Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PUTRA MEMORIAL 
			AUDITORIUM, KUALA LUMPUR 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	16/02/96 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF THE BOOK 
			`BOSNIA - BEYOND WORDS, BEYOND TEARS` 



          For  almost four years, Malaysia and the world
    read  and  witnessed  the daily accounts  and  stark
    images   of   the  indiscriminate  destruction   and
    atrocities inflicted by the Serbs on the  people  of
    Bosnia-Herzegovina, whose only fault is  to  profess
    different faiths from the Christian Orthodoxy of the
    Serbs.  It is now just slightly over two months that
    a   peace  agreement  was  finally  signed  by   the
    Presidents   of  Bosnia-Herzegovina,   Croatia   and
    Serbia.   The  process  of peace  implementation  is
    underway.  Though still uncertain, there is hope  of
    gradual  restoration and rebuilding  of  war-ravaged
    cities  and  homes,  and the  healing  of  a  deeply
    traumatised society and nation.
    
    2.    We are gathered here this morning to launch  a
    global  humanitarian  appeal for  Bosnia-Herzegovina
    and  to  mark  the  first  release  of  a  pictorial
    documentation  sponsored by  the  Malaysian  private
    sector,  entitled  `Bosnia -  Beyond  Words,  Beyond
    Tears'.  This event is heartening because it is  yet
    another  welcome expression of co-operation  between
    the  public  and private sectors in  Malaysia.   The
    willingness of the private sector to mobilise  their
    resources  in  support  not only  of  the  country's
    economic   policies  and  growth,   but   also   its
    diplomatic  initiatives and  international  role  is
    commendable.  I  congratulate Limkokwing  Integrated
    Sdn.  Bhd.  and  other corporate  bodies  for  their
    positive contributions and their caring attitude. 
   
    3.    War  is always cruel but it is not inevitable.
    The   carnage,   ethnic  strife,   destruction   and
    sufferings  in  Bosnia-Herzegovina should  not  have
    taken place, at least not to the extent it has, in a
    world   and   an  age  where  barbaric  cruelty   is
    universally condemned.  This horror could have  been
    stopped earlier.  Certainly it must never be allowed
    to  happen again.  This is the underlying message of
    `Bosnia-Beyond Words, Beyond Tears'.
    
    4.    Europe  had  witnessed many cruel  wars  where
    massacres and indiscriminate killings were generally
    featured.   Prevention  was  difficult  because  the
    perpetrators  were  great  military  powers,   quite
    capable  of doing great harm to others who may  want
    to  be  gallant  and rush to the  rescue.   But  the
    tragedy of Bosnia- Herzegovina is different.  Serbia
    is not a great power and certainly the Bosnian Serbs
    did  not even constitute a nation.  The great powers
    of  the  world,  the  so-called champions  of  human
    rights,  are  very  many  times  more  powerful  and
    capable  than  the  puny  rump  Yugoslavia  and  the
    Bosnian Serb terrorists.
    
    5.    Yet  we see the Great Powers and their vaunted
    European  Alliance not merely hesitate but  actually
    permitted  the  Serbs  to  kill  and  destroy   with
    impunity.  Having prevented the Bosnian Muslims  and
    Croats from arming to defend themselves and assuring
    them  that  they  would  be protected  in  the  safe
    havens,  the  forces  of Nato actually  handed  over
    Bosnian  Muslims to the Serbs knowing full well  the
    Serbs would kill them.  And so today we hear and  we
    see  on  the  television screens mass graves  filled
    with  hundreds and thousands of Bosnian Muslims  and
    some  Croats.   The  scale of  these  atrocities  is
    frightening in an age when the slightest  breach  of
    democracy  results  in  sanctions  and  threats  and
    visitations by powerful fleets.
    
    6.   Democracy is based on popular support.  Because
    the  leaders  of  powerful  democracies  fear  their
    people  may  not  elect them if their  soldiers  are
    harmed  while defending others, they dared not  make
    the   decision  to  act  in  accordance  with  their
    vaunted humanitarian principles.  Rather a  thousand
    foreigners die than an election lost.  This  is  the
    beauty of democracy.
    
    7.    And so the carnage went on.  Yet in the end it
    took  only  a  minimal  of military  action,  a  few
    rockets  fired from safe heights to force the  Serbs
    to  come  to the negotiating table.  One cannot  but
    regret  that  this  was not done earlier.   So  many
    thousands of men, women and children would have been
    saved  from  untold horrors, from being ravaged  and
    savaged,  if only someone had the guts to  stand  up
    for the humanitarian principles they loudly profess.
    
    8.    The peace is still fragile.  Fear of the Serbs
    is  still  evident among the leaders  of  the  First
    World,  the World of Justice and Human Rights.   How
    weak  is  the  resolve  was  demonstrated  when  the
    abduction  of  Bosnians by Serbs was declared  by  a
    local commander as not his responsibility because he
    was  not  there to police but to enforce  the  Peace
    Agreement.
    
    9.    At  the  same time the rehabilitation  of  the
    Serbs  has  begun.   Those of  them  who  have  been
    evicted from Krajina are said to suffer because they
    have   to   live  in  Serbia  in  temporary   homes.
    Therefore the Serbs too must be pitied.  In the  end
    Serbian crimes will be glossed over and the genocide
    they committed overlooked.  Such is the justice  and
    humanitarinism of our day and age.
    
    10.   This book "Bosnia-Beyond Words, Beyond  Tears"
    should  serve  to remind us of the enormity  of  the
    crimes  committed by the Serbs and the hypocrisy  of
    the so-called civilised world.
    
    11.   This  book  is  a  non-profit  effort  by  the
    Malaysian  private sector in support of  the  global
    humanitarian appeal for Bosnia- Herzegovina.     
    
    12.  I launch this book with the hope and the prayer
    that people all over the world will rise to the  aid
    of  the unfortunate peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina in
    rebuilding  their ravaged country.  On that  note  I
    launch this book.