A United Nations agency has organised a lottery offering the possibility of prizes such as DVD players or refrigerators when illegal weapons left over from the Bosnian war are handed in to authorities.
"The aim is to increase the security of the citizens and raise the awareness of the public of the danger of illegal possession of small arms ," the United Nations Development Programme said in a statement.
Those who hand over small arms to authorities during the month-long lottery will be eligible for a prize.
The prizes include motor-scooters, DVD players, refrigerators, televisions set, stoves and others, the UNDP said. A number of local companies are sponsoring the lottery and the winners will be announced on December 11th.
Hundreds of thousands of weapons illegally owned by Bosnians are the legacy of the bloody 1992-1995 war in the Balkan country. Since 1998, a government programme called Operation Harvest has offered citizens amnesty if they turn in illegal weapons, which are then destroyed.
PA