(29 Jul 1999) Serbo-Croat/Nat
Thousands of people have attended another anti-President Milosevic rally, this time in the southern Serbian town of Vrnjacka Banja.
It was the latest in a growing number of anti-government demonstrations organised by the opposition group Alliance for Change.
As the country struggles to come to terms with the devastation of NATO bombing, many Serbs are publicly condemning their president for their suffering.
Only a few days ago, plans were announced for widespread protests aimed at ousting Slobodan Milosevic.
On Wednesday, several thousand people attended a rally held by the Alliance for Change in the central town of Vrnjacka Banja, some 150 kilometres south of Belgrade.
To cheers of the crowd, opposition leaders reiterated their calls for the resignation of Milosevic.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbian)
"You know who has been stealing the elections for the last 10 years and you know who was stealing your wages..."
SUPER CAPTION: Slobodan Vuksanovic - Democratic Party member
Despite warnings last week that the army and police would prevent any opposition attempts to stage an uprising, only a handful of police were present at the rally.
Wednesday's protest came hours after a key opposition leader appeared before a military judge to answer government allegations that he dodged the draft.
Zoran Djindjic, who is leading the street protests demanding Milosevic's ouster, denounced the "political trial" and said it made him only more committed to his goal.
The one-hour proceeding was inconclusive, Djindjic said as he left the court.
He added that the court decided not to order his arrest and the investigation would continue with no set date for another court appearance.
The increased government pressure on Djindjic is an apparent attempt to intimidate opposition leaders into abandoning their quest to oust Milosevic.
Milosevic's government has tried to portray its opponents as Western servants working against state interests.
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