Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC)

[makedonche]

Indeed a very good night, well organised and as RTG said very illuminating! The work of AMHRC stands out as a beacon amongst the darkness of macedonian politics, well done gv. and the team!
Pande and all the guests were a joy to behold and listen to, only one slight concern from Pande - that was when he was referring to gv. and one of the first times they met, gv. was holding a handbag for someone and Pande saw him from behind, noticed the handbag, the long hair and a cute arse and thought the gv. was female!!!! hahahahaaha!

[Niko777]

Glad to hear your stories on this event, and congratulations to the AMHRC. Will there be any videos posted? I am very interested to hear what Pando said in his speech.

[Stojacanec]

A very enjoyable night, never seen the hall so full. Good to put a face to the AMHRC members. Love the initative and the work of the Belomortsi!

Niko, there should be a youtube on the presenters soon. As soon as one is available I will provide a link.

[julie]

wonderful to hear was a great event in Adelaide, would have been there if not in Maco. well done guys

[makedonche]

wonderful to hear was a great event in Adelaide, would have been there if not in Maco. well done guys

Hi Julie
Hall packed, dancing was great and a few tears in the eyes of the young and old, your dad says hello.

[julie]

Hi Julie
Hall packed, dancing was great and a few tears in the eyes of the young and old, your dad says hello.

Blessings, good to hear was a full turnout

[Pelister]

I have an uncle who had a tough life under the New Greeks. He is good natured, but stern and he doesn't drink. There were family members at the dance in tears, because they had never seen him so happy in all the decades that they knew him. Something about the singing and the dances triggered something in him.

I am blown away by the comitment of the AMHRC to the Macedonian cause, and the results of their hard work.

[Mikail]

Wow Pelister, That's Fantastic batko

[Pelister]

Wow Pelister, That's Fantastic batko

Thanks Mikail. We have been so ruthlessly suppressed, that it took an event such as this one for my uncle to light up in a way no one had ever seen before. There is hope.

[AMHRC]

Dimitras stands as an aberration in a country that is defined by deep rooted xenophobia.

The tour is really capturing the minds of many Macedonians and the Adelaide leg is definitely going to be a big event with a great deal of support.

I have just come back from the dinner dance, it's good to see Micho once again and meeting Pando for the first time, we couldnt stop talking. Excellent night.

My folks just got back from the Sydney event, they had a wonderful time. Mum joked that Dimitras was a 'wolf in sheeps clothing'.... i think she had a little too much wine....

The very fact that he is still negotiating with Greece is evidence of his willingness to compromise, and if Greece had agreed to Gruevski's stupidity in 2008, Macedonia would now be RoM-Skopje.

AMHRC, hope the Melbourne event went very well.

I attended the Belomorci concert. It was an amazing evening and I would like to thank the AMHRC for bringing out the igraorci, Dimitri, Pando and Panayote. I think only Adelaide and Perth are left in the tour, I urge everyone in these cities to go and attend. It was a joyous and emotional evening. I eagerly await the return of more Macedonians from Greece. Da zivee [Egejska] Makedonija!

Well, it was a lovely get together in Adelaide.
The overseas guests were a delight to meet and the information they shared was both illuminating and inspiring.

Pande was a terrific guy and he made me laugh when asked how he feels in front of a microphone. Whether he would be able to capture the imagination of his audience and stir their emotions on the plight of Macedonians in Greece. He said he had no fear of his audience, he feared he would end up crying on stage instead. It was all said in humour but I am sure there was some truth in it as he is very passionate about the plight of Macedonians in Greece.

The single most salient memory that I was left with was that of the AMHRC. Their sustained commitment to the Macedonian Cause is spectacular and their motivations for positive change are more than evident. They certainly brought out their "A team" and pulled no punches in making this an important event on the Macedonian calendar. I didn't get to speak with all of the AMHRC committee (instead opting to bathe outside in George's second hand smoke) on the night but sincerely thank them for their commitment and hope we can chat in more detail on future occasions.

This is very true Risto. I took five guests to a gathering at Fed Square. Until that night they were not very aware of AMHRC and had nothing at all to do with them.

The AMHRC left a very positive impression on these five and they have told me to keep them updated on any future events. They were most impressed at the level of organisation and the way the evening was conducted and kept in order.

They are all strongly considering becoming AMHRC members!

Well done guys on your professionalism. Keep this up and we will continue to expose you to more Macedonians not aware of your intenstions.

Indeed a very good night, well organised and as RTG said very illuminating! The work of AMHRC stands out as a beacon amongst the darkness of macedonian politics, well done gv. and the team!
Pande and all the guests were a joy to behold and listen to, only one slight concern from Pande - that was when he was referring to gv. and one of the first times they met, gv. was holding a handbag for someone and Pande saw him from behind, noticed the handbag, the long hair and a cute arse and thought the gv. was female!!!! hahahahaaha!

Glad to hear your stories on this event, and congratulations to the AMHRC. Will there be any videos posted? I am very interested to hear what Pando said in his speech.

A very enjoyable night, never seen the hall so full. Good to put a face to the AMHRC members. Love the initative and the work of the Belomortsi!

Niko, there should be a youtube on the presenters soon. As soon as one is available I will provide a link.

I have an uncle who had a tough life under the New Greeks. He is good natured, but stern and he doesn't drink. There were family members at the dance in tears, because they had never seen him so happy in all the decades that they knew him. Something about the singing and the dances triggered something in him.

I am blown away by the comitment of the AMHRC to the Macedonian cause, and the results of their hard work.

Thank you everyone - the tour was an experience I will never forget. I was exhausted by it (and so were my colleagues on our committee) , but it was all so powerful...I didn't realise that I was exhausted until after our guests had gone home yesterday.

Audio-visual stuff should be available quite soon.

Поздрав на сите,

George Vlahov.

[makedonche]

AMHRC
To you guys and in particular Gv. a heartfelt thanks and undying gratitude for the extraordinary work you put in to bring the group and speakers out here! To all those who attended, I hope the younger ones payed attention to the faces/expressions and comments of the older people there. To me it's as if the older generation's sprits were lifted to unseen heights which also brought a tear to my eyes. Then it dawned on me that these older people are no longer capable of sustaining the Macedonian Truth/history and cause and the next generation and the following generations will have to take up this challenge, because after years of oppression in all parts of Macedonia and indeed continued oppression here in Australia, they have grown weary. I commend the older generations for all their hard work,achievements, sacrifices and call upon current generations and youth to take up the challenge of sustaining the Macedonian communities throughout the world and fighting for the Macedonian Cause, at every opportunity!

[Mikail]

Very well said Makedonche and again very well done AMHRC!

Guys my Teta made the trip to Melbourne for the event and she went to the one in Adelaide as well she was that impressed with the level of organisation.

She called me yesterday to tell me she spoke to Panayote Dimitras and thanked him for the work he has done and is doing. Panayote thanked her and replied, I can only do so much, but nothing can be done if you don't do it yourselves......... So true.

So many Macedonians just sit about thinking we need a better go, but do nothing about making that stand.

This is where you guys at AMHRC make a difference!

If anyone hasn't become a member of AMHRC them do so now. They need our support!

[makedonche]

Mikail
Well said, I hope all readers of the forum take careful note of this!

[AMHRC]

AMHRC/MHRMI Denounce Albania's Census

AMHRC and MHRMI Denounce Albania's Denial of Macedonian Identity During its Census

Melbourne, Australia and Toronto, Canada – 6/10/2011

The Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) and Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) denounce Albania's state-sponsored persecution of its Macedonian minority during the implementation of its census.

In the region of Golo Brdo, census taker instructors openly stated that the Macedonian language will be excluded as an answer to the question of what language is spoken at home. This was later confirmed in the field and other reports assert that census takers have been skipping questions 38 and 39 which pertain to language spoken and to ethnicity. "We feel like a threatened species, we are simply erased" declared Edmond Osmani, Vice President of MAEI.

Although it is officially denied, the Albanian state applies a rigid minority zones policy. "If you leave a minority zone, like the Prespa region, you automatically lose your status as a Macedonian and become Albanian" said Vasil Sterjo, from the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI).

In Macedonia, on the other hand, the Albanian minority have illegally increased their numbers, evidently to show that ethnic Albanians amount to 20% of the total population of the Republic of Macedonia, so that Albanians can maintain a privileged status among Macedonia’s ethnic minorities. Field reports indicate that two censuses are taking place: one in parts of Western Macedonia where ethnic Albanians live and another one in the rest of the country. In Western Macedonia, identification methods contrary to international regulations have been implemented.

AMHRC and MHRMI condemn the Albanian government for its refusal to amend its minority policy practices and its refusal to heed a joint declaration signed by Albania’s minority representatives earlier this year.

We call on the EU, OSCE and other relevant institutions to recognise the invalidity of the census in Albania and the severe irregularities in Macedonia and to take steps that will ensure proper census implementation.

****
Established in 1984, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) is a non governmental organisation that informs and advocates before international institutions, governments and broader communities about combating racism and promoting human rights. Our aspiration is to ensure that Macedonian communities and other excluded groups throughout the world are recognised, respected and afforded equitable treatment. For more information please visit www.macedonianhr.org.au, or contact the AMHRC at [email protected] or via +61 3 9329 8960.

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information: www.mhrmi.org, twitter.com/mhrmi, facebook, [email protected], 1-416-850-7125.

[George S.]

THe albanians should be condemned for what they are doing to macedonians.They are being oppressed & denied freedom expression of who they are.In stark contrast the macedonian govt gives it's albanian minorities full rights & special priveleges to the extent that they are falsifying their census figures to show there are more of them.