Commemorations held in Borovo naselje

A commemoration was held in the Vukovar borough of Borovo naselje on Monday marking the 27th anniversary of the fall of the borough to Serb and JNA forces and the ensuing war crimes committed there.

On November 19th 1991 Serb and JNA forces killed 51 locals in Borovo naselje, while another 115 were taken from the basement of the destroyed Borovo Commerce building and murdered at an as yet unknown location. The building served as a field medical center during the Serbian siege of the city.

Family, friends, comrades at arms and political leaders attended a wreath laying and candle lighting ceremony in Borovo naselje today. The president of the Vukovar Mother's Association Manda Patko. “We're still looking for 51 people from Borovo Commerce, unfortunately no headway has been made. Many of them died trying to escape the building, which was getting hit by mortar fire, the building housing the injured was on fire,” Patko said.

27 years on and Milka Pančić and Spomenka Kušić are still looking for their children. “I am one hundred percent positive that the Serbs in Borovo Selo know what happened to all of them, and they refuse to say a word,” Pančić said. “Whoever killed my child, a child lying on a gurney ... looked him in the eyes and killed him … my tears and my suffering will find him one day. How does he sleep at night? Does he see my son's eyes looking up at him?” asked Spomenka Kušić.

Friar Ante Perković, who was the parish priest in Borovo naselje during the war was taken prisoner by Serb forces and interred at the Serb concentration camp in Sremska Mitrovica. At today's commemoration he made it clear that he has not forgiven his captors, but that he does not habour hate towards anyone. “No one has ever asked us for forgiveness. I tell those who were interred in Serb concentration camps: don't burden yourselves with this at all, leave it alone. Do you hate anyone? Do you wish evil upon them? No. Well then that's enough for us.”

Friar Perković added that priests continually work on reconciliation, but noted; “We can’t just ignore the fact that we are still looking for the remains of our loved ones. Where are they? Where is a child, a father or a mother? We can't ignore that. When that is resolved, only then can we move forward.”

Source: HRT