Ambulance stopped at Merdare crossing

It's not repression against Serbs, it's the law. If the license plates on your vehicle are not Kosova license plates, then you must pay the foreign license plate tax. Either pay the tax like everyone else, or commission a new vehicle with Kosova license plates to avoid this problem in the future. It's that simple.

Can a Kosovar ambulance even cross into Serbia at all???

I'm glad you weren't allowed to cross, pay up EUR 25.

Here we go again - more K-albanian bureaucratic nonsense.

The closest hospital for these people was probably at Gracanica. And as the ambulance was coming from Serbia proper, it probably originated there.

Pity these KPS idiots lack the simple human decency to expedite the treatment of the sick.

"She said that Albanian leaders' talk of tolerance towards the Serb community was a lie."

I think this is becoming quite evident now that this sort of incident (i.e. denying of medical aid and supplies) has happened a few times. I guess it's just another example of the amazing luxuries the minority Serbs enjoy in Kosovo.

Can sb. tell me what happens to an ambulace with Kosovo plate trying to cross to Serbia?

After that we can talk about repression or discrimination

I’m going to explain to you carefully, KosovO was declared unilaterally independent..... MEANING: "it was illegally declared independent"....MEANING: The albanians haven’t got the slightest way to impose their down right idiotic laws against the Serbs besides trying to force them.

IF (AND I WISH IT WAS, SO YOU COULD SEE) it was YOU, I wonder what you'd say.

A law which you have to pay tax for having Serbian license plates? You people are in Serbia, get over your sick demented dreams, and realise, the Serbs aren’t going to take anymore of this.

I will personally do you a favour. Right now I’m in Australia, but in 1 week and 4 days ill be in Serbia, and ill travel to southern Serbia(that is if I don’t get ethnically cleansed) and I will take photos of the surrounding Serb enclaves... then you can see upfront the absolute inhuman, despicable, disgusting things you people put us through!!!

Independent Kosovo? Keep dreaming, but don’t dream for too long, the Serbs aren’t going to have much more of this.

KPS? What a sick joke. Hey and maybe when they’re done stopping ambulances from taking critically ill patients to hospital, they can try and figure out the motives for the other crimes against Serbs which there always seem to be "no leads" to.


It’s like when people say “let a laying dog sleep.” You keep kicking the dog, then when it finally has enough and bites you, you stand there sobbing, playing dumb and the victim, asking yourselves “what did I do?”

KOSOVO JE SRBIJA
CCCC

albani,

You hit the nail on the coffin. Let us review these miraculous statements and draw a plan of action.

Rule #1: Respect the laws of Serbia. Obviously you do not.

Rule #2: "Respect it's People." Certainly you remove organs, murder, expel Serbs at every opportunity.

Rule #3: "if you dont respcet dont go to that country." albani..may i suggest the next goat path as your highway back to albania then per your suggestions!

2 seriously ill people being transported across the border in 1 ambulance??? Right!!!

As long as serbian authorities and officials continue to ignore the new reality on the ground, and intentionally not pay taxes or apply for relevant documents because as they say, 'they do not recognise the illegal state of Kosovo", then this kind of thing will happen more often.

If you do not pay tax or have relevant document, you will not be allowed in any country in the world!

If KPS had stopped an ambulace with serbian plates who had all the right documetns, then you might have a point about discrimination against serbs, but until then, this is nothing more that KPS enforcing the law of Kosovo. How can we expect anyone to respect our borders and our idependence if our own police do not enfore the law?

I feel sorry for the K.serbs who are suffering as a result of their own leaders decisions to do this kind of thing, i.e. sending ambulance knowing that it doesnt have the right paperwork - there could even be some kind of political propaganda motives behind these kind of move - intentionally provoking KPS, and using their response to spread lies about how Kosovan authorities are trying to kill ill serbs!!!

If you are ill and you go to the border of any european country, they will never let you pass without the necessary documents!

Rule #1 Respect it's Law.
Rule #2 Respect it's People.
Rule #3 if you dont respcet dont go to that country.
Thank You,

It is sad when even hospitals play politics.

The Serbs that live or do business in Kosovo must realize that refusing to acknowledge the Kosovo authorities won't make them go away. This is like someone refusing to acknowledge a wall in his path.

- It is AFAIK 50 Euro, not 25.
- The "road tax" is not imposed on cars from CG and AL because they have an agreement
- Kosovo is not part of the "Green Card" agreement. Serbia is correct not letting cars with Kosovo license plates enter Serbia: there is no chance, Kosovar insurance will pay if anything happens. You cannot drive a car without insurance.
- The only legal way for Kosovo cars to enter Serbia would be via MK. Not sure if anyone tried, but IN THEORY if you do not have any insurance, you can pay Serbian insurance at the border. Merdare is not a border, but, say, Tabanovci is. What will Serbian police do in reality, I have no idea.
- The 50 Euro "road bribe" (that's how it's considered among all visitors) became a very unpopular thing. AFAIK, the only way to escape it is either to enter from CG or enter with the U.S. license plates. Entering with U.S. license plates and plainly ignoring any Albanian money demands is said to be working.

KV

Kosovar ambulances can enter Serbia only on Serbian plates. You can try and enter on your plates but the same will happen.

I am sorry if i offend the posters on this thread (well, some) but -- can anyone else see how insane this all sounds? sick people (i assume they were not just actors??) and all people can talk about is "pay the tax!" or "CCCC"! everything, every SINGLE thing that happens btwn serbia and Kosovo/a is political, and the individual persons on the ground absolutely do not matter one whit. it is truly theater of the absurd. am i right or am i missing something here?

OK, so here is one obvious answer or temporary remedy -- figure out some kind of intermediary measure by which vehicles, on matters of life and death, are able to cross both ways, even without "proper" credentials. i suppose that such a situation could be taken advantage of, but the important thing is that no one (else) needs to die simply because of these ongoing feuds.

as for non-emergency situations, that is another story; the rules will need to be followed, whether you like it or not. that is normal at every border -- until serbia and kosovo/a are both part of the EU, for which i am not holding my breath.

roberto/frisco

KV: you dont stop the sick going to hospital regardless of race, colour etc. the police should have let the ambulance through, then the officals in Kosovo should have formally told the ambulance service about the new rules and and help them achieve the new tax. Lets not forget most Albanians in Kosovo dont pay there bills. Alot still go to Serbia for treatment. These facts were reported by a French news channel. Kosovo Albanians you have a long way to go if you want to be in the EU,your attitude to others needs to change. Stopping ambulances isn't clever, it shouldnt be a political move. It could have been handled better. Finally don't forget Serbia does not see you as an independent state, according to recent reports if Barrack gets in the USA may not either.

I am not surprised that some commentators don't use their logic here but, b92?
Lets see what this story is all about, shall we?

"Outpatient Hospital Director Rada Trajković said that the KPS had not let the driver enter Kosovo even though he had had a green card. "

So the ambulance was trying to enter Kosova and not leaving. Why would an ambulance with two terminally ill patients enter Kosova? Were they sending these patients to Kosova's hospital? Are Kosova's hospital better than Serbia's? I don't think so, even though it is unfortunate, Kosova's hospitals are in very bad conditions, hence even Albanians go to Serbia's hospitals for better treatment.
Now, we only have one option here. These patients were in Serbia for better treatment and they were returning back home in Kosova. Even though they might have been terminally ill, there was no way that their life was in danger, otherwise if they were so sick then why did Serbia's hospitals released them? Shouldn't a hospital release their patients only when they are better and good to go home?

This scenario was a set up for one purpose only and that to put Albanians as inhuman, someone who will stop two terminally ill patients, endangering these patients lives etc.

Can some one tell me why was this ambulance allowed to leave Kosova but not to enter Kosova? Well, because, I will tell you, this ambulance either went to Serbia by driving through Northern Mitrovica but choose to come back through Merdare. Or was allowed to leave Kosova because the patients were sick and were heading to hospital for treatment but was stopped when the patients returned and were not in danger.

If the first one is true then why did they choose to come back via Merdare crossing and not Northern Mitrovica? Because they knew that in a new country Kosova , Kosova's customs will obey the law and ask for the fees which apply for cars with foreign number plates. In another words, pure Serbia's politics, using patients for their own goals. Well they achieved their goal, the story is on Serbia's media and we are discussing it on b92.

But if the second theory is true then Kosova's police and customs are not as bad as some Serbs are trying to portray them. They allowed them to drive through Kosova even with foreign number plates and did not stop them nor ask them to pay the fees needed by law. But when they returned, they knew that the patients must have received the treatment needed, are in better health, no life threatening and now is safe to stop them and ask them to pay the fees.

To:(Michael, 21 June 2008 00:13)

Michael we can take the goat path to Albania again but I am afraid that somebdoy will bomb Belgrade again because of that, what do you think?

Dr. Trajkovic is a true humanitarian and wonderful human being. She has done much for many ethnic communities in Kos-Met free of charge and with out publicity. She was a contact and friend of mine when I was deployed to Kos-Met with US KFOR from Sept 05 - June 07.

She did not want things publicized, but many Serbs and Albanians would be shocked about the depth of her generosity and for the health of all of Kos-Met's inhabitants.

** Does anyone have information about the date of Dr. Trajkovic's birth?** I have tried looking it up, but I didn't learn to read Serbian or Albanian while on Bondsteel.

Thank you

New country, new license plates...

If you don't recognize the new country, that's alright, your ambulance still can't cross.

Rhetoric and veto threats only get you so far. Reality imposes itself in a much more determining way.

It's not repression against Serbs, it's the law. If the license plates on your vehicle are not Kosova license plates, then you must pay the foreign license plate tax. Either pay the tax like everyone else, or commission a new vehicle with Kosova license plates to avoid this problem in the future. It's that simple.

Here we go again - more K-albanian bureaucratic nonsense.

The closest hospital for these people was probably at Gracanica. And as the ambulance was coming from Serbia proper, it probably originated there.

Pity these KPS idiots lack the simple human decency to expedite the treatment of the sick.

Can a Kosovar ambulance even cross into Serbia at all???

I'm glad you weren't allowed to cross, pay up EUR 25.

As long as serbian authorities and officials continue to ignore the new reality on the ground, and intentionally not pay taxes or apply for relevant documents because as they say, 'they do not recognise the illegal state of Kosovo", then this kind of thing will happen more often.

If you do not pay tax or have relevant document, you will not be allowed in any country in the world!

If KPS had stopped an ambulace with serbian plates who had all the right documetns, then you might have a point about discrimination against serbs, but until then, this is nothing more that KPS enforcing the law of Kosovo. How can we expect anyone to respect our borders and our idependence if our own police do not enfore the law?

I feel sorry for the K.serbs who are suffering as a result of their own leaders decisions to do this kind of thing, i.e. sending ambulance knowing that it doesnt have the right paperwork - there could even be some kind of political propaganda motives behind these kind of move - intentionally provoking KPS, and using their response to spread lies about how Kosovan authorities are trying to kill ill serbs!!!

If you are ill and you go to the border of any european country, they will never let you pass without the necessary documents!

Can sb. tell me what happens to an ambulace with Kosovo plate trying to cross to Serbia?

After that we can talk about repression or discrimination

"She said that Albanian leaders' talk of tolerance towards the Serb community was a lie."

I think this is becoming quite evident now that this sort of incident (i.e. denying of medical aid and supplies) has happened a few times. I guess it's just another example of the amazing luxuries the minority Serbs enjoy in Kosovo.

albani,

You hit the nail on the coffin. Let us review these miraculous statements and draw a plan of action.

Rule #1: Respect the laws of Serbia. Obviously you do not.

Rule #2: "Respect it's People." Certainly you remove organs, murder, expel Serbs at every opportunity.

Rule #3: "if you dont respcet dont go to that country." albani..may i suggest the next goat path as your highway back to albania then per your suggestions!

I’m going to explain to you carefully, KosovO was declared unilaterally independent..... MEANING: "it was illegally declared independent"....MEANING: The albanians haven’t got the slightest way to impose their down right idiotic laws against the Serbs besides trying to force them.

IF (AND I WISH IT WAS, SO YOU COULD SEE) it was YOU, I wonder what you'd say.

A law which you have to pay tax for having Serbian license plates? You people are in Serbia, get over your sick demented dreams, and realise, the Serbs aren’t going to take anymore of this.

I will personally do you a favour. Right now I’m in Australia, but in 1 week and 4 days ill be in Serbia, and ill travel to southern Serbia(that is if I don’t get ethnically cleansed) and I will take photos of the surrounding Serb enclaves... then you can see upfront the absolute inhuman, despicable, disgusting things you people put us through!!!

Independent Kosovo? Keep dreaming, but don’t dream for too long, the Serbs aren’t going to have much more of this.

KPS? What a sick joke. Hey and maybe when they’re done stopping ambulances from taking critically ill patients to hospital, they can try and figure out the motives for the other crimes against Serbs which there always seem to be "no leads" to.


It’s like when people say “let a laying dog sleep.” You keep kicking the dog, then when it finally has enough and bites you, you stand there sobbing, playing dumb and the victim, asking yourselves “what did I do?”

KOSOVO JE SRBIJA
CCCC

2 seriously ill people being transported across the border in 1 ambulance??? Right!!!

It is sad when even hospitals play politics.

The Serbs that live or do business in Kosovo must realize that refusing to acknowledge the Kosovo authorities won't make them go away. This is like someone refusing to acknowledge a wall in his path.

Rule #1 Respect it's Law.
Rule #2 Respect it's People.
Rule #3 if you dont respcet dont go to that country.
Thank You,

- It is AFAIK 50 Euro, not 25.
- The "road tax" is not imposed on cars from CG and AL because they have an agreement
- Kosovo is not part of the "Green Card" agreement. Serbia is correct not letting cars with Kosovo license plates enter Serbia: there is no chance, Kosovar insurance will pay if anything happens. You cannot drive a car without insurance.
- The only legal way for Kosovo cars to enter Serbia would be via MK. Not sure if anyone tried, but IN THEORY if you do not have any insurance, you can pay Serbian insurance at the border. Merdare is not a border, but, say, Tabanovci is. What will Serbian police do in reality, I have no idea.
- The 50 Euro "road bribe" (that's how it's considered among all visitors) became a very unpopular thing. AFAIK, the only way to escape it is either to enter from CG or enter with the U.S. license plates. Entering with U.S. license plates and plainly ignoring any Albanian money demands is said to be working.

To:(Michael, 21 June 2008 00:13)

Michael we can take the goat path to Albania again but I am afraid that somebdoy will bomb Belgrade again because of that, what do you think?

New country, new license plates...

If you don't recognize the new country, that's alright, your ambulance still can't cross.

Rhetoric and veto threats only get you so far. Reality imposes itself in a much more determining way.

KV: you dont stop the sick going to hospital regardless of race, colour etc. the police should have let the ambulance through, then the officals in Kosovo should have formally told the ambulance service about the new rules and and help them achieve the new tax. Lets not forget most Albanians in Kosovo dont pay there bills. Alot still go to Serbia for treatment. These facts were reported by a French news channel. Kosovo Albanians you have a long way to go if you want to be in the EU,your attitude to others needs to change. Stopping ambulances isn't clever, it shouldnt be a political move. It could have been handled better. Finally don't forget Serbia does not see you as an independent state, according to recent reports if Barrack gets in the USA may not either.

Dr. Trajkovic is a true humanitarian and wonderful human being. She has done much for many ethnic communities in Kos-Met free of charge and with out publicity. She was a contact and friend of mine when I was deployed to Kos-Met with US KFOR from Sept 05 - June 07.

She did not want things publicized, but many Serbs and Albanians would be shocked about the depth of her generosity and for the health of all of Kos-Met's inhabitants.

** Does anyone have information about the date of Dr. Trajkovic's birth?** I have tried looking it up, but I didn't learn to read Serbian or Albanian while on Bondsteel.

Thank you

KV

Kosovar ambulances can enter Serbia only on Serbian plates. You can try and enter on your plates but the same will happen.

I am sorry if i offend the posters on this thread (well, some) but -- can anyone else see how insane this all sounds? sick people (i assume they were not just actors??) and all people can talk about is "pay the tax!" or "CCCC"! everything, every SINGLE thing that happens btwn serbia and Kosovo/a is political, and the individual persons on the ground absolutely do not matter one whit. it is truly theater of the absurd. am i right or am i missing something here?

OK, so here is one obvious answer or temporary remedy -- figure out some kind of intermediary measure by which vehicles, on matters of life and death, are able to cross both ways, even without "proper" credentials. i suppose that such a situation could be taken advantage of, but the important thing is that no one (else) needs to die simply because of these ongoing feuds.

as for non-emergency situations, that is another story; the rules will need to be followed, whether you like it or not. that is normal at every border -- until serbia and kosovo/a are both part of the EU, for which i am not holding my breath.

roberto/frisco

I am not surprised that some commentators don't use their logic here but, b92?
Lets see what this story is all about, shall we?

"Outpatient Hospital Director Rada Trajković said that the KPS had not let the driver enter Kosovo even though he had had a green card. "

So the ambulance was trying to enter Kosova and not leaving. Why would an ambulance with two terminally ill patients enter Kosova? Were they sending these patients to Kosova's hospital? Are Kosova's hospital better than Serbia's? I don't think so, even though it is unfortunate, Kosova's hospitals are in very bad conditions, hence even Albanians go to Serbia's hospitals for better treatment.
Now, we only have one option here. These patients were in Serbia for better treatment and they were returning back home in Kosova. Even though they might have been terminally ill, there was no way that their life was in danger, otherwise if they were so sick then why did Serbia's hospitals released them? Shouldn't a hospital release their patients only when they are better and good to go home?

This scenario was a set up for one purpose only and that to put Albanians as inhuman, someone who will stop two terminally ill patients, endangering these patients lives etc.

Can some one tell me why was this ambulance allowed to leave Kosova but not to enter Kosova? Well, because, I will tell you, this ambulance either went to Serbia by driving through Northern Mitrovica but choose to come back through Merdare. Or was allowed to leave Kosova because the patients were sick and were heading to hospital for treatment but was stopped when the patients returned and were not in danger.

If the first one is true then why did they choose to come back via Merdare crossing and not Northern Mitrovica? Because they knew that in a new country Kosova , Kosova's customs will obey the law and ask for the fees which apply for cars with foreign number plates. In another words, pure Serbia's politics, using patients for their own goals. Well they achieved their goal, the story is on Serbia's media and we are discussing it on b92.

But if the second theory is true then Kosova's police and customs are not as bad as some Serbs are trying to portray them. They allowed them to drive through Kosova even with foreign number plates and did not stop them nor ask them to pay the fees needed by law. But when they returned, they knew that the patients must have received the treatment needed, are in better health, no life threatening and now is safe to stop them and ask them to pay the fees.