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Busted in Montenegro |
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Montenegro, the Black Mountain, is a small republic in the Balkans. Montenegro and Serbia are the two components of Yugoslavia. I've been in Montenegro three times before and I had only very good experiences. The nature is marvelous, from the high mountains to the dented seashore, with lots of bays; perfect to hide the ships of the long time ago Adriatic Sea pirates. I came to give computers and accounting technical assistance to the local Land O'Lakes office in Podgorica, the capital. This trip was not as the previous ones; it allowed me to better discover who I am. I am a criminal. And I didn't know it, until the very smart Montenegro police discovered it. On Saturday we finished the work at the office at 4:30 and I hurried to the train station. I had to take a train from Podgorica to Sutomore, a place at the seaside where Roger, the country LOL director and Lucie, his wife, waited for me. I paid the exorbitant amount of 1.6 DM, around 70 cents, for three-quarters of an hour trip. At least I will enjoy a wonderful evening at the seaside, eating some fish, listening to the waves; and tomorrow I will swim and lay lazily on the beach. What could be a better plan than this? From the train, Montenegro is a wonderful country, with the high mountain peaks all around us. When my watch told me that we are close to my destination I became impatient. I didn't want to miss it, just because I cannot read very well Cyrillic. As a policeman passed by, I asked him in Serbian something like "is this Sutomore?" He asked me something like "What country are you from?" and I replied "Romania". I should use "something like" for each dialog that I had with the policemen. My knowledge of Serbian is very limited, and their knowledge or foreign languages (English, French or German) can be expressed in negative numbers. The fact that I am from Romania seemed to be very interesting for the policeman. He motioned me back into the compartment. He told me to sit down and give him my passport. I did as he said, thinking this is the worst moment for such a check, I could miss my destination. The policeman started to browse my pass. He asked me when I arrived in Montenegro, what I do there, where I go. I told him that I am a computer and accounting consultant for an American company that is involved in International development, Land O'Lakes. LOL works with the Ministry of Agriculture in Montenegro to develop the dairy sector. It seemed to me that the policeman understood what I am telling him, half English- half Serbian. On the other hand it was obvious that he didn't believe a bit of my story. He leaned to me and said that I can be brought in front of a judge and be given a fine of 500 to 1000 DM and a stamp to forbid me entering Montenegro the next five years could be applied on my pass. He could take me to Podgorica and he could even cuff me. He showed me some blank forms and it seemed to me that he is inclined not to fill them. May be I should have offered him some money, I do not know. Meanwhile the first policeman was joined by his colleague. I told the two guys that my boss (Roger) is waiting for me in Sutomore, and when we get off the train everything will be clear. "No way", they said, this time very angrily, "you are coming with us to Podgorica", and they have only one boss, the chief of the police, they do not care about any other boss. Things started to smell nastily. I tried to convince them to allow me at least to lower the window and speak from the train window with Roger. They absolutely refused me, and in a nasty way. I touched the hand of one of them while speaking and he turned very angrily to me and shouted he will cuff me. When we entered the Sutomore station I tried at least to stand up, hoping that Roger will see me and I was immediately forced to sit down, again threatened with cuffing. I could see on their faces that they would not hesitate at all to use their policeman clubs on by back. They searched my luggage and they made an inventory of everything I had. Very interesting was for them the little box with my emergency medicine. They studied for minutes some aspirin I had in it, hoping probably to discover some very powerful drug. During the search they found in my pocket a small piece of paper on which I wrote the number from the badge of one of them. This enraged them, I do not know why, and they gave a long speech that unfortunately I couldn't follow. The train we were in made a round trip from Podgorica to the seaside and back; it was easy for them to bring me back to Podgorica, as they threatened to do. On our return trip the conductor checked my ticket. He said I have to pay for my trip back, my ticket is valid in the other direction. The amount was about $1, but I refused to pay. Now I got three men angry with me. I told them "this is a trip that I am forced to take, I didn't want to come and I will not pay". The policemen were furious. I told them "Guys, what are you going to do? Arrest me? You already did that." They told me different things in Serbian that I couldn't understand and in the end they made some additional papers, probably a legal proof that I am traveling without a ticket. Finally we arrived in Podgorica. I was taken to the station police office and given in charge of two other policemen. I insisted on making a phone call, but no one seemed to notice what I said. I was convinced I would spend the night in a cell with no chance to tell anyone where I am. One policeman started to make his own phone calls, I could understand that he is asking about a Romanian consultant for Land O'Lakes. After the second phone call, he handed me back the passport and said I am free to go. It is a complete mystery how it was solved so easily. May be the call was to some secret police office and they could quickly confirm that indeed I am on official business in Montenegro. The policemen became very friendly and one of them even came to show me where I can take a taxi. I thought of going back to the seaside, but the train left minutes before I was released. Bad luck! Let's go back to the LOL office. I needed a taxi; it was raining very hard. Then I realized that I couldn't take a taxi, since I do not have with me the address of the LOL office. I had to walk back, to be sure I find my way. Another bad luck. This was certainly not my lucky day. A French told me once a joke about policemen. "Who is dumber than a Belgian policeman? Another Belgian policeman." An update of the joke is always possible. ************ On Monday morning I went to the LOL office and I told everyone, all local people, what happened to me. I expected the usual jokes about policemen, even some support to go to the police for clarification. All showed compassion, but I was quite surprised that no one said a word of criticism about the police. To suggest that I should do something, like making complains, was out of the question. I was quite intrigued about such an attitude. One of them, a very nice and friendly guy, asked me why I haven't phoned him. I said, finally someone that has the guts. The answer was different than what I expected, he suggested that he could have taken me the same evening by car to the seaside. It was certainly a very kind offer, but it sounded to me like to tell someone who is beaten: "tell me when they finish beating you, to bring some alcohol to wash your wounds". The first explanation that I found for such an attitude is that people here are very much afraid of police. I haven't lived here for a long time, but I am sure fright is present. Another reason could lie in the structure of the clan-oriented society. If something happens to someone in your clan, you feel personally attacked and you have to fight. The rule doesn't apply to outsiders, and I was certainly an outsider. Roger and Lucie reacted completely differently. They were outraged of what happened to me and they wanted to go to the police to find the reason of their behavior. For Roger was especially important to avoid such accidents, when other consultants come to Montenegro. Therefore a team formed by Roger, a translator and me went to the train station police station. We found the same policeman that was there when I was brought in Saturday night. This time he was friendly and smiling. He said that he is sorry for what happened to me, but police just applied the law. I was not allowed to speak with Roger in the train station at the seaside, because I used the word "boss" referring to him, and this could mean the boss of a Mafia group. Had I said "director", it would have been quite a different thing. He mentioned that there are some nations that are under closer scrutiny in Montenegro, and Romanians are one of them. All smiling stopped when Roger produced a paper with the ID numbers of the two policemen that arrested me; this was considered a nasty thing to do. Hear that, to write down the ID number of the policemen, we shouldn't have done it. Roger suggested that the two policemen are told to better behave next time, and there was absolutely no reaction. In the end the only answer for all our questions was "go to the Ministry of Interior". At the Ministry of Interior we were introduced into the office of a Police inspector. She had the task to keep the records about the foreigners visiting the organizations that deliver foreign aid. She finally solved the mystery why I was arrested. In Yugoslavia there is a law obliging any foreigner to notify to the police of any change of domicile within 24 hours. The penalty is fine, deportation or even prison, depending on circumstances. One week before a consultant coming from Ukraine spent several days in jail because of this law, until he was released. I know that some time ago, a Bulgarian came in Montenegro as a consultant and he returned to Bulgaria via Belgrade. There he was arrested and spent two weeks in a prison. The inspector told us that this kind of law exists everywhere, in any country. “How else can you control people? Montenegro is a democratic country that has laws like all the other countries.” I asked if there are Romanians in Montenegro organized in Mafia style. She said no, but Romanians are indeed a problem. They come in Montenegro, work illegally, especially in constructions and do not pay taxes. I am a frail computer guy and I should take it a complement, to be considered a construction worker, carrying 50-kg sacks of cement all day long. I have to admit that police work is difficult all around the globe. The dream of any policeman would be to attach a transmitter to each individual and know his or her whereabouts. Technically this is not possible. The next step is to register in 24 hours any move of an individual. This rule is indeed applied in the west, but only for released criminals, that are on parole. The rest hate the idea of being controlled and do not allow such restrictions. Of course, exceptions could always exist. Applying this rule to foreigners and treating them like criminals on parole could be very detrimental to tourism. Strictly applying the law to its letter would have meant for me three visits to the police for one day at the seaside: once in Podgorica, once at the seaside and again in Podgorica on my return. It is true that violence is high enough in Montenegro. On the last day of my stay there, a man was shot in broad daylight on the main street of the city. One month ago, when I've been again there, a car and his driver were blown to pieces in the parking lot just outside the LOL office. Though all seem to be connected to the internal struggle for power, independence from Serbia and not to foreigners. ******* I had a splendid opportunity to have a more documented image on Montenegro on my return trip. The driver of the minivan that took me home made frequent trips as a bus driver in all the Balkan countries. He has driven many busses filled with Romanians to Serbia and Montenegro. Romanians go there to sell different small things in the local markets, anything from socks and hammers to clothes and kitchen utensils. In Serbia, traffic police stops you and the rule is to give them as bribery 10 German Marks (DM), which is about $5 or cigarettes. Policemen never ask for money, but if you do not pay, you are held there waiting for hours. Sometimes there are raids organized by combined teams of police and district attorney. They do not give fines, but search the luggage and keep the things that have quality. Of course, no one dares to protest. Montenegro policemen are very nice people, you give them the 10DM and they treat you very well. It is true that some Romanians work illegally in Yugoslavia, and they do not register with the police. Still all these cases are solved amiably. The price to pay depends on the number of months you stayed illegally and on the mood of the policeman. For a six months you pay 40-50 DM. Of course, if you refuse to pay the bribe, or you do not know the rule, you end up being arrested. The worst trips to make, my driver tells me, are in Bulgaria. There the thieves attack the busses and they work hand in hand with the police. If you complain about being attacked, you never solve anything. And the policemen are much hungrier. *************** It is possible that Montenegro (and Serbia) are highly traumatized societies: Milosevic dictatorship, the state of war for so many years; plus the very conservative mentality, the innate rejection of outsiders and non traditional values, coming out of the clan culture. I thought at first that my arrest is the result of a rabid xenophobic attitude of the police, of the hate against foreigners. Then I came to a much simpler explanation. There are hidden rules in any society. If you are a man and you want to meet a woman, the rules are different in USA and China; you have to live in the country to know what is acceptable or not. The same goes about police. What the law says has relative importance, since the everyday custom decides how it is applied. I am rather convinced now that I should have paid 10 DM; my arrest is just the result of my lack of knowledge of local habits. People in Montenegro are convinced that their society is very democratic. Probably it is. What I saw is not exactly a proof of democracy. I saw the muscles of a policeman make the law and decide who can be arrested on a whim. I saw the outrage for writing down the ID numbers of policemen and holding them accountable. These issues have to be addressed, if Montenegro wants to develop tourism and improve its foreign relations. ************** I am really thankful for my experience. I've been before several times in Montenegro and I met only the smiling part, I lived in a greenhouse. Now I could see the other side. My arrest threw me back in time at least 12 years ago, in the period of communist dictatorship in Romania, when I could have been busted on the street if a policeman decided to do it. In the several hours of my arrest I understood how much I hate the brutal, irrational force, and how important for me is my freedom, how much I cherish it. It is something worth fighting for and I would not trade it for almost anything else in the world. Dorel Jurcovan, the number one public enemy. July 2001 |