According to our source, first resignations were tendered by he members of the 92nd intervention team of the Belgrade Police. They returned all of their equipment and told their superiors that they were leaving the service since they "do not any more want to be accomplices in this type of police work and cannot bear the new situation".
So far there have been no official confirmations of the resignations, while the rumors are quietly spreading among the Belgrade policemen.
According to rumors, a part of the Special Police Brigade in Belgrade, whose members were in the past used to break up demonstrations on Belgrade streets, has refused to put on fatigues that are supposed to be used for the street interventions. Allegedly, they have been assigned to local police stations and are disinterested in the control of the DOS protests. According to these rumors a part of the Brigade has been pulled away from the positions it usually maintains during street protests.
Glas' source does not exclude the possibility that in the next few days those police officers at important functions who are supporters of the so-called "moderate faction" in the Serbian Police will be dismissed, since it is questionable whether they can be trusted [by the authorities]. Our interlocutor claims that it is likely that all of them will be replaced by the individuals from the so-called "Badza's team" (general-colonel Radovan Stoicic Badza, deputy Minister of Internal Affairs [Police], murdered on April 11, 1997 in restaurant Mama Mia in Belgrade).
The commander of the Special and Anti-terrorist Forces (SAJ) colonel Zeljko Trajkovic was dismissed on Thursday afternoon and sent to Kursumlija [border with Kosovo] without any explanation. Our sources claim that Trajkovic was reassigned because of his refusal to intervene against demonstrators. However, it is also claimed that he allegedly was among the "hard-liners" in the Police and one of the members of "Badza's team".
Trajkovic has been the commander of the SAJ for almost ten years. He commanded the SAJ even during the time when the three SAJ teams (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pristina) were not united.
Trajkovic has the reputation of a policeman who has contributed to the reputation of the SAJ. He was also a lecturer at the Police Academy.
The promotion of the hard-line group in the Belgrade Police started after demonstrations earlier this year after the takeover of Studio B by the Serbian Government. The then deputy Police Chief in Belgrade, Colonel Ivan Maksimovic, was ordered to switch places with the deputy chief of the Serbian Police. Even the Belgrade Police Chief, Major-General Branko Duric, was not informed about this change before it took place. Our sources in the Belgrade Police claim that Maksimovic was obviously demoted. Maksimovic belonged to the moderate faction in the Serbian Police and was replaced by the colonel who commanded the one-hour-long clash between the Police and the supporters of the soccer club "Red Star" during the match between "Red Star" and Georgian soccer club "Torpedo". [the Police attacked the fans because they were singing "Slobodan save Serbia and kill yourself"]
by L. MIJIC
"Last night, around midnight, General Pavkovic came to Medosevac, Field D. He was escorted by the Military Police and came together with the commander of the First Army, Minister of Mining Tomovic, director of the Serbian power Company (EPS) Kostic as well as members of the special forces unit 'Cobras'," Predrag Stepanovic, a member of the Striking Committee of the open cast mine "Kolubara" and the coordinator of the east and west fields, said for Glas on Tuesday.
He explained the night time visit to the mine in Medosevac by the fact that at that time there were very few strikers in the mine and that that was the easiest time to exert pressure on the striking workers.
"They told the gathered workers that they were endangering the battle readiness of the country and threatened them with mobilization notices, war time assignments and mandatory work duty. The striking miners did not want to negotiate but simply told the visiting delegation that they would only talk to Borivoje Vukicevic, the president of the Federal Election Commission. General Pavkovic was in the mine for about an hour," said Stepanovic.
During the same night, at about 3am, Momcilo Perisic came to Medosevac after a call from the miners. The former Chief of Staff of the Yugoslav Army visited the eastern field as well and, as the miners said, "encouraged them and brought back their self-confidence". He stayed with the workers until the morning.
In the meantime the striking workers were joined by Ljubisa Dobrivojevic, the director of the Western Field who, as we unofficially found out, had resigned from the Socialist Party of Serbia.
The DOS spokesperson in Lazarevac, Predrag Videnovic, stated for Beta press agency that military forces were present in that region on Monday night. Two trucks, several jeeps and an armored troops carrier were noticed in the area. Videnovic added that the citizens of Lazarevac, who had first gathered in the town, headed towards "Tamnava East" mine where military troops had also been noticed before if was found out that General Pavkovic had come to the mine.
"It was a turbulent and very unpleasant night. Our town was practically occupied by the military and armored vehicles. We managed to resist that most recent pressure of the regime and I think that Lazarevac last night wrote first pages of our new history," said one member of the Striking Committee of "Kolubara" open cast mine "Tamnava East Field".