Plenković: Defenders of Pakrac made history 30 years ago

During the official commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the start of the Homeland War in Pakrac on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković thanked all Croatian veterans who stood in defence of the Croatian state, constitutional order and people, underscoring that they had made history.

The official programme started with Mass for soldiers killed in the war, followed by a victory march and a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to fallen soldiers.

Addressing those present, Plenković recalled the spiral of violence that led up to the military aggression on the young Croatian democracy.

The armed rebellion in Pakrac was the direct consequence of undermining the constitutional order, state institutions and the democratically elected government, underscored Plenković, recalling that the rebels removed the Croatian flag from the municipal administration building and police station and raised the Serbian and Chetnik flags.

"Apart from that being an open attack on the Croatian constitutional order which raised fear among the local Croats, unfortunately part of the Serb population was dragged in by malicious propaganda while those who advocated a coexistence between Croats and Serbs in their common Croatian state were silenced," Plenković said.

He added that we recall those events with mixed emotions due to the loss of many lives and property damage caused but with pride because despite being faced with an unequal fight, the Croatian people united and successfully defended themselves against the aggression, extending a hand of reconciliation after the victory.

Plenković said that the Croatian government was undertaking many projects to improve the quality of life for Croatian veterans and civilian victims of the war. He recalled the importance of the new Croatian Veterans Act, the search for missing persons and war crimes prosecution.

The ceremony was attended by Veterans Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, Defence Minister Mario Banožić and Labour Minister Josip Aladrović, members of parliament, local and regional government officials, veterans and their families.

On 1 March 1991, Serb police reservists tricked and disarmed 16 Croatian police officers and occupied the Pakrac police station. They took down the Croatian flag from the police station and municipal building and raised the Serbian flag. Croatian forces responded and in the early morning hours of 2 March special police forces took back the police station  and restored Croatian constitutional order in the town.

Text: Hina

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