Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president defeated in the September 24 presidential elections, will be arrested soon on war crimes charges, according to UN War Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte. She pointed out that Milosevic has been indicted along with three aides and a general for crimes against humanity for orchestrating a "campaign of violence and terror" last year against Albanians living in Kosovo.

In cities and towns all over Serbia, workers and pro-democracy activists are ousting Milosevic allies from their positions. Truth commissions are being formed to investigate the corruption and skullduggery of the Milosevic years, a process that could end with the arrest and trial of Milosevic himself. Obviously, the days of Milosevic and other war criminals are numbered.

Why would a Taiwanese like myself pay so much attention to political fluctuations in the Balkans in the Western Hemisphere? It is because a year ago last June, I was sent by our foundation on a fact-finding trip to Kosovo along with representatives from three other local NGOs to see if we could offer any help to the area.

During our brief visit to this small war-torn region in the Balkans, we personally witnessed the atrocities left behind by the "ethnic cleansing" orchestrated by Milosevic. When we drove to small villages such as Suhareke, Bukosh and Shtime, the conditions were truly appalling. Almost all the farmers' houses were roofless or burned down. We were surprised to find that Mitovica, a lovely small town located not too far from Serbia, had been systematically destroyed by the Serbs. Almost all the stores along the main streets were in ruins.

Milosevic originally thought that the Serbs could soon take over Kosovo, a place rich in natural resources, by implementing a policy of ethnic cleansing, but he quickly faced the prospect of losing more of his countrymen's lives to NATO bombing. After the retreat of Serbian policemen and soldiers, there was an increasing incidence of violence and harassment against the remaining Serbs, thus creating another run of a vicious circle.

In order to evaluate the local medical care service, we went to visit the hospital in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. Once we stepped into the shabby hospital, we bumped into a legless, thirteen-year-old girl sitting in a wheelchair. Talking to the pale-looking girl through our interpreter, we found out that she had stepped on a booby trap that had been set inside her own home when the whole family tried to escape the war by staying temporarily in the neighboring nation of Macedonia. We did not ask who had set such a nasty trap since it was no longer important. We could only console her by holding her hand and gently talking to her. One of our team members considered the possibility of offering her long-term financial assistance. Looking at her pretty but anguished face, I could not help but condemn the stupidity and greed of human beings. The girl could perhaps survive the mishap, but she will never be able to dance or go hiking with her friends in the countryside.

I hesitantly asked her permission to take a picture of her so that I could show the cruelty and stupidity of ethnic hatred to our folks back in Taiwan. She agreed. I purposely avoided showing her lower part for fear that I might ruthlessly hurt her feelings. After my return from this sad place, I had the picture developed and showed it to Master Cheng Yen and other Tzu Chi members. Just as I had expected, they were all horrified by this example of the ferocity and brutality of the war.

My heart still aches whenever I look at this girl's picture. The helpless, anguished expression on her face actually manifests a wordless protest against inhuman acts incited by the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion.

It is important for us to learn a lesson from Milosovic's mistake: our greatest enemies are none other than ourselves. Milosevic allowed himself to be ensnared by his pursuit of power, prestige and conquest. Just look how much suffering he has brought to himself and others. Master Cheng Yen said, "A person is happy not because he owns a lot, but because he is not so fussy." How true it is!