Lettersto theEditors
Ms. Alice Chasan
Editor
Worldpress Review
Dear Editor:
Reading “Croatia: New Math” one has to wonder if the misinformation in
Katarina Subasic’s article is deliberate or lacking facts because of a
poorly informed writer. The article describes the reaction of the
Croatian government and different people regarding the recent population
census report, which shows a reduction of the Serb population since the
prewar census of 1990 from
11.5% to the current 4.5%. (the article incorrectly states the prewar
number as 12.6%).
In a reference to the 1995 liberation of Croatia’s so-called Krajina
territory, that was occupied by rebel Serbs for four years – and which
they plundered and ethnically cleansed of some 200,000 Croatians – the
author uses the word “alleged” regarding the Serb documents seized by
Croatia’s forces, which clearly show orders by the Serb leadership for
the evacuation of the whole Serb population from the territory, ahead of
the arrival of the Croatian army. Some 150,000 did just that, thus it
obviously did not constitute any ethnic cleansing on
Croatia’s part, which some like to imply. There was nothing “alleged”
about these documents, they very much exist, besides, there was also an
interview in August 1995 with the Croatian Serbs’ leaders Martic and the
Yugoslav general Mrksic
in Belgrade’s media, acknowledging these facts.
As for the quote from Croatia’s newspaper Novi List, it is not surprising
to still find elements in Croatia who mourn the demise of Yugoslavia and
would write anything that could blame Croatia.
Finally, the diminished number of Serbs in Croatia is a natural result of
Serbs who before the war served in Yugoslav military and administrative
positions in Croatia and returned to Serbia after losing the war – and
that was a substantial number, as previously Serbs deliberately spread
themselves all across Croatia. These people left alive and well, in
contrast to the 12,000 Croatians killed by the Serbs. Perhaps when Serbs
finally apologize for all the death and destruction they caused in
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, they might find Croatians more
forgiving – but not forgetting very soon.
Sincerely,
Hilda M. Foley
National Federation of Croatian Americans
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, Ca. 92705
(212) 375-1575 phone (212)982-6968 fax
Teri Schure – publisher [email protected]
Alice Chasan – editor [email protected]
check: http://www.worldpress.org/contact.htm&n bsp;