Thanks! I just decided to put my two cents in since I was there as a soldier and as a civilian.
Sarajevo,
You'll also find that the poster names change over time as tempers occasionally flair.
Wraith and Ronly Bonly Jones (banned under that ID but I hope he's back in some fashion) also served in the Balkans and have widely divergent opinions on who did what to whom over there. TonyCavaough served with the Brits there but I think he's grown tired of these threads!
Testimony of Anatoliy Kruk a Ukrainian UN soldier stationed in Sarajevo:
Two times I do remember that when there was a severe violation from Bosnia side, when they penetrated to this zone and made a couple of shots. The first time, I remember it very well because there was a small table tennis championship. And when we started to play - I don't remember for what place and -- in coffee room - and there was two outgoing shots. And in -- very soon there was retaliation, and even a couple of sandbags just fell down this coffee room.Q. Thank you. Witness, why did these shots -- why did these outgoing shots occur? Or as you said, there was a security zone -- around the building? Do you know anything about that?
MS. MAHINDARATNE: I object, Mr. President. Inviting the witness to speculate.
JUDGE ORIE: Mr. Piletta-Zanin.
MR. PILETTA-ZANIN: [Interpretation] I wanted to know whether the witness knew or did not know, not whether he was imagining something. It's nothing that he has to speculate about.
JUDGE ORIE: Yes. Witness, you may answer that question. And please do it in such a way that the Chamber will know what's the basis of
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your knowledge.
THE WITNESS: As I mentioned before, at that time not only me - there was maybe tens of people in coffee room - and we heard -- I personally heard outgoing shots from mortar, and I can say it was mortar 82 millimetres approximately, according to the sound. And everybody was very angry about this because it was strictly prohibited to provocate near UN camp because it can endanger UN personnel. It always was very strong protest from headquarter Sarajevo. And I do remember two times in the headquarter it happened and once it was during my engineer mission.
MR. PILETTA-ZANIN: [Interpretation]
Q. Yes. But the question was whether you knew the reasons for which these shots had been provoked. If you don't, you can just say that you don't.
A. I can say that -- and I will tell common opinion of the people who were present there. It was pure provocation.
Q. For what purpose? A. Maybe to -- to receive backfire, and in this case to make opposing side to be guilty for these might-be casualties or destruction for UN.