Srebrenica Genocide

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:57): On Saturday, 11 July I attended a commemoration ceremony for the Srebrenica Genocide at the Bosnian and Hercegovina Muslim Society of South Australia Club, on behalf of the Hon. Zoe Bettison, minister for Multicultural Affairs.

The Srebrenica Genocide occurred in 1995 in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. Although designated a United Nations safe area, the town became the scene of the worst massacre in Europe since the Second World War. Thousands of civilians had taken refuge in the town, fleeing earlier Bosnian Serb offensives, and were under the protection of a lightly-armed Dutch force working on behalf of the United Nations. From 6 July to 8 July 1995, Bosnian Serbs laid siege to Srebrenica, and the Dutch commander requested air support, but it was slow in coming. The Bosnian Serb forces took 30 Dutch soldiers hostage and, when the airstrikes were ready, they were postponed to protect the Dutch hostages.

On 11 July, the Bosnian Serb commander, General Ratko Mladic, entered the town, met with the Dutch commander and delivered an ultimatum that the Bosnian Muslims hand over their weapons to guarantee their lives. On 12 July, buses arrived to take women and children to the safety of Muslim territory. It was then that the Bosnian Serb forces began to separate all the men and boys. It is estimated that 23,000 women and children were deported in the next 30 hours while the men were held in trucks and warehouses in Srebrenica.

About 15,000 Muslims, Bosnians, escaped overnight and were shelled as they fled through the mountains. After negotiations with the United Nations the Dutch soldiers were permitted to leave Srebrenica. In the first five days that the Bosnian Serbs overran Srebrenica, over 8,000 Muslims, Bosnians, mainly men and boys, were killed and buried in more than 60 mass graves.

Early reports of the massacres emerged on 16 July, as the first survivors of the long march from Srebrenica began to arrive in safe territory. Twenty years on the name of Srebrenica is known around the world because of what happened during this tragic and significant time in history. Srebrenica, as it was, was a small mining town where people lived, worked and raised families. Now, near Srebrenica, there is a memorial and graveyard that is beautiful, quiet and contemplative. It is a place of peace, a place to remember with love, despite the tragedy that can never be forgotten.

South Australia welcomed many Bosniak refugees from Bosnia during the Balkan wars. I acknowledge the significant contribution they have made to our South Australian community over the past 20 years. They have navigated a difficult journey of understanding a new culture and building a new life in a place on the other side of the world. The Bosnians brought with them their memories, their traumas, their loss, but they also brought with them hope for the future. The following poem is a poignant commentary of the impact of the Srebrenica genocide:

My dearest father,

I never got to hug you,

I never got to kiss you,

I was in mother's womb when they took you away from us, they took you away from Srebrenica.

My dearest father, I grew up without you,

Without your smile, without your touch.

Today I stand by your grave,

And I pray while thousands of tears are falling down my face,

Just like the thousands of innocent Bosnian people.

My dearest father, green grass covers your grave,

Green grass keeps you warm while my tears are falling down,

My mother's tears,

Tears of Srebrenica,

And tears of Bosnia,

My dearest father.

Sadly a recent resolution of the United Nations Security Council to declare the Srebrenica massacre a genocide failed as a result of a Russian veto. Despite this, what happened at Srebrenica must never be forgotten. We must never forget the Srebrenica genocide: it was a blight on our humanity.