Letter to the President of the Town Council, Banja Luka, Mr P. Radic (Prot. no: 390/95 dated 29 May 1995)

WHERE ARE MY FORCEFULLY ABDUCTED FAITHFUL?

Most respected President!
Following my report to you on 27 May 1995, which I forwarded by phone in the early afternoon hours, regarding the forceful deportation of peaceful, innocent and unprotected fellow citizens, Croat Catholics, from the Sargovac area and that a similar action was intended toward the panic stricken suburbs of Prijecani and Vujnovici, in Zaluzani, you told me that “these inhumane actions are in no way supported by the official authorities”. You assured me that you would do everything in your power to stop this form of violent self-will and oppression against the Catholics in the Banja Luka region and that you would keep me “informed of the developing situation”, so that we could relay the true facts to those panic stricken citizens who have been coming to me for help in an effort to calm the entire situation.

I immediately informed the President of the RS, Dr R. Karadzic about the beginning of the latest wave of deportations of Catholic Croats from the Banja Luka region as well as threats that “everyone would have to leave this region, in the next few days”. I requested him to “undertake all he could so that the situation would not end in bloodshed” and to “prevent any further self-willed inhumane behaviour against innocent and unprotected civilians” so that in keeping with the assurances he offered me, my people would be protected against direct threats and oppression.

In a phone conversation with an official in the Interior Ministry in Pale, Mr Arsenije, I was once again assured of the official stance of the ministry that on the basis of my memo “an order has already been issued to the Banja Luka police that the Croatian people and their property be additionally protected against any threats by self-willed armed individuals and gangs” and that “this issue would once again be attended to with immediate orders to be issued to the police in Banja Luka”.

All our efforts both yesterday and today to establish contact with you or for that matter with any official person in our municipality have been futile! We still have no information regarding the people who were forcefully taken away (more than 50!) amongst whom were almost twenty children, as well as the elderly and ill. Their relatives and loved ones are understandably in a state of panic and are coming to us seeking assistance and protection for these abducted people and for themselves because they too are the target of harassment and armed threats by self-willed gangs. These gangs are unknown to the locals - newcomers, who it appears are running around freely “in keeping with instructions issued by local community officials in Sargovac, Zaluzani and Budzak”, and are running amuck abusing the completely unprotected Catholic Croats - the indigenous population in Sargovac, Vujnovici, Novakovici, Kuljani, Zaluzani, Dervisi, Prijecani, Budzak, Kumsale, Debeljaci, Presnace, Ramici and Dragocaj.

I therefore ask that officially you or any other more competent person issue a statement to the public and emit it via the radio and TV issuing direct and clear instructions regarding the status of Catholic Croats. Higher officials in the RS state one thing, while official bodies of the local community do completely the opposite!

Someone, and you certainly, must know why the continuance of such violence against the Catholics of this municipality is being tolerated if “the authorities are not behind all this”? Where are my faithful who were abducted two days ago and the large group of men from the villages of Debeljaci and Presnace who were also taken “off to whereabouts unknown” four days ago? I demand that you at least inform their relatives who are constantly coming to us seeking assistance. You promised me a reply and I am still waiting for it, so that I can accordingly forward it to those coming to me because they cannot obviously even think of arranging an appointment with you or for that matter with anyone in authority.

I once again ask you to prevent the evil against these blameless, peaceful fellow citizens before this evil becomes even worse! Leave us alone when you are quite sure that we have not done anything to anyone and that we are continuing to live peacefully here where our ancient hearths exist! Find a way to effectively protect us as people, as has in fact been promised and ordered “from those higher up”!

Respectfully yours!

Dr. Franjo Komarica,
Bishop of Banja Luka

c.c.
President of the RS, Dr R. Karadzic - Sarajevo (Pale)
Papal Nunciature - Sarajevo (Rome)
Secretariat of the BC B-H - Sarajevo

Next: WE ARE CONFUSED BY THE FACT THAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE ALLOWING THESE CRIMES AGAINST BLAMELESS CITIZENS