Published Saturday, April 17, 2004
Kosovo's Hearsay Facts
In his op-ed column "Peace Has Yet to Find Kosovo, Its Families" [April 1], Patrick R. Anderson wrote several rumors and hearsay information as truth. I'll comment only on two:
First he writes that 5,000 inhabitants of a town in Kosovo and Metohija were killed by Serbs in 1999. This is, to say the least, an exaggeration if you know that about 2,000 people died in the fighting on both sides.
Second, he repeats the lie that the tragic death of the Albanian boys in March 2004 was caused by Serbs who chased the boys into the river. The UN officials as well as AFP, Christian Science Monitor and many other media outlets denied that Serbs were involved. The Serbs in Kosovo live in ghettos and they do not dare to come even close to Albanian villages.
Mr. Anderson got his information from the Albanian side only. As a professor of sociology and criminology, he should know that in order to find out the truth, he has to get information from both sides in a conflict. The good professor has failed the impartiality test.
DR. MIRJANA PETROVIC
San Diego, Calif.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040417/NEWS/404170371/1037/EDIT
