Monday, April 06, 2009
Slovenia's erased
European Voice has a nice article about Slovenia's "erased" (the people whose citizenship was taken when Slovenia became independent). According to the article aversion against the Balkans is an important issue in the Slovenian society. The effect is made worse by a wide gap in Slovenia between the big city and the countryside. Any action to improve the fate of the erased becomes a target of rightwing populists.
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3 comments:
Reading the article, more facts come out, such as some the "erased" being members of the Serbian army, which in 1991 tried to trash Slovenia. Surely these violent thugs should go home to Serbia rather than linger in Slovenia.
It is not unreasonable at all for Slovenia to remove from its register people like this who forsook Slovenia to join an enemy foreign army. These people belong in prison for life, if anything.
Nearly all those killed in the Slovenian "war" were members of the Yugoslav Army. It were the Slovenians who attacked. Only two Slovenians died.
And those people didn't forsake Slovenia. They were members of the Yugoslav army when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. And whatever you may think of the later behavior of this army - at the time Slovenia declared independence and pulled its "erased" trick the other conflicts still had to start and one could in no way describe these people as "violent thugs".
Your account "Nearly all those killed in the Slovenian "war" were members of the Yugoslav Army. It were the Slovenians who attacked. Only two Slovenians died." is incorrect.
There were 23 victims on Slovenian side, not just two.
http://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padli_v_vojni_za_Slovenijo
11 in teritoral defence
6 police
3 civilians
1 slovenian in Yugoslav army (friendly fire)
2 foreign journalists
As for "who attacked", it depends from case to case, it is not as black and white as you present it.
Obviusly, a country which declares independence needs to take control of its territory. And foreign forces, even the ex federal army, needs to leave. In the end, the retreat of Yugoslav army was negotiated, and it is hard to say, if armed clashes could be fully avoided.
We can be smart in the retrospect, but war did not start in 1991
As for the "erased", problem has been at least partly adressed by the Slovenian goverment in 2010.
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