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From: OTVORENE-OCI_ST@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Otvorene oci  )
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Organization: Otvorene Oci
Subject: Possible return of Krajina Serb Population?
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 15:42:00 +0100
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Possible return of Krajina Serb Population?

[Split, 29-08-95]

Otvorene Oci has visited Knin and former sector South 4 times
so far and has spoken to representatives of the Croatian
authorities, UNHCR, the refugees within the UN compound and
the local population. The team returned yesterday from another
visit to Knin and surroundings. 

The international community is pressuring the Croatian
government to undertake efforts in order to stimulate the
remaining Serb population to stay and the refugees currently
on Bosnian Serb territory or in Serbia to return. The German
foreign mimister Klaus Kinkel stated that the relations
between both countries would suffer if action was not
undertaken.

The possible return of the Krajina Serb population to their
homeland is getting less likely by the day. Three weeks after
the start of the Croatian military operation "Storm", Serb
houses are still being looted and burned down, some of their
inhabitants are still being killed and more Serbs seek refuge
in the UN compound for obvious safety reasons.

On Friday, August 26, UN representatives saw the village of
Grubori burning and UN Television recorded the event. The
pictures were later televised by the BBC. Later the UN
representatives returned and found the bodies of 5 old Serbs,
shot in the head from short range. One of them was lying face
down next to his bed in his pyjamas.

The representative of a UN "Human Rights Action Team", Mr.
E.J. Flynn, states that there is no security basis for the
remaining Serb population. So far 25 to 30 dead bodies have
been found in the area.

A refugee himself and now working in the `refugee-hospital'
within the UN compound, Dr. Torbica, states that every day 10
to 15 new people arrive at the gates of the compound to seek
refuge for security reasons. He mentions a refugee couple who
decided to stay in the Krajina, left the UN compound and
returned to their homes. Soon after they returned to the
compound because they were beaten up. During the last Otvorene
Oci visit the team was told that 56 of the refugees in the
compound wanted to remain in the Krajina, according to Dr.
Torbica this number of people is now down to 30.


The UNHCR protection officer Mr. B. Otim states that the
authorities have so far not undertaken any action to prevent
the atrocities. E.J. Flynn reported that the local authorities
were attributing the burning of houses to "unknown elements"
in uniform and to electrical faults within those houses
concerned. During a visit with the Dalmatian Committee of
Solidarity (DOS) to the representative of the Croatian
authorities in Knin, Mr. P. Pasic, the DOS members tried to
convince Mr. Pasic to motivate the refugees in the UN compound
to stay instead of leaving for Beograd. He was not prepared to
do that. ## CrossPoint v3.02 ##