From: hrcoord@igc.org (Human Rights Coordinator)
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Subject: CROATIA: Bosnian refugees arrive wi
Date: 27 Jul 92 17:45:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700278:000:3694
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Jul 27 10:45:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: CROATIA: Bosnian refugees arrive wi

/* Written 12:08 am  Jul 27, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: CROATIA: Bosnian refugees arrive with tales of woe


an inter press service feature

by l.l. pitter

karlovac, croatia, jul 24 (ips) -- packed tightly into united
nation's flatbed trucks and private cars, about 7,000 muslim
refugees from a serb-controlled town in northwestern bosnia
arrived here thursday and friday with all they could carry --
which included tales of serb persecution.

''they burned down our house and threw grenades at our
shelters,'' a mother of two said with tears streaming down her
face.

''i can't believe that i survived it, that i'm alive and here.
i don't think i would have made it had i not been living only for
my two children. five years of normal life will have to pass
before i can forget this,'' she added.

serbian authorities claim that the refugees fled on their own
accord, but the refugees and u.n. representatives here in this
town 45 minutes southwest of zagreb are calling the exodus an
''ethnic cleansing''.

''officially, they left voluntarily, but actually they were
forced to leave,'' said a u.n. civilian affairs officer. serb
forces have increased harassment -- church burnings and the
destruction of homes -- in bosanski novi, where the majority of
the refugees came from, the u.n. officer said.

many of the male refugees said they had been held in a local
stadium by armed serbs, some for as long as two months. some
showed papers they claimed they were forced to sign before being
set free. the documents stated that they had voluntarily
relinquished all their property and would not return.

most of the muslims in the area are unarmed and have refused
the align themselves with either the croats or the serbs, the
refugees maintained. ''they can't deal with the fact that we want
to remain neutral,'' said almira kuric, a refugee who had just
arrived and was reuniting with her husband and five year-old son.

the refugees also told stories of random beatings and arrests
and said the serbs made them pay much higher prices for food. the
u.n. officer said many of the refugees were suffering from
starvation.

one woman who escaped with her children said her husband is
still in bosnia. ''i don't know anything about him, if he is alive
or dead,'' she said.(more/ips)

croatia: bosnian refugees arrive with tales of woe(2-e)

croatia: serbs (2)

the 24-hour convoy escorted the largest number of refugees out
of a territory since the war began. the convoy passed through
serb-held territory under the protection of the united nations
high commissioner on refugees.

croatian authorities were hesitant to allow in more bosnian
refugees since 350,000 are already being sheltered in the
republic. but the unhcr assured government officials that the
refugees would eventually be relocated to other countries and the
croatians agreed to accept them.

unhcr officials said that germany has agreed to transport 5,000
of the refugees by train over the weekend while switzerland is
committed to housing ''some'' of the remaining 2000.

normally, unhcr policy prohibits the organisation from
assisting refugees in leaving their homes, but an exception was
made because the situation appeared extremely precarious for the
muslims in the area, said unhcr officials.

they also added that detention camps, such as the one in
bosanski novi, presently exist all over bosnia-herzegovina and the
number is growing.(end/ips/pr/llp/dd/92)
Xref: sparky soc.rights.human:2732 soc.culture.europe:6659 soc.culture.celtic:5272 eunet.politics:994 talk.politics.misc:36344