Zagreb, May 27, 1998 (IKA) – A symposium on the Croats of Boka Kotorska was held on May 22 and 23 in the Old Town of Zagreb. This symposium was arranged by the College of Liberal Arts of Zadar and the Croatian confraternity of Bokeljska Mornarica 809 [Boka Mariners 809] of Zagreb, under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Croatian Heritage Foundation. Over thirty speakers participated, including university professors, members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, journalists and other scholars, who lectured on various aspects of Boka Kotorska, from prehistorical times to the present. Among the presentations was a lecture by the journalist Luka Brailo of the newspaper “Slobodna Dalmacija” regarding the position of Croats in Boka Kotorska from 1991 to 1998.
“Following all types of harassment in the two Yugoslavias, there was a slight lull. Then great efforts began again to vilify the Croatian element, without which the past, present and future of this territory is unimaginable. This coincided with the democratic elections and independence of the Republic of Croatia,” stated Brailo. He also presented census figures from 1910 and 1991. According to these data, the number of inhabitants in Boka Kotorska has doubled, while the number of Croats is three times smaller. Brailo asserts that the best testimony to the existence of the Croats in Boka Kotorska and their role in history, culture and other areas is the presence of 126 Catholic churches. In 809 A.D., the first navy was established in Boka Kotorska and consecrated to its patron saint, St. Tryphon.