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No More Borders for Josef by Diane Chase

Josef and his family came from a village not far from Kijevo and some way south of Sarjevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eastern Europe. Map

Bosnia is noted for its mountainous landscape with its highest peak, Maglic, reaching 2,386 metres. The country is very arid in the south and southwest, but with some rich soil areas between ridges allowing for agriculture. The only coastline is a mere 20 kilometres of the Adriatic Sea, but without a natural harbour. Earthquakes have disturbed the mountains in the past, including a major erruption in 1969. In the centre of the country are rugged green plains and forests.

View a slideshow of beautiful photos of Bosnia by Franz Bauer

Josef is forced to leave his home after horrifying scenes of death in his village. For some explanation of the plight of displaced persons like Josef see Bosnian Refugees. For information about the international response to the crisis see The UN Refugee Agency.

The Men Who Got Away - Video documentary

In 2006 US current affairs program FRONTLINE/World sent reporter Jennifer Glasse to Bosnia, Serbia and the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague to review events since the official end of the Bosnian war ten years earlier. The two men most responsible for the horrific events of this time proved difficult to bring to justice. These are the former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic and his top general Ratko Mladic. This 21 minute Frontline Report, The Men Who Got Away, gives interesting background, but with some distressing scenes.

Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders

Learn about the difficult life in a refugee camp in this MSF interactive guide: 33 Million People Uprooted By War. (Go to the link at: Interactive Guide, down the page)

Visit a refugee camp in your city - coming to Australia in 2008.

Credit for photo above right: Bosnia 2004, Ian Guest