OSIJEK, April 13 (Hina) - Croatian Homeland War veterans from the eastern Croatian town of Beli Manastir have requested the replacement of the local police superintendent, dissatisfied with his actions after a group of Serbs had
beaten up a group of Croat returnee children. The volunteers on Tuesday sent a letter to Interior Minister Ivan Penic and Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Branimir Glavas regarding a "serious incident" which happened on April 9. The volunteers said that part of Serbs, who at the beginning of peaceful reintegration of the Danube River region had left Croatia, because they did not want to accept it as their homeland, were now returning from Yugoslavia because of the ongoing mobilisation. After the fight, which the volunteers claim to have been provoked by a group of "returnees from Serbia" around 11 pm on April 9, and in which the attackers used laths, Romano Majcenic and Boris Str
OSIJEK, April 13 (Hina) - Croatian Homeland War veterans from the
eastern Croatian town of Beli Manastir have requested the
replacement of the local police superintendent, dissatisfied with
his actions after a group of Serbs had beaten up a group of Croat
returnee children.
The volunteers on Tuesday sent a letter to Interior Minister Ivan
Penic and Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Branimir Glavas regarding
a "serious incident" which happened on April 9.
The volunteers said that part of Serbs, who at the beginning of
peaceful reintegration of the Danube River region had left Croatia,
because they did not want to accept it as their homeland, were now
returning from Yugoslavia because of the ongoing mobilisation.
After the fight, which the volunteers claim to have been provoked by
a group of "returnees from Serbia" around 11 pm on April 9, and in
which the attackers used laths, Romano Majcenic and Boris Strak had
to be taken to Osijek hospital.
The volunteers especially protested against the behaviour of
police, who, they said, took Majcenic from Beli Manastir health
station while he was being given medical help, and interrogated him
for two hours at the police station.
The heavily beaten-up Majcenic should have been given medical help
immediately, because he "is now in the intensive care unit with very
serious injuries to his head and it is uncertain what consequences
it will have for his health", the letter said.
Boris Strak was in the meantime released from hospital, the letter
said.
The volunteers requested Interior Minister Ivan Penic to suspend
the commander of the Beli Manastir police station, Branko Gacesa,
because apart from ordering Majcenic's interrogation in the police
station, he also allowed the perpetrators to leave Croatia via the
Batina bridge (a bridge on the Danube River linking Croatia and
Yugoslavia).
"This is not the first time Gacesa is acting in a manner which is
detrimental to Croat returnees, and on several previous occasions
he ordered police to evict Croat returnees who had returned to their
homes".
The volunteers asked Penic to do all he can to prevent the arrival of
extremists in the area of Beli Manastir and to suspend police
superintendent Gacesa, otherwise they would organise civil
protection on their own, and block the bridge and the police
station.
Osijek-Baranja County police said they would issue a statement once
all the circumstances of the incident have been investigated.
The county association of returnees on Monday held a session in
Osijek, at which it discussed the return of Serbs to Croatia due to
NATO attacks on Yugoslavia. The association's president and Beli
Manastir deputy mayor Josip Kompanovic said one should "increase
control of who is coming to Croatia and with what intentions".
(hina) jn rml