ZAGREB, Jan 22 (Hina) - The Croatian Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees today refuted allegations according to which Croatia was expelling refugees and returning them to Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to a statement from the
Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees, the news on expulsion had appeared mostly in foreign media in the last several days and it was based on statements by the spokespersons of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Rajka Rusan and Chris Janowszky.
ZAGREB, Jan 22 (Hina) - The Croatian Office for Displaced Persons
and Refugees today refuted allegations according to which Croatia
was expelling refugees and returning them to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
According to a statement from the Office for Displaced Persons
and Refugees, the news on expulsion had appeared mostly in foreign
media in the last several days and it was based on statements by
the spokespersons of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), Rajka Rusan and Chris Janowszky. #L#
'Croatia is not expelling the refugees, as the UNHCR
representatives are claiming, but the refugees are being relocated
from some refugee camps in Zagreb to other camps elsewhere in
Croatia', the statement said.
The relocation was caused by financial reasons, the statement
said, adding 728 refugees from two refugee camps in Zagreb had been
relocated. After the month of Ramadan and the Islamic holiday of
Bayram was over, refugees from another refugee camp in Zagreb would
be relocated as well. The relocation of refugees had been announced
in November last year, and it had started last week.
After they had been informed about their relocation, 508
refugees decided to return to Bosnia-Herzegovina and 108 refugees
had been privately accommodated and retained refugee status. Other
46 refugees had accepted organised accommodation in other refugee
camps, the statement said.
The refugee camp in Zaprudje, Zagreb, still had one barracks
for the accommodation of 67 ill persons and secondary school
children from the two refugee camps, the statement said.
'It is true that on the day of relocation part of refugees
were not in the camp. Those refugees have been privately
accommodated and some of them left for the Federation of Bosnia-
Herzegovina without waiting for the day of relocation. The fact is
that most of them refuse to be relocated to other refugee camps in
Croatia, and they are returning to their own country. The Office
for Displaced Persons and Refugees has informed the UNHCR about the
whole case', the statement said.
(hina) rm jn
221939 MET jan 96