SERB RETURNEES GREETED BY WARTIME ARMY OF BiH FLAGS AND CROSSED CYRILLIC SIGNS

BELGRADE, JULY 26 /SRNA/ – Serb returnees and displaced persons traveling to a traditional gathering in Krsno Polje near Maglaj were greeted by wartime flags of the so-called Army of BiH and crossed Cyrillic road signs as they passed through Bosniak villages, one of the gathering's participants, theologian Nebojša Lazić, told SRNA.

Lazić said the road leading to the Serb villages passes through Bosniak-populated settlements, where all signs written in the Cyrillic script had been crossed out, while wartime flags of the so-called Army of BiH had been hung from streetlight poles. "Under that flag, Serb villages in this area were devastated in 1995," said Lazić, who is originally from the region. He said that yesterday's gathering "Krsno Polje – Bakotić – Bočinja – Dolac" was intended to allow displaced people originally from the area to express solidarity with the small number of Serb returnees who are facing pressure. Lazić added that the holiday season provides an opportunity for many diaspora members to remember their abandoned homes, but warned that Serb-owned property is being sold cheep. Addressing the participants, Lazić said that a person's homeland is unique, priceless, and that no one can truly flourish when cut off from their roots. "We saw that in the 1990s. To preserve our families, our patron saint celebrations, and our homes, our loved ones gave their lives," Lazić stressed. Unfortunately, Lazić says, some people are selling their property at extremely low prices, not so much because of severe hardship as because they have become disconnected from their homeland. "We are a people with generous hearts. From Gornji Ulišnjak to Mećevići, no matter whose house you stop at, the hosts offer their guests everything they have, showing who we are and what we stand for," Lazić said. The Krsno Polje – Bakotić – Bočinja – Dolac gathering brought together Serb returnees and displaced persons from the area.