NEWS that Radovan Karadzic was arrested would not bring enough cheer to the Bosnian Muslims who had suffered the atrocities during the Bosnian Serbs 'ethnic cleansing' of the mid-90s. It will be months, maybe even years, before Karadzic can be sentenced for the genocide he had sponsored.
Reports that Bosnian Muslims were in jubilation in the street of Sarajevo would not wash away the pain, agony and trauma that they had suffered when Karadzic's forces were killing away mercilessly in many parts of the country.
Memories of the massacres in Srebrenica, Gorazde, Tuzla and Mostar are still clear and fresh in the minds of the families and friends of the victims. They wouldn't believe that justice is served until Karadzic is removed from the face of the earth.
I was in Sarajevo last year, attending a seminar on how best to help rebuild Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country rich in history with plenty of beautiful tourist sites. I took a ride to Mostar and saw buildings pockmarked with bullets and gaping holes left by cannons and heavy artillery fire.
Way back in the 90s, I was with an NGO called Barisan Bertindak Bosnia (BBB) which took on months of public campaign to create awareness of the plight of the Bosnians and the humanitarian struggle faced by the peoples of what was once a country called Yugoslavia.
We initiated a campaign called the Save Bosnia Campaign and urged everyone to donate RM1 each to a fund meant to ease the sufferings of the people there. In the end, Malaysians donated more than RM5 million which were handed to the Bosnian leaders at the United Nations.
We held rallies at the Merdeka Stadium; held a karyawan concert at the Shah Alam Stadium; undertook roadshows throughout the country; hyped the ethnic cleansing in the newspapers; and made everyone realised how fortunate we were living in a plural society. In fact, the rallies were for the Bosnians as much as for us Malaysians.
The hunt continues for Ratko Mladic, another military chief who has been indicted for war crimes. Mladic has been at large and attempts are still being made to track him down. He must be made to pay for his sins.
I'm reminded of two grafitti on the walls of a factory in Srebrenica. They are:
'i'm your best friend
i will kill you for nothing...'
Bosnie '94
'killing is my business
and business in good...'
the frogman
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7 comments:
Praise the Lord indeed. And hope the other perpetrator gets hunt down soon. We are very lucky indeed. These inhumane massacre, like that of Indonesia too, must be taken as a warning to us, to not take for granted the unity and peace we have. And not let our sentiments be fanned by politicians who always have their own agenda.
untuk sebuah nama
mereka berlari-lari
berteriak dan berlari lagi
menari-nari
dan menjeritkan kebebasan
keadilan telah menjelma
kebahagiaan ini benar-benar bermakna
jauh di sebuah rumah kecil
si ibu berdoa mengangkat syukur
dengan mata yang basah
anak dan suaminya tidak menatap ini semua
anak dan suaminya mangsa sebuah tirani puaka
namun, tuhan melihat segenap doa
jalan-jalan di sarajevo bingit oleh suara gembira
cukup lama dan cukup menderita
untuk tiba ke saat ini
dan detik itu tiba
untuk menguntum senyum bahagia
segalanya masih belum berakhir
bangunan lompong oleh ledak peluru
kuburan yang sepi
orang-orang yang sudah tiada
ketakutan persis belum berakhir
pilu dan dukalara tak mudah
dimakan masa
jalan-jalan di sarajevo
merasa hangat dan segar kebebasan
peritnya sebuah kejahatan
pabila manusia hatinya binatang
segalanya terbuang hilang
barangkali amat sukar pula
untuk melupakan
sebuah nama
antara yang berani memagar kebengisan
menanam benih keyakinan
menghulur ranting simpati
di jalan-jalan suram sarajevo
suatu ketika dulu
tiada lain sebuah nama itu
jauh di hujung benua
diam dan memerhati
riang dan bahagia
di jalan-jalan sarajevo
namanya seorang mahathir
Singapura dapat kawasan perairan lagi (nak claim kawasan lebih besar)...
betul...
si bangang rais yatim patut naik gunung lepas tu terjun..
Apa ke jadah win-win situation
I agree with Mr. Taliq...We are very lucky..btw, Happy Belated Birthday..Wish you many happy returns...
Suggestion: Post some pictures too like on rocky's bru. A picture = a thousand words kan?
Mohd. Ramesh
Mohd Ramesh,
TQ for suggestion, Tengah belajar ni...!
Salam,
Saya berada di sana pada bulan Julai tahun lepas. Sempat bermalam di Srebrenica. Semasa berada disana, saya merasakan kehadiran kami tidak disenangi. Perkara yang sama turut dirasai apabila berada di wilayah Rep.Srpska. Walau bagaimanapun pengalaman berada di sana, bertemu beberapa individu 'penting' serta tapak perkuburan beramai-ramai adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat dilupakan.
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