HHO CANCELS VISIT TO VELJUN ON ANTIFASCIST STRUGGLE DAY, JUNE 22

ZAGREB, June 21 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (HHO) decided to cancel paying homage to victims of fascism in Veljun as had been planned for June 22, Antifascist Struggle Day, HHO said in a statement on Wednesday. The HHO Executive Committee assessed a manifestation of that kind could cause unrest among citizens and incidents due to various misinformation among the local population. Veljun is a town near Slunj, 80km south of Zagreb. HHO in today's statement also commented on a letter Slunj mayor Mile Skukan yesterday forwarded to HHO and the highest state institutions, in which he stated "the HHO leadership by arriving (to Veljun) wants to bring unrest," and called on Slunj residents not to allow "the creation of incident situations artificially, from outside." HHO reacted by saying Kukan had not been so careful and eager in connection with disturbing his fellow residents during the recent unveiling in Slunj of a memorial plaque to an Ustashi commandant, Jure Francetic. HHO said the mayor's letter did not reflect concern for the constitutional and legal order of Croatia, or Croatia's foundation on antifascism. HHO said claims that there had been no incidents in the Slunj area until May 6 were notorious lies, and that HHO was in possession of verified data that a certain number of local residents intimidated and physically harassed residents of Serb nationality, seizing their property, under tacit support from local leaders. A May 6 commemoration for victims of fascism in Veljun was marred by an incident when several protesters from the Slunj area attacked Serb People's Council president Milorad Pupovac, who was delivering a speech, and a woman urinated on a monument to victims of fascism. (hina) ha mm