TEAR GAS THROWN AT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BRCKO

BRCKO, Oct 11 (Hina) - Tear gas was thrown at the entrance of a Roman Catholic Church in Brcko, the Serb-controlled north-eastern Bosnian town, at about 12:30 pm Saturday while the Mass was being held. An International Police (IPTF) spokeswoman, Kathy Ladun, said it was still unknown who had thrown the tear gas at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located 200 metres from the Bosnian Serb army's barracks. According to Ladun, there were more than 200 believers in the church at the moment of the incident, who had to leave it afterwards. Nobody was seriously hurt, and the Mass resumed an hour and half after the incident. She added that the police of the Republic of Srpska had launched an investigation monitored by the IPTF. On Saturday afternoon, UN officials condemned this attack at the Catholic Church. Most of Croat (who are generally Catholic faithful) and Moslem citizens had to flee Brcko after the Serbs took it at the beginning of the aggression against Bosnia in 1992. (hina) jn mš 111923 MET oct 97