support the return of Serbs are just a farce, shows the case of the Zivanovic family from the village of Besinje, 10km from Pristina. Spasenija and Borivoje Zivanovic had to leave their house after the March outburst of violence in 2004. Today, after two years, Kosovo police still don't let them return to their property. They can only live in their home during the day. They have to spend nights in the neighboring village of Devet Jugovica. Every evening the police check if they they have left. If they find Spasenija and Borivoje in their house, they "expell" them to Devet Jugovica where they have been paying 50 euros a month since March 26th, 1999, for a bed to sleep over night.
"They say if all 42 Serbs return, who lived here until 1999, then I will get a bed and a table and a stove, and a donation to rebuild my mill and my fish pond. They don't let me sleep in my own house. They say it's not safe", Borivoje says. "We have to run and leave our entire household: 10 cows, 7 bulls, 20 pigs, 300 chickens, 1.000 liters of domestic brandy and the fish pond with 3 tons of trout. When we came back from Nis, everything was robbed, my heart almost broke. All we found were bare walls, the house torched...", Borivoje says.
The Zivanovics own 10 hectares of land in the area of Besinje. They haven't sold it and they don't intend to because their parents' graves tie them to the village. Borivoje's parents died in July 1999.
"Blic", 23. 6. 2006.