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Croatian ID Cards to be Revoked from Serb Refugees Living in Bosnia

Many Serbs displaced from Croatia by war in the region in the early 1990s are now living in Republika Srpska (RS) in Bosnia.  This group of Serb refugees has recently received notice to give back their Croatian ID cards through direct contact with either Croatia or its consulate in Banja Luka.

This is a result of Croatia’s new Law on Residency recently coming into effect, which states that ID cards are not be held by – and therefore must be taken away from – individuals who do not reside at the address listed on the government document.  Revoking these ID cards poses greater issues for these Serb refugees: they lose their right to vote, as well as no longer have the right to reclaim their apartments, repair damaged property or receive compensation for the loss of their farmland.

According to news source B92, approximately 7,000 Serb refugees residing in RS are affected by this Croatian government decision.  What’s more interesting is the manner in which this is taking place: policemen in Croatia have been given the authority “to simply erase (from registers)” any individual discovered to not be living at the address listed on the government ID card.

Heading the Association of Serb Refugees from Krajina and Croatia, Petar Dzodan explains that the coalition of refugee associations in Serbia have sent a request to the Serbian government to sign a bilateral agreement with Croatia, in hopes of protecting refugee property rights.  He explained that Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina already have an agreement of this type, while Serb refugees remain defenseless.

Edin Dzeko Taking Over St.Louis

The BiH diamond aka Edin Dzeko is invading St.Louis today with his Manchester City teammates to play local EPL rivals Chelsea at Busch Stadium. This is a very big event for the St. Louis Bosnian community that has roughly 70,000 residents in and around the St.Louis area. Having been to St.Louis during the “Skup Bosnjaka Sjeverne Amerirke” a few years ago, we had the opportunity to see first hand how large and connected the Bosnian community truly is and today’s game featuring Edin Dzeko will be one for the ages for the local Bosnian community.

Tonight’s match is a friendly between two English Premier rivals with nothing at stake. The game kicks off at 7:30pm and will be featured live on ESPN2 and KMOX radio.

Even with all the hype within the Bosnian community, lady luck hasn’t been on everyone’s side in terms of getting tickets for the game. As reported by Affton Patch, Bayless High School grad and son of a Bosnian college soccer player, Fazlo Alihodzic said the hallways at his former school buzzed at the news of the Bosnian national soccer star Edin Dzeko coming to town with Manchester City. However, Faz has not been able to get tickets to the match yet, but is not giving up.

Not too long ago Fazlo was a 4-year soccer star at Bayless High School and he certainly doesn’t want to miss his chance to see the Bosnian national soccer team live in action. Next year he is taking his soccer talents to play for the University of Iowa on a soccer scholarship.

Either way, live or not, this soccer match will be an exciting one. Clearly it is evident that St. Louis soccer fans have been waiting a long time for a game like this. Chelsea flew to St. Louis on Monday. On Wednesday evening they held a public training session which drew over 10,000 fans. After tonight’s game, both teams will travel to New York, where they’ll play another friendly match at Yankee stadium.

Let’s just call this mini friendly series a best out of two. Go City!!

Photo Credit (UK Euro Sport)

Town of Trogir: Italian Roots Filled with Balkan History

A few weeks ago, a friend, who happens to be Canadian came back from a European backpacking trip. During our conversation and review of the trip, the town of Trogir came up. I’ve never been myself, but my parents have visited in their younger days and even they claim that it’s one of the most unique towns in all of the Balkans. Despite that much beauty exists in other Balkan countries such as Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Serbia, Croatia easily beats every other Balkan country in terms of tourism year in-year out.

There’s no question that Croatia is beautiful, especially it’s coast, so without a doubt I’d have to say that Westerners are more inclined to go to Trogir and other parts of Croatia than any other Balkan country.

Trogir lies 27 kilometers west of Split, and has a very small population of just under 11,000 residents. What makes Trogir unique is how well preserved/restored it is for a medieval city, especially for a medieval city on the water. Trogir’s prime location made self-governance difficult. Greece, Rome, Venice and Austria-Hungary occupied the island at different points in history.  But the Italian influence seems the most prominent. In terms of food, the island offers amazing pasta dishes, and Italian is freely spoken around the island. 

My friend said that Trogir was breath taking – a picturesque town designed for wandering, taking photos and enjoying some very yummy ice cream while at it. Trogir may have Italian roots, but it also has Balkan hospitality. Throughout the island, restaurants offer homemade wine and rakija. Trogir is popular for its architecture and natural beauty, but its Balkan hospitality is its true charm. I suppose what makes Trogir unique is that it’s not a posh island by any stretch of the imagination – but not overrun by tourist even at peak summer times.

Image Source (wikimedia, croatie)