EXHUMATION OF SERB-AGGRESSION VICTIMS IN CROATIA CONTINUES

PETRINJA, June 19 (Hina) - The exhumation and identification of victims of Serb occupation in Croatia began in some 20 villages around Petrinja, about 50 km to the southeast of Zagreb, on Wednesday. Taking part in the exhumation are experts of the Croatian Ministries of Defense, Justice, the Interior and Health and representatives of the Red Cross and international monitors. Also present are the closest relatives of elder Croat civilians, killed in their yards and gardens in the villages of Taboriste, Hrastovica, Cepeliste, Graberje and in the town of Petrinja in the summer and autumn of 1991. The exhumation and identification are led by the Croatian government's Commission for Imprisoned and Missing Persons headed by its president, Major Ivan Grujic. Grujic said that 350 victims had been identified so far as well as graves of about a 1,000 people. "Today and tomorrow we'll be exhuming the remains of Croats in single graves, but it must be known that every village is a mass grave with at least 10 to 20 elder persons", Grujic said. (hina) ha jn 191430 MET jun 96