Monday, April 11, 2005

Kosovo police confiscate Serb TV crew's vehicle

Kosovo Police Service members confiscated a vehicle belonging to staff of Strpce-based HERC TV near Doganovic today at around 1100 [0900 gmt]. Igor Savic has more details from Strpce.

[Reporter] Radio-Television HERC director Bojan Mladenovic told us that he and two other TV crew members had been on their way to a scheduled interview with the [US] Camp Bondsteel commander, but were stopped in a routine check, after which the policemen established that their vehicle had been incorrectly registered.

The policemen then began a detailed search of the vehicle, which lasted an hour, and the crew members were taken to a police station in Kacanik, where they spent another three hours. Beside the vehicle, the police also confiscated their recording equipment; the latter was returned after a detailed examination, but the vehicle was kept until, they said, the completion of the investigation into the alleged incorrect registration.

According to the vehicle owner, the vehicle had been re-registered from old Kosovo to new Kosovo plates as early as 2003. All this took place after a statement by the UN administration in Strpce that the vehicles registered in Gracanica were correctly registered and that there should be no fears that such vehicles would be confiscated.

This is Igor Savic, reporting for the Kosovo Media Association.

Source: Kontakt Plus, Kosovska Mitrovica, in Serbian 1500 gmt 11 Apr 05

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