Kosovo4

RNN EXCLUSIVE : Situation in Kosovo and Macedonia

Situation in Kosovo and Macedonia
Situation in Kosovo and in Macedonia / April the 1st, 1999
Kumanovo / MACEDONIA ( RNN Correspondent ) April the 1st, 1999
The situation on the Balkan peninsula is very bad, in Kosovo-SR Yugoslavia ,NATO is Continuing with their operations and bombing, the fights between Albanians-OVK- organizations and Erbs-their Army and police is continuing, too. It number of refugees is increasing. You can hear this on the media every day. But there is an information that now in Kosovo instead of the severe conflicts, NATO are more dangerous for the civilians with their air strikes. The bombs do not know who is guilty or not, which religion or nationality people are, the bombs simple fall dawn and kill people. Besides the Albanian refugees, there are Roma refugees too, who succeeded to come to the border, legal or illegal with paying large amounts to some people who make profit from this. The number of refugees from Kosovo went over the number of 20.000 and the Macedonian GOV. decided not to close the border.The GOV.asked for help from any state.Humanitarian help and financial means is coming every day, here in Macedonia. Most of the refugees in Skopje where people stand in lines to enroll in from of the police stations, because if they not legally marked they don't have a right of status-refugee. The state is preparing camps for the refugees located in the area of Skopje. Still we don't have detailed information about the situation of Roma people, are they in their homes is certain that after the end of the war, we could not know the real number of the murdered, tortured Roma people from the reason that Roma isn't so important now. Some other questions of the conflict-sides are important, and Roma who are in the crossfire will get the worst. That was thew same in the Second World War when it was said it's not true that large number of Roma were executed. It wasn't war that Roma wanted. That is what the older Roma say who wanted. That is what the older Roma say who were 10 or 14 years old in the wart-time. As for the number of Roma refugees we can inform you that there are over 120 situated in Skopje. After instisting by Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo and contacts with the representatives of the Roma organizations from Skopje,and with Roma Center Skopje about the information how many Roma families from Kosovo are in Skopje.It was said that 100 Roma are here, situated in the houses of their relatives but with one problem, they are not signed in the police as refugees, because of the large crowds of people. A meeting in Skopje is planned for tomorrow the mayor of commune Suto Orizari-Nezdet Mustafa, in realizing the situation and making some decisions the situation and making some decisions about acting.

The are 32 Roma refugees in Kumanovo.
One family with 7 members, from Decani Kosovo, few families from Bujanovac, but according to the decision of the Government of R.M. refugees are considered only people from Kosovo, and these people won't be able to go back if they are forced to.Now they can stay here for 60 days .They are placed in native families and do not receive any help.In such conditions they are additional burden to the families.Some efforts were made to help them by the Roma organizations, but still without any success.Roma refugees who came in Kumanovo crossing the border at Tabanovce, considering the situation went to Skopje, and one family went in Bulgaria and from their in some of the European Countries.Roma refugees stay away from Kumanovo because in Kumanovo live many nationalities: Macedonian,Serbs,Albanians,Walachians, and the Roma are afraid from ethnical conflicts in the city because they know the history of this town about the Albanian question.

Situation in Macedonia
Demonstrations in the cities trough Macedonia against war in SR Yugoslavia are getting bigger and more often. The gov. in R. of Macedonia gives everyday information about the situation in our country, Claiming that the safety is guaranteed by the NATO forces, there are attempts of destabilization by some groups here in Macedonia. Financial help to Macedonia arrived. The air space of R.M.is not used for the attacks on Yugoslavia , said the vice-president of the Macedonian GOV.Mrs..radmila Kiprijanova.
On the other hand, all of the citizens are afraid, some of theme revolted from such statements because in the recent days many time through the night loud noises of air-planes were heard. Some of the citizens called the radio stations reacting nervously, saying why Macedonia should suffer consequences we have relatives in Yugoslavia , we don't want no killing more no matter what religion or nationality people are, we don't want to see our sister and brothers dying and is it possible Macedonia to be next involved in this pulp. This leads to the fact that the situation here in R.of Macedonia is critical. In the cities beside the border:with Kosovo: Tetovo,Gjostivar,Kumanovo,Skopje people feel big fear, but there is no excess. But on the other side it can't be said that there are no incidents with the representatives of NATO, with slogans "NATO go home". The statements of the NATO spokesman on CNN lead to the fact that NATO regard themselves as superior force no matter if there is going to be some other conflict in some other sovereign state and some other time.So much for the reactions of the citizens.

The situation of Roma
The gatherings of people on the streets are frequent, police protection is improved and increased. Yesterday there was a repression between the police and the local population in Tbanovce, near the Macedonian-Yugoslav border. The police was forced to use gas to put the situation in control. In these protests took part Macedonians, Serbs and small numbers of Roma. It provokaded some hate toward Roma by the Albanians and next day some Roma shoe-cleaners were threathenned and some of them bitten. It was because they gave support to the Serbs .Immediately after that the Roma organizations had a meeting where the situation was analyzed and it was siad that Roma should be informed not to take part in the anti NATO protests, because it means giving support to one of the sides in the conflict, and at the top of it the GOV.decision is not respected. Macedonia is country of the Roma.
The ROM must not be a marionette of someone and in case of war in Macedonia it is hardly to believe that someone will protect them. Just as information in Skopje the Humanitarian organization EL-HILAL is giving humanitarian help to Albanians from Kosovo. When the Roma asked for help they were said to go back in Kosovo and to fight. From such information we can predict the situation of Roma in the following period. These days I received some back-up information about my informing for some opinions that we, Roma should be quite, to get informed-to get together and to work with deeds in action, not words only. Well, I don't know if this informing of mine is not an action, the richness of the informing are the words, and in this moment my people is about to face very hard days, not only from the escalation of the conflicts in Macedonia, but also the economic crisis. Everyone can understand the information on his own, but the direct presence and feeling for these things is different from the opinion of the people who live far away from here. 90% of Roma people here are unemployed not by their guilt, most of them are social cases, they don't have finances to survive.
Hungry and frightened people need help in this situation, but not war and conflict, This is the statement and the appeal of the Roma in Macedonia.

God be with us all.
Elezovski Asmet Board member of RNC

Your help is welcome our contact address and bank account:

Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo
Lokalitet Serava zgrada 106, objekt 5, prizemje 7a
91300 Kumanovo,
Tel.fax:++38990127558

Donation Bank Account
Stopanska Banka a.d.Skopje
Broj na smetka:40100-620-42 – 20625
ZPP-Kumanovo- 40900-678-6121
Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo
Lokalitet serava prizemje 7a, 91300 Kumanovo
Tel.fax:++38990127558

For all of you from Macedonia Kumanovo 01.04.1999
Asmet Elezovski-members of the Board of Roma National Congress.
e-mail :Roma Community Center "DROM" Kumanovo
e-mail :Asmet Elesovski - RNC Board

[Main Page]