Looking at the other side of things

I generally perceive the media as being biased and narrow-minded. Nonetheless, I scan the online news. This morning BBC reported about the Karadzic trial but also included a posting about Serbia's mixed feelings about the case. BBC, even during the bombing campaign and sanctions against Serbia was one of the few who actually sought to get input from residents of Belgrade, etc. Journalists who did this found a very different side. I would like to see this continue, as there is more than one side to the story and the public deserves to hear it.

Tweet

Bombing of Belgrade: Ten Years Later

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the start of NATO's bombing campaign on Serbia (then Yugoslavia). On March 24, 1999, NATO forces began their 11-week attack with the goal of driving Serb forces out of Kosovo. Although sites all around the country were targets, Belgrade was one of the hardest hit. Many of my former co-workers were in Belgrade during this stressful time, facing constant power outages, night skies lit up with bombs & resulting explosions like fireworks, fuel shortages, and never quite sure if the bridge they took to school would be destroyed. One even delivered her first child during the intense bombing and power outtage. At first, many huddled in shelters; as the weeks drew on, some began trying to sleep through it.

Nonetheless, the stress, trauma and scars still remain - both on the residents and buildings. Along some of the main arteries of downtown Belgrade including Knez Milosa, some of these bombed buildings lie much as they were when the fires died out. Eyesores such as these serve as reminders of an unpleasant past, fuel nationalist sentiments, and point out lack of needed funding to remove the remnants. The top photo is the former Interior Ministry. The bottom photo is of a TV station, destroyed while young workers were still in it.

In commemoration of the anniversary, BBC News has posted a short audio slideshow.

Update: My friend Pat has some photos posted on her blog that were taken of the bombings right from her apartment window.

Tweet

1999 NATO Bombing Anniversary

Monday, March 24 marked the 9th anniversary of the NATO bombing on Serbia, known then yet as Yugoslavia. Thankfully, the commemoration went peacefully, with leading Belgrade officials laying wreaths on monuments and graves of some of the victims. A memorial service was held at St. Mark's church downtown.

A brief history
For 78 days, 19 Allied members began bombing regions of Serbia and Kosovo, with some of the first bombs targeted at Belgrade. The estimated number of people killed is set between 1,200 and 2,500 people including 89 children. Over 10,000 people were injured. One of the first casualties occurred at 2am on the 24th, killing 16 (mainly young) employees at the state RTS TV station almost right next to the St. Mark's Church where today's service was held. Other bombed sites in Belgrade included the Yugoslav Army General Staff building, the Chinese Embassy, a downtown hospital, several other military buildings, fuel tanks, virtually all RTS transmitters, and the nearby Avala TV tower.
Throughout the country bridges, military sites, and places such as a chemical plant were bombed.

Some of the bombed buildings, such as the RTS (above) building and military building (right) were never repaired. Nor is there money to tear them down.

The NATO air strikes ended on June 10 when the United Nations adopted the Resolution 1244.

Tweet

Belgrade riots - update

Although it's been a month since the protests in Belgrade erupted that February evening, the calm on the streets has not rolled back time. Plywood has replaced most of the windows on the lower floor of the US Embassy. Paint has covered up some of the scorch marks, while others are quite evident. The outer layer of the treated window glass in the street level entrance of the embassy retains its web-like shatteredness. Inside, things are very quiet, with non-essentsential personnel evacuated. Elsewhere along Knez Milosa "aka embassy row", some diplomatic buildings remain gated and a couple with faded paint marking where their country's emblem signs once hung, gone along with the diplomats.

At school things are quieter as well. Desks of US Steel and US embassy children still remain empty. Classmates miss their friends who had to leave so suddenly - some never to return. Aside from some British families, most of the kids remaining at school are non-native English speakers, which makes instruction and group work a bit more challenging. We were also short a few teachers, two temporarily away to assist the evacuated students at their temporary schools, and one ordered to evacuate due to her status as a non-essential embassy family member status. The hope is that if Belgrade remains calm through the soon-to-be anniversary of the 1999 NATO bombing, then some will be able to return to Belgrade and back to school.

Even if the anniversary passes quietly, it will take some time before Serbia can begin to erase its negative, violent perception in the eyes of the world. It is my hope that with the new elections in May (the prime minister stepped down), a more EU-focused government can help move the country forward and away from potential isolationism.

Tweet

Anniversary of NATO Bombing in Belgrade

Eight years ago the NATO bombing of Belgrade and other parts of Serbia began. The bombing started on March 24, 1999 and lasted for 78 days. According to various sources, there were between 1,200 and 2,500 fatalities in the country. During this time, damage was done to infrastructures, trade facilities, schools, hospitals, media facilities, and cultural monuments. Most bombs were successfully dropped on carefully selected structures, but there were grave mistakes as well. The destruction of the Chinese Embassy was one example.


Bombing in Belgrade
This weekend I went for a nice long walk along Knez Miloša in Belgrade. This street is also known as Embassy Street for all the embassies located there. As I entered the street from Senjak, the first building I saw was one of the bombed buildings. From the side, it looked like any Communist-era federal building, except that all the windows had been blasted out. Along the front, more significant damage could be seen, including parts that had collapsed. Trees have begun to grow on the collapsed roof. Ragged curtains fluttered in the breeze. Open cupboards revealed stacks of files still unclaimed - did no one need these files?



Further along, past the Canadian, American, and several other embassies was another bombed building. This terra-cotta brick building was significantly more damaged than others along the street. A skyway once connecting buildings across from each other was sliced off. Huge missing sections made it look a bit like a battle scene from Star Wars.

Why are such eyesores (and hazards) still standing? Is it lack of funds to demolish the buildings? Are they still there to act as reminders of the bombing campaign that most Serbians saw as unjust? Or is there another reason.

While walking one fall day with a friend and longtime resident of Belgrade, I saw a building that had one end shaved off. Pat explained that this used to be a TV station. She said that many young workers lost their lives one evening, after being commanded that they come to work or be fired - even though the boss was warned that the building was going to be bombed. Of course the boss wasn't there at the time.

Ecological Damage
About 60 km north of Belgrade lies Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia. During the bombing, three giant bridges were destroyed, covering the riverbed with 7,000 tons of debris. Cleared only in 2003, this debris has contributed to the increasing amount of pollution to the Danube River. NATO aircraft also destroyed 18 reservoirs at the Novi Sad refinery and five in Pančevo. This small town, located 10 km from Belgrade, lies right on the Danube River as well. The reservoirs were full of crude, and thousand of tons of its contents were spilled into the river. Chemical plants were also destroyed in Pančevo during the war, polluting the river and killing the fish. Needless to say, people were reluctant to eat fish for some time after.

Pyschological Damage
As with any conflict or war, the local people are invariably affected. At first, people stayed up during the night bombings, hunkered in shelters. Watching the bombing was almost like a fireworks show. Deciding life must go on, many tried to sleep through the noise of the bombs and aircraft. Enrollment at the International School was skeletal, kept alive by a dedicated core of teachers who didn't evacuate. Teachers weren't always sure if the bridge they normally took to get to school would be around the next day, but they adapted. One teacher even delivered a baby - without electricity. The economy, education, medical care, and other areas suffered during the bombing and sanctions, still not fully recovered. Psychologists have reported a rise in treatment of anxiety and post-traumatic stress distorders. That said, Serbians pride themselves in being strong and resilient and are confident that they will rise above this as well.

Tweet

Mt. Avala

Mt. Avala

After an entire week of rain, Saturday finally brought good weather. Olja (a Serbian teacher at school) and I decided to go to Mt. Avala, located about 18 km south of Belgrade. Our meeting point was the Mc Donald’s in Slavija Circle. The juxtaposition of the Austro-Hungarian-style building with the ubiquitous chain restaurant logo always amuses me. Olja explained that we would have to take the local buses, as the special service bus to Avala only runs during the summer – which ended the day before. As the destination was outside the main Belgrade bus zone, we had to pay slightly more for the ticket – 61 cents. Once outside of the Belgrade city, high-rise apartment buildings were replaced with extended family homes, many of which were in various stages of completion. A few tractors hauling small wagonloads of grasses and weeds slowed the pace a bit.

Just a short distance away from Belgrade, it was easy to see why Mt. Avala (only 6 meters above the minimum requirements for a mountain) was a popular summer day trip for citizens of the capital city. Our bus stop was at the base of the mountain. Although a paved road for vehicles existed, everyone was hiking up the paved walk, shaded by the forest trees. Benches were regularly situated along the zigzag path, enabling people to relax and enjoy the deciduous and coniferous forest landscape.

At the top of the mountain was the Unknown Soldier Monument, sculpted of black marble by Ivan Mestrovic from 1934-38. Stairs, also of black marble, led majestically up to the enclosed monument. Inside on the floor were the dates relating to the First World War. From here, we had a great panoramic view of the lush agricultural region of Sumadija. At one time, Olja explained, the entire region was heavily forested. Guarding both entrances to the monument were eight massive caryatides (female-shaped supporting pillars like those found in classical Greek temples). Each represented a region of then-Yugoslavia, including Kosovo and Vojvodina.

Pesky wasps forced us to eat our picnic lunch rather quickly, at which time we began the easier descent. Partly because of our too-short stay at the summit, we stopped for a drink in the large outdoor café at the 1938 Avala hotel. I found the sphinxes lining the parking lot entrance rather amusing, contrasting with the other architectural styles of the building. On our way down, we took a slight detour to see where the state-owned RTS television station tower and once was, turned into rubble in the 1999 NATO air campaign. Just inside the forest was an old lady selling small bundles of thyme and other herbs. Feeling a bit sorry for the lady, Olja bought a bundle for 10 cents. Perfect timing, the bus arrived just as we got there.

Slightly in from the road, Olja pointed out a Memorial Garden that paid tribute to the 80,000 Yugoslavs executed by the Nazis during World War II. Romas and people supporting the Partizans were frequently targeted by the Germans and sent to concentration camps.

Tweet

Death of Milosevic

Upon hearing of the death of former Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, I have followed the developments with interest. How would local people respond to his death and why? Would it vary by age, location, education, or financial status? What did the local newspapers say was the cause of his death? Would the government allow Milosevic to be buried in Serbia? If so, would the funeral be a quiet, private one, or would there be some fanfare involved?

Citizen Responses
Responses of people are definitely varied. Some couldn't care less about the whole situation - why he died, the trial and verdict, where he should be buried, etc. Some Serbians are just fed up with the whole thing and just want to move on with their lives. Younger adults I spoke to often had strong opinions. Many expressed regret that Milosevic's death and subsequent termination of the trial meant that he could never be held accountable for all the harm he had done. This includes the economic and emotional scarring of Serbia's citizens, even right here in Belgrade. Those such as the families of those who lost males through genocide had looked to the trial as a possibility of retribution and closure – now that will not happen. A few were saddened by Milosevic’s death, remembering him for the nationalistic efforts of a greater Serbia, especially his desire to hold on to Kosovo – seen as the historical and spiritual heartland of Serbia. Surprisingly, not all of these people were of the older generation.

Although I haven’t gone downtown, others have told me that there are not signs of mourners, protesters, etc. True, there were a few loyalists who gathered outside of the headquarters of the Socialist party, lighting candles and kissing his picture in memory. Even the Serbian flag above the Federal Parliament building remained at its normal position – and not at half-mast.

Press Reaction
Many of the newspaper (I depend on others to tell me this, since I can’t read Serbian) headlines proclaimed that Milosevic was murdered. Even amongst those who didn’t care for their former leader, there tended to be a distrust of anything involved with NATO and the UN War Crimes Tribunal. It is generally felt among the population that these organizations (and even Western media) are biased against Serbia. Where are the Croat and Bosnian leaders and military generals who committed atrocities against Serb citizens – are they being tried? Will families, including several teachers from my school, ever be able to return to Croatia and reclaim their land forcefully stolen from them just because they were Serbs?

Burial Location
Although people generally didn’t respond as passionately to this issue, they still often had opinions. Some would prefer that me would be buried in Russia or elsewhere. Such an arrangement would avoid the potential sticky issues of Mrs. Milosevic returning to Serbia (there is an arrest warrant out for her) and any governmental recognition of the funeral. If there was to be a funeral in Serbia, many felt that a state-sponsored one would be inappropriate. When I asked one teacher why he, as former president should not receive an honorary funeral and compared it to that of former US president Ronald Regan, she once again expressed anger at all the harm Milosevic did. The last thing she wanted to see happen was have him made into a hero.

One individual (originally from a small town in Bosnia) found it unfair that while Milosevic's wife may be allowed to return to Serbia without being arrested, there are so many young men who have been unable to return to the country, fleeing after they said or did something against Milosevic's regime while he was in power. I'm sure those families would love to have their sons return to their homeland - will their safety be guaranteed?

It now sounds like Milosevic will indeed be buried in his hometown of Pozarevac, about 50 km from Belgrade. The government has denied requests by Milosevic supporters to have his body on public view in the Federal Parliament building. Instead, the public display will happen in Pozarevac.

Possible Outcome
I hope that the citizens and country of Serbia will be able to move forward. Will the government and/or those who know of the whereabouts of prominent wanted fugitives be emboldened to hand over those war criminals? Will Serbia be able to begin its entry talks into the EU? Will Serbia emerge from political and economic isolationism? Time will tell.

Tweet