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Yugoslavia: Readers react
They say the Internet makes the whole world an electronic community. That may be a little utopian, but with the outbreak of the war in Yugoslavia, the Net assumes a more down-to-earth function - facilitating a worldwide screaming match. It also gives us a chance to hear reasoned arguments, passionate pleas, and cries for help.
Read on for the latest batch of letters regarding the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, which began March 24. (Future letter writers, please note: if you want your e-mail address included when we print your letter, let us know.) WAR LETTERS Serb appeals to Russian 'brothers' for help Orthodox Christians should oppose genocide See you on the field of blood, Russia Stand up to the Hitler in the Balkans New superpower needed to counter U.S. Don't follow general into battle Not everyone in U.K. supports bombing US secret torture plan as bad as Hitler, Stalin Check out our anti-war petition MORE LETTERS Cat pee? Vermin? Toilet elevators? Iiick Japanese investment should pick up Rotarians miss the Sakhalin page |
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Serb appeals to Russian 'brothers'
Dear Orthodox "brothers":
I'm writing from Serbia, Yugoslavia. Remember where Serbia is? It is the only country west of Russia where Russian planes can land, where Russian people are welcome, where people baptize their children in the same way as Russians, where people understand your problems ... where people are dying from the same enemy as yours.
"The same enemy?" you might ask. You think the United States is not your enemy any more? In Serbia we often use the proverb, "Stay alive and you will see [zivi bili, pa videli]." For the USA, Yugoslavia is only a first step before taking over Russia. There is no money (of course from IMF) that will save Russia; they want your oil, ore and minerals. USA and NATO determined your destiny long ago. It is over? If you are sitting and watching, yes it is. Are you aware that the USA is still very afraid of you? They attacked Yugoslavia to see your response. And what is your response? I have seen almost nothing.
You can sell your industry, oil, gas, and ore. Maybe your government can sell all Russians for power. But is there any good reason that you should sell your soul?
Dragan Markanovic Zrenjanin Orthodox Christians should oppose genocide
I was particularly taken by your article, specifically the comments attributed to Bishop Veniamin, Bishop of Vladivostok and Primorye, of the Russian Orthodox Church. I am a Russian Orthodox Christian living in Alaska. I was taken by the Bishop's comments that the "sinful and felonious" actions of NATO must be stopped.
Certainly, these comments are made in support of the Serbian Orthodox Christians. However, when you see the acts of genocide committed against the Kosovo Albanians by Orthodox Christian Thugs, what is the Bishop trying to say? It is all right to murder Muslims? It is never all right to murder anyone. The bishop should be using all his influence to peacefully convince the Serbian Church to settle this activity. In this season of Easter, perhaps the bishop can convince President Milosevic to remember the words of Jesus Christ and his teachings.
Rather than condemning NATO, let's all condemn the murder of innocents, no matter their culture and religion. Let us all pray for peace. As a man of God, the bishop must preach love with understanding for all of God's creation. The bishop must work with his fellow hierarchy in Yugoslavia to find a way to influence the government to come to the table to negotiate a settlement.
Pat Pletnikoff Dear editor: Drop dead
To Russell Working: I hate you and all your nation. I want to kill you. Stop bombard [sic] people! Yankee, go home!
Sergey See you on the field of blood, Russia
We can never be brothers. Join whatever you wish, because if the Russian people want war with us Americans, we can do that. Russia and the United States were natural enemies during the so-called Cold War and are now. Our countries have always wanted to fight each other and I think the time is here and that we should just declare war as of today. As the old saying goes, can't get along, get it on. You tell all the horror stories you want, we will make you the horror story. Just because we have an idiot for a president don't think were not right. See you on the field of blood.
Tim Prince NATO fights genocide
This letter is in regards to the recent bombings by NATO in Yugoslavia. I am an American and I am curious as to whether or not the Russian people are hearing the same reports that we Americans are hearing on the situation in Yugoslavia. Basically, we are being told that Yugoslavians are killing Albanians just for being Albanian. Mass genocide much like Hitler demonstrated in World War II.
Today is the third day of NATO bombings in Yugoslavia and now we are being told that towns are being burned and ethnic killing of men, women, and children have further escalated in response to the bombings. If this evidence is true, then I must agree that some form of control has to be taken if we value human rights as a people.
Today we are also reading reports of Russian people enlisting in the Yugoslavian army and preparing to fight against NATO. This tells me that either these people agree with the ethnic killing of innocent people or they are totally uninformed of the actual situation in Yugoslavia.
All indications suggest that the Russian people do not support the recent actions taken by NATO. It is true that Yugoslavia is like a brother to Russia but sometimes brothers can act bad and they must be punished for their behavior. I fear that if the situation in Yugoslavia doesn't get better soon, this problem may escalate into something much larger.
Russia is a great country and in the past few years it seems that U.S. and Russian ties and have strengthened considerably and with that each has garnered more and more respect for the other. However, this situation in Yugoslavia seriously threatens all of the framework that has been built over the past few years and this is very sad.
I look forward to hearing some feedback on these comments and gaining a better understanding of just how the Russian people are reacting to this serious situation in Yugoslavia.
Ed Jones Serb begs Russia for help
Is there any chance that Russian army will protect us before everything in our country is destroyed? What's happening with you? You will see the same thing in your country.
Predrag Tanasic Stand up to the Hitler in the Balkans
I understand your feelings about having foreign soldiers in Europe so close to your homeland. However I think the Soviet people should think of only one thing, and that is World War II. I fortunately have never had to face anything like your brave people had to face, and I am very humbled to even think of the terror your country faced against the Nazi's. But that is what Milosevic is trying to do in Yugoslavia. Ethnic cleansing. No other word.
As in World War II with the Jews in Germany, he is trying the same exact thing. If it does not stop, you will have another war again, absolutely and positively, because NATO will not stand for it. And then you will have soldiers on your land, and God only knows what would happen then.
Let us hope people come to their senses, although I am afraid that will only happen when Milosevic is dead. For 10 years the world stood and watched him doing these things, and now finally something is being done.
Timothy M. Antosy New superpower needed to counter U.S.
The new world order of the United States is a dangerous one, which I think with its goal is to dominate the world and eventually becoming a world dictator. We the people of the world need another superpower not aligned to the west to neutralize the United States and maintain a balance of power which will more lead to world peace than the situation now, wherein the U.S. can attack any weak country with impunity.
Russia and China should accelerate its modernization both economic and military to counter the U.S. and NATO for their further abuses and military adventurism. Russia should start uniting its former republics and federation and maintain a healthy diplomatic, economic and military relations and alliance including China to counter the New World Disorder of the United States, and you should move fast. Russia and China should also develop economic and military relations to other non aligned nations as a source for economic trade with India, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Iraq, Cuba, Vietnam and other countries. This is the best strategy.
Tomas Lasam Serb atrocities are real
I read the Vladivostok News every week, and recommend it to others. It is a time of troubles in Russia and I do not like to hear about people out in the cold. My job in the defense industry was canceled when the cold war ended, and I and my comrades who have been let go prefer this to any other of the alternatives of that time.
The Russian response to NATO's attacks on Kosovo and Serbia was understandable. Here in the west, new services from around the world were putting images on television of Kosovo Albanians coming out of Kosovo in thin shirts and pants in the falling snow. There were old women and children, and you could see the agony they were undergoing as they walked away from their homes and all the possessions they had.
Refugees fleeing Kosovo were bringing horrible stories out with them telling of Milosevic's forces separating the teachers and intelligentsia in the villages and of taking them out to a ditch and shooting them in the back of the head. Muslim and Serbian men who resisted being sent out of the country have been killed and photographs coming out of the country indicate much, much more has happened than the refugees have told us.
Arial photographs have spotted significant killing fields, verifying some of the stories the refugees have brought out. Arial photography has brought indications there are killing fields no one knew about. NATO is convinced now, the stories the refugees have been telling them are correct, whereas before, they were not sure. Milosevic and his thugs are now killing in haste, and are hoping they won't be caught.
Foreign journalists have been thrown out of Serbia. Not only the journalists from the West, but representatives of the press from India, South America and Africa are reporting on this. Verifying Serbian claims is impossible when the press cannot speak to anyone, and believe me, in the West there are hundreds of journalists who would risk their necks to prove Milosevic correct. If those guys are not allowed in, or allowed to investigate, I believe Milosevic is a new Hitler for the world, and he should be stopped immediately.
It distresses me to see the Russian press suggesting the Russian people believe NATO is going to invade Russia. In fact, the world knows Russia is having difficult times, and they expect Russia to have more hard times. But that won't be forever. Anyone who harmed Russia at this point in time would be facing a world that would be completely intolerant of such a thing. NATO would never invade Russia even of one of the member countries suggested such a thing.
There is a truth in this world, and it a strong and good truth. If Russia can get through these difficult times, she is going to be a world leader on down the road, and perhaps the best to be. But more importantly, if Russia is prosperous and secure, there is a strong chance the world will be prosperous and secure, and that is a idea worth working for.
Joel E. Wischkaemper Don't follow general into battle
I would like to caution the Russian people against listening to rebel generals like three-star Russian general Victor Chechevatov, commander of ground forces in the Russian Far East. He claims the he is ready to take his soldiers from the eastern front to the western front, and declare "This is the beginning of World War III." Please do not listen to him, and do not obey the orders of General Chechevatov.
Rupak Chandra Gogol Not everyone in U.K. supports bombing
Today in the United Kingdom there is a significant group of individuals opposed to NATO's strategy of destroying Yugoslavia. In Scotland, the Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond has publicly stated, on national television, his opposition to the campaign of terror being inflicted on the Belgrade government. Many here in Scotland are vehemently opposed to this strategy. We have always maintained strong links with Russia and the Serbs. What NATO is doing is flouting all international law to enforce its position on Belgrade. The risks of destabilizing post Cold War geopolitical structures are there for all to see. A political solution must be found if disaster is to be averted.
Scots Opposed to NATO Bombardment US secret torture plan as bad as Hitler, Stalin "M-K-ULTRA" is a secret program of torture of U.S. (and other) citizens started in the 1950s and continuing to this day. Horrible child abuse has been a part of this. Since only a few hundred involuntary test subjects are used, the U.S. government keeps this quiet by just denying it is going on. The purpose of this "testing" is to develop psychological warfare weapons and tactics.
The Yugoslavian government should take every possible opportunity, especially when in public, on TV, to shout back "WHAT ABOUT M-K-ULTRA?" again and again and again. The Americans are just as guilty of atrocities as Hitler and Stalin - and they should be reminded of this as often as possible.
Those citizens who have been involuntarily tortured under M-K-ULTRA will bless the Yugoslavian government for doing this. Detailed info available on these two sites:
http://www.nas.net/~raven1
Eleanor White Check out our anti-war petition
I have started an international petition against the war in Yugoslavia,
in collaboration with www.beograd.com. The petition text may be found at http://homepages.infoseek.com/~airportsynagogue/Petition.htm. There is also a link to it at www.beograd.com site. It would be nice if you could put a link to it in your paper, and suggest other papers I can address.
M. Pasternak Cat pee? Vermin? Elevator toilets? Iiick
I'm confused. I recently clicked on your lifestyle page, expecting to find something light and frothy to perk me up, like the lattes and cappuccinos I enjoy with my morning paper. Maybe a little fashion from the Far East. Perhaps the latest in Nouveau Primorye cuisine, local water sports, or something like that.
Instead, I am totally grossed out and bewildered by your stories about cats and other filthy vermin, rotting food, the French diplomatic corps' party at a seedy short-time hotel, and "The Gentleman Who Keeps Urinating in the Lift!"
Did I miss something?
J. El Germen Japanese investment should pick up
Your Web site is excellent. It seems that a lot of exciting things are in store for the Russian Far East. I am especially anticipating more activity between Russia and Japan in this area. Once the Japanese economy starts to get better (as it already seems to be doing), I think that Japanese investors will look to this area to spend their money. How can I find out more about this?
Ayako Tanabe Rotarians miss the Sakhalin page
I have been reading your web page since May, 1998. That is when I was selected to be a part of a team of Rotarians to Far East Russia. We are from Southern Arizona, and our trip was September 2-21, 1998. We were hosted by Russian Rotarians in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, Nakhodka and Khabarovsk. I have continued to read your news since I made many friends in those cities and wanted to keep up on their situation. I am in touch with many of my new friends by e-mail, but you know they do not like to tell much about their difficulties.
Where is the Sakhalin page? Is it only missing in the April 2 edition or have you dropped it? It was one of my favorite areas. The Front Page, News and News in Brief are my other favorites.
For your information, five Rotarians from the cities that we visited in Russia are now in Anchorage, Alaska, for orientation for a four-week visit to our area. They will be returning home May 11. Ali Yakhiev and Olga Topchiy are from Vladivostok. We also have twin girls from Vladivostok in our area as Exchange students, Daria and Alexandra Klokova.
Our trip is called a Group Study Exchange a program of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. You can get more facts about it from the web page www.rotary.org.
Val and Denny Scanlan Hello from across the Pacific
Since both Vancouver, British Columbia, and Vladivostok advertise ourselves as gateways let's compare. Both of us have beautiful natural harbors. Both have fishing fleets at anchor. Both of us are cosmopolitan cities that enjoy seafaring visitors from all over the world. We are both the terminus of trans-continental trains which link us to our capital cities of Moscow and Ottawa. We share mountains and plains to the east (us) or west (you) beyond our city borders. And we are all good people, right? I was in Vladivostok last June before boarding Rosier 2 to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal - for no other reason than love of travel and wanting to say I had swum in the deepest lake in the world. (I only had time to dip my toes in the water but met Michael, a fresh-water seal.)
We were delighted to find that your Moscow to Vladivostok train is very environmentally correct being electrified all the way. My daughter and I shared a cabin with two strange males. Sasha got rolling drunk on vodka every night and kept falling out of the upper bunk unless we pushed an arm or leg back up. The man above me showed his friendship by offering us a very dead dried fish to which we smiled and said, "Nyet, spaciba" - being two thirds of our Russian vocabulary. (We said "da" also.) He shrugged and returned the fish to his suitcase of clothes. It was a wonderful experience, we really loved the women selling food on the platforms when the train stopped. When we told the story of buying milk that had gone straight from the cow into second-hand vodka bottles and then to us, our spoiled friends at home couldn't believe we didn't catch tuberculosis or foot-and-mouth disease. Non-travelers are very ignorant.
It was a trip of a lifetime. Everyone was nice, friendly and helpful and very adept at understanding sign language. It was the time of year when the wildflowers were in bloom in riotous colors out the train window. We marveled at the huge bird's nests built on the stanchions over the train. (Never did find out what kind of birds but the nests were big enough to house ostriches) If we had the money we would do it all over again but in the meantime we enjoy pictures and memories.
Russell Working, you are a brave man, and how you don't end up in the salt mines for what you say with a great deal of humor, I don't know. But I hope you can keep it up. How refreshing to read a journalist with a sense of humor who can actually take himself not so seriously.
When I was in school a hundred years ago - give or take a few - the names "Vladivostok" and "Kamchatka" rolled over my tongue like chocolate and now I've been there done that. My love to Vlad and its citizens.
Nadine Jones Call to Russian sambo fighters
I read your interesting article on "Female sambo wrestlers do battle" by Janina de Guzman on the following web site: http://vn.vladnews.ru/1998/iss171/text/news8.html
I created and maintain a web site for the Sambo Club of the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). Check it out at http://www.headrush.net/sambobc
I would appreciate any more information you can provide (including web sites) on sambo clubs or events. I would like to post more information and links of the Amazonka and other female, male, or mixed sambo clubs.
Luc C. Claes Africaperspective.com offers another view
We are impressed by your Web site. Africanperpsective.com is a online
All African newsweekly that brings news and analysis on political economic,
historic, and cultural events in Africa and elsewhere in the World. We have
hundreds of links on our web site, yours included. Please take a look at our
Web site. We would appreciate if you could list us as one of your links.
http://www.africanperspective.com
John Munoru
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