17th anniversary of operation Bljesak marked
02. May 2012. | 05:52
Source: Emg.rs, Tanjug
Serbia and Republika Srpska Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of the Croatian military-police operation Bljesak (Flash), which, according to the documentation-information center Veritas, left 283 Serbs from western Slavonia killed, including 57 women and nine children, while over 15,000 left their homes.
Serbia and Republika Srpska Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of the Croatian military-police operation Bljesak (Flash), which, according to the documentation-information center Veritas, left 283 Serbs from western Slavonia killed, including 57 women and nine children, while over 15,000 left their homes.
A central event on the occasion of the anniversary was also held in Okucani, Croatia, in the presence of high officials, but nothing was said about the exodus of Serbs nor the crimes the Croatian forces committed against Serbs.
A memorial service for the Serb victims was held in Belgrade's St. Marko's Church and wreaths and candles were laid at the memorial plaque to Serb victims of recent wars in the vicinity of the church.
The greatest number of Serbs exiled during the operation now lives in Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia-Herzegovina. They gathered on the 'Bridge of Salvation' in Gradiska and threw flowers in the Sava River, which they do on every May 1. A memorial service was conducted in the town's Church of the Holy Mother of God.
President of RS Milorad Dodik stated in Gradiska that no one has been held accountable for the murders of Serb civilians from western Slavonia, and called on all institutions in charge to find and prosecute those who committed and ordered the crimes.
Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Sprem, who attended the marking of the anniversary in Okucani, said that " the operations Bljesak, and Oluja (Storm), and the reintegration of Croatia's Danube region are the backbone of the current Croatian state," adding that the operation Bljesak was "the turning point of the Homeland War."
During the 36-hour operation, which took place on May 1-2, 1995, at least 15,000 Serbs were exiled from western Slavonia, which was a part of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. At the time, the area was protected by the United Nations and dubbed Sector West.
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