Only a Captive

Most of them expressed their "satisfaction" about having escaped with their lives by seeking refuge on the Bosnian Serb territory. The military authorities of the Serb Republic in Bosnia put them up in Manjaca and seem satisfied as well. More than a year ago Manjaca made the headlines worldwide as a "concentration camp, where civilians are subjected to torture." Nowadays most world agencies describe Manjaca as a reception center for Croat captives, with occasional references to "Serbian generosity." This represents yet another proof that the fortunes of the Bosnian war change quickly, while all loves and alliances can only be used once.

Apart from commending their saviors, the captured soldiers of the HVO carp at Croatian television (HTV) and its propaganda, which has for years now "put across the image of Serbs as Chetnicks with knives between their teeth, and as greasy and bearded villains." "We are convinced now that it isn't true," Mato Ivisic (41) from the village of Margetic said, and, added, "We are grateful to them for helping us." Ivisic also rejected the claims by some officers from Manjaca that "Croat soldiers are bad fighters and that they have surrendered much too easily." "We are not bad soldiers, but there were ten Muslims on one Croat," added Dragutin Kastel from the village of Torine in the vicinity of Novi Travnik. "We simply didn't stand a chance against them. We mostly fought against their refugees, who had been promised to return to Jajce if they won. They killed everybody they captured. But, our authorities are also to be blamed for all this. The Muslims would get arms through Croatia. They've become stronger and turned against us." Dragutin Kastel claims that he had to leave behind his wife and children as well as a big farm back in Torine. "Most of these people here have lost everything they've got. We come from a wealthy area, we used to be well off. Take a look at this now! Most of us spent years working in Austria and Germany. There was not a single household without a truck or some kind of machinery equipment. All of that is either destroyed now or left to them."

The military authorities of the Bosnian Serb Army are checking now whether any of 470 captive HVO soldiers are on the list of potential war criminals. The negotiations with the HVO Command are also underway. The Serb side has stressed that it is up to the HVO Command to make a final decision as to what will happen with captured soldiers. A previous group of captured HVO soldiers has already been sent to the front, at request of their Command. In the whole deal, the Serb side appears as an executioner of "good services". Namely, the prisoners' accommodation as well as their transport to the front lines is free of charge. The weapons will wait for them there, and everything will begin all over again.

"We'd prefer to be sent somewhere to Croatia or Herzegovina," Stojan Sekic (44) from village Pecine said. "We are fed up with war. After everything they've seen in this fighting, not to many people will be capable of taking up arms once again. But, I'm afraid that all of us will be sent to the front, against our will. No one bothers to ask you, when you are a captive."

"If we have to go back and fight against the Muslims, then they should send us someplace where we have a chance at least, where we can be equal, rather than being killed like flies," Drago Brkan (33) from the village of Kasapovici added to the story.