VARAZDIN, Sept 14 (Hina) - The government's Office for Missing and Imprisoned Persons is currently searching for 1,348 missing soldiers and civilians, the head of the office, Ivan Gruic, said in Varazdin at the presentation of a book
"Ten Years of Hope and Pain" issued under the organisation of the Association of Families of Imprisoned and Missing Defenders from Varazdin County.
VARAZDIN, Sept 14 (Hina) - The government's Office for Missing and
Imprisoned Persons is currently searching for 1,348 missing
soldiers and civilians, the head of the office, Ivan Gruic, said in
Varazdin at the presentation of a book "Ten Years of Hope and Pain"
issued under the organisation of the Association of Families of
Imprisoned and Missing Defenders from Varazdin County. #L#
Gruic said that at the time exhumations were ongoing. Exhumations
were paused during the summer months, but the time was used for
gathering information and preparing identifications, he said.
He announced new identifications in September, which would mean the
removal of a number of names of defenders and civilians from the
missing lists.
It has been agreed with Yugoslavia that an exhumation begins in
Sremska Mitrovica on Monday, from where the remains of victims
identified during the preliminar process, would be taken.
DNA will be taken from unidentified victims, based on the analysis
of which Croatia will request the remains which will be
unconditionally handed over, Gruic said.
Croatian veterans' Minister Ivica Pancic said that the ministry had
from the start been involved in the search for missing persons,
alongside the Office for Missing and Imprisoned Persons.
The book "Ten Years of Hope and Pain" was issued on the 11th
anniversary of when 27 police officers from Varazdin left to defend
Vukovar. Twenty-two were killed, and two are missing.
(hina) lml