Media biased in Kosovo reporting

Unlike earlier -- when extremely broad publicity was given in The Jakarta Post and other media to the situation in the Serb province of Kosovo, with an abundant number of reports, articles, analysis and opinions, as well as disturbing images on television every day -- news and reports from Kosovo over the past month have been very scarce or totally absent in Indonesia. For an uninformed outsider this would mean that this is because the situation in Kosovo is favorable, and there is now peace and safety for all of its citizens.

However, this is not the case. The current situation in Kosovo is worse than it has ever been. Serbian civilians and other non- Albanian people are being murdered every day, their houses and apartments are set on fire and robbed. They are being forcefully evacuated from their houses and apartments, they are being subjected to threats, intimidation and forced to leave. And those who dare to stay are murdered. The most horrible ethnic cleansing is taking place in Kosovo. There is an uncontrolled madness. Albanian separatists, terrorists, members of the KLA and criminal gangs from Albania have transformed this Serbian province into an area with the highest concentration of illegal weapons, drugs, mafia and other criminals. And all of this is going on in the presence of about 35,000 United Nations (KFOR) security forces and the civil administration of the UN (UNMIK).

To give an example: during the two month period after KFOR and UNMIK had taken responsibility for the security of citizens and property in Kosovo, over 200,000 Serbs, Montenegrins and other non-Albanian citizens were expelled through a systematic campaign of "ethnic cleansing". In two months, terrorists have killed over 200 and wounded over 400 civilians, including women, children and the elderly. They have mainly been Serbs and other non-Albanian civilians.

About 40,000 privately owned houses and apartments were robbed, demolished and set on fire. About 40 Serb churches and medieval monasteries were burnt down or demolished -- many of which had been declared part of Europe's cultural heritage. About 80,000 Serbs and non-Albanian civilian workers were chased away from their jobs by people using force and intimidation. The list of similar vicious acts is endless.

And all of the above has not been enough for Kosovo to continue making the news in this country. Apparently, the ethnic cleansing and murder of Serbs is not such sensational news after all. Or, perhaps, the lack of publicity is a result of an effort to avoid admitting former non-objectivity and bias in informing the Indonesian public about the situation in Kosovo and about the real nature, attitude and goals of Albanian separatists and terrorists in Kosovo.

DUSAN STOJKOVIC

Charge d'Affaires a.i.

Yugoslav Embassy, Jakarta