Re: Syndicate: Bambi theme park in FRY

[honor <honor@va.com.au>]

hi there inke, everyone,

>The son of Milosevic has just finished construction of a 150 acre theme
>park (amusement park) outside of Belgrade. It opened for business this week
>(July 1999). He has named this park "Bambi". It was not clear if there was
>any particular connection to Walt Disney.
>
>-------------------
>
>Does anybody know about this? I'd be interested in getting more information..

yeah, its supposed to be marko's contribution to the 'wellbeing of the
children of yugoslavia'.

the guardian published an article about it yesterday.



>Milosevic's son unveils Bambipark
>
>Family business: Image as tyrants gets a spin
>
>Rory Carroll in Pozarevac  Monday July 5, 1999
>
>The son of Slobodan Milosevic surfaced from months of hiding last night to
>unveil the latest venture in the family's business empire: Bambipark.
>
>Speculation that Marko Milosevic had fled abroad ended when he opened
>Serbia's first recreational theme park.
>
>The Yugoslav president's son spent the past six weeks hammering and
>painting to ensure that the site would be ready for children needing to
>recover from Nato's bombing, workers claimed.
>
>The president and his wife Mirna made a rare trip outside the capital
>Belgrade to visit Bambipark secretly last night, a security guard said.
>
>The park was built on one and a half hectares of wasteground in the
>suburbs of Pozarevac, the president's birthplace, 40 miles east of the
>capital.
>
>The bouncy castle, four basketball courts, skateboard ramps, miniature
>pond and pirate ship left the presidential couple beaming with approval,
>said the security guard.   State-controlled television channels were
>invited to film local children gazing at the newly laid grass and the 30cm
>fences around the attractions.
>
>Marko Milosevic's privately owned import-export company, Madona, built the
>park with the state-owned biscuit-making company, Bambi.   A Greek
>diplomat in Belgrade has accused him of using his father's authority to
>launder money through his Pozarevac ventures.
>
>Marko, who is in his mid-20s, said that the park represented "the proof of
>care for the young generations". The entrance fee of 10 dinars (30p)
>includes nannies to look after infants while their parents drink at the
>well-stocked bar.
>
>Staff declined to reveal the price of drinks and of renting skateboards
>and inline skates. Several dozen uniformed police patrolled the complex,
>but soldiers and heavy weaponry were absent.
>
>Marko changed the site's name of Bambiland after the Nato bombing to avoid
>using a word of non-Serbian origin.
>
>Workers were hammering, painting and sweeping as 5,000 revellers started
>to arrive. Government Mercedes and Land-Rovers were parked alongside
>battered Yugo cars. Loudspeakers blasted traditional music, but the
>presidential couple did not appear.
>
>The park's opening date of May 20 was postponed by the bombing, but Marko
>was on site every day encouraging workmen to give Serbia's children
>something to look forward to, said Sasa Lazic, the technical director.
>
>"We managed to do most of it in 16 days, working 24 hours a day. It was
>tough but we made it," Mr Lazic said. Asked about the president's visit,
>he said: "I've no idea if he came. How should I know?"
>
 The park has an infant zone and an "extreme sports" zone for adolescents.
A swimming pool is to be added next year, and the site is expected to
double in size within three years.
>
>Aleksander Vasiljevic, 20, a bodyguard, said: "Marko worked very hard
>here. He did it for the children."


Honor Harger
honor@va.com.au

Freelance - currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Current Projects:
Special edition of Bastard:
http://www.nettime.org/nettime.w3archive/199905/msg00321.html

r a d i o q u a l i a:
http://www.radioqualia.va.com.au


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