Deutschemarks Or Services In Bed

Bijeljina has not been devastated, thanks to the fact that Semberija does not border with Muslim-controlled territory. It is the most vibrant city in the entire Serb Republic - under war conditions, naturally. After noon the city is teeming with people and cars. Obituaries can be seen everywhere. The cafes are full. The facade of the Municipal building is getting a new paint job, the shopping center is being expanded. A children's train winding through the city center adds to the normality of the scene. The market, however, shows how far Bijeljina is removed from the reality of the rest of the Bosnian Serb Republic. It has everything!Smuggled goods fromBulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Macedonia and now Serbia compete with agricultural produce. A sackful of paprika costs only 10 dinars. The shops, craftsmen's shops, boutiques, cafes are full to overflowing...Journalists take four people to a square meter as a measure of density, this rule can be bent a little to accommodate the claim that there are four shops to every ten square meters in Bijeljina.

Serbia's blockade is being endured. The big dealers are a bit nervous over the arrival of monitors, even though the "civilians" working for them should not be overlooked - it is said that everything can be done for the right price. The latest hit among smugglers is the masking of tank trucks so that they look like ordinary trucks with tarpaulin.

Those who voice dissatisfaction with the blockade are angry with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and patriots who grew fat as guests of the Bosnian Serb Republic, where they swore brotherhood and love but are conspicuously absent now.

The Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) holds all power in the city. The Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and Party of Serb Unity (SSJ) led by Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan have their branches here. The SSJ offices would make Bokasa turn green with envy. All of the parties agree that "the most important thing is to retain the unity of the people and territory". This is why they carefully choose their words when speaking of one another. They will start speaking openly "in democratic procedure" when the time is ripe for this. The people agree. They are prepared to defend, to the bitter end, the lives they lead and those who pushed them into their present situation.

At the entrance to the Municipality building, a group of policemen sit in a cabin to the left, while the telephone operator is in another cabin on the right side. Bijeljina Government President Sveta Mihailovic has been appointed recently. He saysthat things function in the city, albeit under difficult conditions; that there is law and order and that the economy and public activities function. A higher percentage of the economy is working than in Serbia, thanks to agriculture and industries linked to it. There are no budget problems. Things could be better, but many of the over 3,000 registered owners of shops and firms evade some of the taxes. Mihailovic said that in conditions of war and a blockade the grey economy was unavoidable, but that efforts were being made at controlling all who had made money illegally. This was demanded by the fighters and the people and was therefore a task facing the authorities.

Mihailovic said that the first negative effects of the Serbian blockade were being felt: there was a shortage of certain goods, the prices were higher, and it was expected that this trend would continue. And Milosevic? - We all started with the slogan that we didn't want a border on the Drina River, and thanks to Milosevic it is one the tightest in Europe today, said former Prime Minister Kojic. Mihailovic, as Milosevic earlier, claims that the blockade is not directed against the leadership but against the people. He hopes that the people in Serbia will understand this...

What about crime? There is crime, said Mihailovic, but it is typical of a country in war: murder, looting,robberies. But not on an ethnic basis, because criminals do not choose their victims according to nationality. The crime rate is not such as to be alarming, concluded Mihailovic.

We come to the question of Muslims. The number, status and cases of people who have been expelled. There is no evidence how many Muslims remain, so we don't know how many of them there are, replied Mihailovic. He did concede that they were leaving. He believes that they do so for two reasons: because they feelinsecure, like the Serbs in Muslims enclaves, and because Serb refugees are trying to exchange property with them. This trend has grown in the past two months. Mihailovic says that there were probably some illegal deals in all this and that it is the responsibility of the authorities to keep them under control and to punish them. He adds that there were no murders or rape or more serious forms of abuse along these lines, or "at least we haven't been informed about them".

The position of the refugees is an unenviable one. Apart from using threats and guns, accommodation can only be found if one has German Marks or offers services in bed. Refugees are the most numerous population on the front lines. Raids are carried out to collect those who are fit for conscription and send them to the front lines. They complain that after this their wives are "turned into whores". In this respect, the locals have greater luck. As businessmen, i.e. men who have something, they contribute to the army in another way - with oil and food, and are then exempt from obligations.

We learned how the remaining Muslims were treated, even though Serb refugees don't have much compassion for them. They told us that those who take them away come for them at night. If they don't find them, then they come in broad daylight. "You're on the list". And that's it. They are taken away to be exchanged or to dig trenches on the front line. After that, it's the turn of Serb refugees. They move into Muslim houses and flats. But for this one must have war merit or else pay. This is why the Serb arrivals are more aggressive toward Muslims than the local inhabitants of Semberija. The latter even protect them - but only as long as they have cars, furniture, foreign currency, gold. When this runs out, the Muslims themselves wish to leave.

On returning we passed through Janja (Muslim village near Bijeljina whose inhabitants have expressed loyalty to the Serb authorities throughout the war). The streets are full of children and troops. Many have fought on the Serb side. A brigade from Majevica Mt. is in Janja today. Muslims ask "major" Vojkan Djurkovic to take them away. He and others like him fulfill their wish. On the way they are undressed "for hygienic reasons", so that the "majors" can check if they have sewn any valuables into their clothes. They are then taken to Tuzla. But Tuzla will not accept "traitors", so that they remain in no man's land, settling in abandoned settlements sandwiched between the two sides.

We are coming close to the Drina River. The border crossing is on Sepacki Bridge near Loznica. On the Serbian side a machine gun nest sits right next to the bridge. There is also a sign with "State Border" written on it which still hasn't been put up.