MEMORIAL PLAQUE UNVEILED IN SOKOLAC TO HONOR 287 HUNGARIANS

SOKOLAC, OCTOBER 31 /SRNA/ - A memorial plaque honoring 287 Hungarian citizens who found refuge in the Sokolac area following the Hungarian Revolution was unveiled today in the Fighters of Romanija Park in Sokolac.

Aniko Gyenge, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of Hungary in BiH, said that her country is marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the fight for freedom this year. She added that the revolution began on October 23 with peaceful demonstrations launched by students in Budapest and was crushed on November 11 that year, prompting around 200,000 Hungarians to flee the country.

Addressing the gathering after the unveiling of the memorial plaque, Gyenge said that research conducted by the Banja Luka-based Hungarian Association Magyar Szó had revealed that Sokolac had received around 300 refugees from Hungary and provided them with temporary shelter before they continued their journey to the West.

"According to testimonies and available documents, Hungarians soon became valued and respected members of the local community. On behalf of our compatriots, we express our sincere gratitude and respect to Sokolac and its residents for everything they did," Gyenge stressed.

She added that today's unveiling of the memorial plaque commemorates a turbulent period in Hungary's history, but, even more importantly, the humanity shown to Hungarian citizens in Sokolac.

Adviser to Sokolac Mayor Saša Kapović reminded that some of the Hungarians who had fled their country initially found refuge on the Adriatic coast, from where they were relocated to the former republics of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in 1957 due to the summer tourist season.

"Some of the Hungarians were brought to Podromanija, to a former military barracks, and 287 of the 486 who were in BiH were accommodated in Sokolac. Most of them were young people, students, and Sokolac offered them hospitality until they continued their journey to the West," Kapović said.

He stressed that the Hungarians who stayed in Sokolac left a lasting mark and helped drive the industrialization of the municipality.

Saša Mićin, head of the project to erect the memorial plaque in Sokolac, said that the project was launched two years ago and that the people of Romanija should never forget how they welcomed the Hungarians who were in distress at the time.

"The installation of the memorial plaque and the revival of ties between the Hungarian and Serbian peoples will never be forgotten," Mićin stressed.

Irena Milivojević, president of the Banja Luka-based Magyar Szó Association, said that today's unveiling of the memorial plaque in Sokolac reaffirmed the good relations and friendship between the Serb and Hungarian peoples.

She reminded that Professor Mićin had initiated the project with the help of friends who had found information about the Hungarians who had fled to Sokolac.

"Little by little, we have accomplished something significant, both for us and for Hungary," Milivojević concluded.

The unveiling of the memorial plaque was organized by the Embassy of Hungary in BiH and the Banja Luka-based Hungarian Association Magyar Szó.