REBEL CROATIAN SERBS SET FIRE TO LAST UNDAMAGED HOUSE IN CERIC

VINKOVCI, March 9 (Hina) - Rebel Croatian Serbs on Friday evening set fire to the last undamaged house in Ceric, a village close to the line of separation in the occupied area of eastern Croatia. The information centre in Vinkovci quoted eyewitnesses as saying that shortly after 18.00 hours they had seen a column of fire and smoke billowing from the Serb-occupied village, which is only 500 metres from the Vinkovci suburb of Mala Bosna. Before the occupation, the village had almost one hundred percent Croat population. At the beginning of November 1991, the villagers were driven out by the Serb-led Yugoslav army and Serb paramilitary forces and the village was destroyed. Ceric is one of the villages cited in a Croatian government pilot program for return of displaced people as part of the process of peaceful reintegration of the occupied Danube river valley area. (hina) vm jn 091229 MET mar 96