Usti nad Labem / Czech Rep. (RNN Correspondent) 14.05.1998

A wall about four metres high will be erected in Matiani Street in Usti nad Labem to separate Roma from "white" inhabitants, Mayor Ladislav Hruska (ODS) promised owners of family houses on the street today.

They have turned to Hruska twice for assistance claiming that the Roma who live in two community apartment houses had caused "appalling" sanitary conditions in the area.

Hruska said the city would pay for the wall which is to cost about 350.000 crowns.

Besides, the Roma threaten the families' security, the representatives of the family houses owners said.

They said that Roma children and adults who do not have driver's license often drive cars along Mationi Street.

The district office has announced it will employ a new caretaker in the community houses who has been recommended by the Roma organisation SoRo (Coexistence -Equality).

The town hall also plans to change rules to make the resettlement of those who most flagrantly violate the order and to build a playground for Roma children from the Mationi Street area.

The latest incident in the area took place on april 12 when Roma allegedly attacked the crew of a passenger car. The crew were aided by the city police who were also attacked with seven policemen receiving injuries.

The investigator has accused four Roma of breach of the peace and racially-motivated violence against an individual and a group of people. One of the accused has been taken into custody.

Teh Czech Republic has recently witnessed a growing number af racially-motivated skinhead attacks against Roma some of which ended in death and also Roma attacks against the majority population.

The government have been criticised for being sluggish in looking for ways of integrating the Roma of whom about 600.000 live in the country ot ten million.

(1Dollar = 32,316 crowns)