Page 894 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

Metropolitan amfilohije (Radović)
Serbian victims killed by Albanian extremists in Metohija
forms of pressure have brought unprecedented turmoil and fear among the Serbs Villages and towns, where the Serbs are in the minority, have become the most insecure points on earth, the Serbs are being killed anywhere: at work, on the street, in supermarkets, in the fields, having become “rare beasts” for killing and brutalisation of terrorists, both for those from Albania as well as for those from Kosovo and Metohija The mutilation of a married couple in Sofalija, of four people in Slivovo, of six in Obilić, of five in Nerodimlje, the murder of Dragan Branković in Priština, and dozens of other murders, are an obvious example of lawlessness, vio- lence and terror The abduction of more than 150 Serbs and members of other ethnic communities, the expulsion from work and other forms of abuse, have created in Kosovo and Metohija indescribable fear and the feeling of complete hope- lessness The Serbs are not allowed to stay even in their own apartments and houses They are expelled from there by the members of what is known as UÇK who threaten to slit their throats They are also expelled from their companies and institutions, while being an open target on the street
Honorable Gentlemen, during the bombing of Kosovo and Metohija about 70 000 Serbs were displaced After that, the people welcomed your peace mission with trepidation and caution, believing that they would not be protected by
thosewhohavebombedthem Yetthefirstcontactsandstate- ments given by you and your officers, as well as some practi- cal moves by some, have broken this caution and the Kosovo Serbs accepted you as their only protectors and guardians ofpeaceandpeacemakers Theyofferedyouahandofcoop- eration and trust Some displaced Serbs, meanwhile, have returned to their homes But many examples of obviously unacceptable behavior of some of your members and their collaboration with the Albanian extremists and separat- ists, as well as the slow and late securement of vital infra- structure systems, make us suspicious again The suspicion is especially cuased by Albanian translators, who incor- rectly translate the statements of Serbs and distort the pic- ture of the situation
Numerous examples show that much of this has hap- pened according to someone’s scenario, so that the Serbian leaders and workers appear incapable in businesses and institutions , so that the help of the Albanians is sought A goal of the Albanians is to forcibly enter these institutions, with no rules, irregularly, and then persecute Serbian work- ers ThemostdrasticexampleistheMedicalCenterinPriš- tina, the Albanians forcibly seized and expelled the Serbian physicians and other medical personnel Thus, the Serbs have nowhere to seek medical treatments and health care The international factors, especially NATO and the UN Se- curity Council, together with the Yugoslav party, have par- tially contributed to all this, because they have not provided a mechanism of protection and rules of conduct from the beginning of the civil administration in these areas Now these “rules” are dictated by the leaders and members of the so-called “KLA” On the political scene there are not even any Albanian parties and people of authority to channel the flow of behavior and stabilization of the situation The Serbs do not have almost a single institution now They have been deprived of everything by force in just several days They are in chaos and despair They do not have any choice They are in agony The Serbs can not remain in Kosovo and according to the present state, neither do they see the pros- pect of living in these regions, nor do they not want to leave
If this state of anarchy continues, the only choice for them is to organize themselves, to lock themselves in their ghettos, as the Indians once did in their reserves, and to wait for the judgment day Because there are no more Serbs in Prizren, Djakovica, Peć, Istok, Klina, Uroševac, and very few of them have remained in Priština, Gnjilane and some other places where their concentration was highest The Serbian holy sites are endangered; the life of the Serbian Orthodox priests and monks in the monasteries and churches has been threat- ened The monasteries of the Holy Trinity in Mušutište, St Mark in Koriša, have been burned down, already looted Devič Monastery has been demolished, the church in Zoči- šte have been demolished, as well as St Peter and Paul in Suva Reka, the church in Vučitrn and other places through- out Kosovo and Metohija, while several monks and priests have been kidnapped Our reliable sources indicate that
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