Recent Romnews postings
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 17:59:09 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Recent Romnews postings
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Roma National Congress <[email protected]>
Recent Romnews postings
GERMANY PREVENTS ROMA ENTERING COUNTRY
Valid passports but empty wallets
Prague/CZECH REP., Hamburg/GERMANY (RNN Agencies)
February the 10th, 1999
German border guards have stopped a group of Roma travellers crossing
the border from the Czech Republic, according to a report from the RNN
agency onTuesday. The tour group wanted to go to Germany and Belgium
by bus, the agency reported that they were turned away from the border
crossing at Rozvadoz-Waidhaus because they couldn't prove that they
had the DM50 per day per person necessary to stay in Germany.
This caused the group, four adults and ten children, to go back. The
agency also reported that a Slovakian group, nine adults and thirteen
children, refused to be turned away and had to be brought to a Czech
railway station.
Roma have long complained about discrimination in the Czech Republic.
In 1997 several hundred travelled to the UK and Canada looking for
asylum (RNN reported). Only a few hundred met with success.
--------------------------------------
RNC Press Conference in Bern concerning the Swiss Fund for Needy
Victims of the Holocaust-Shoah
February the 9th, 1999
On Tuesday, February 9, 1999, the RNC gave a press conference in Bern,
Switzerland about irregularities in the distribution of funds from the
Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust Shoa.
The RNC presented 4 Roma Holocaust survivors from Poland who were
acting on behalf of 41 others who are claiming that they were spoiled
by the Roma Organisation in Auschwitz and its president Mr.
Kwiatkowski. The victims are alleging that they received from Mr.
Kwiatkowski the sum of 1'500 Zlotys (around 600.- SFr.) instead of the
total allocated help of 1'500.- SFr. They only knew they were cheated
upon receiving a letter in Romanes from the Swiss Fund for Needy
Victims of the Holocaust Shoa stating they had received the full sum.
According to the Swiss Fund spokeman, Mr. L. Wolffers, the Roma
Organisation in Auschwitz actually received funds for 245 victims. Of
these 245, about 100 were paid in front of a representative of Atag,
Ernst & Young, the firm in charge of reviewing the handling of funds
for the Swiss Fund partner organisations.
The RNC stated in its press conference that the victims were under
severe threats from the Roma Organisation in Auschwitz and that two
members of the RNC coordination office in Poland were severely beaten
up by thugs in the presence of Mr. Kwiatkowski. For that reason the
RNC, the RNC coordination office has been moved to the Czech Republic.
Mr. Kwiatkowski had been introduced to the Swiss Fund for Needy
Victims of the Holocaust Shoa in early 1998, a fact confirmed by the
press representative of the Polish Embassy in Bern who attended the
press conference.
Mr. Kawczynski stated that the structure of the Swiss Fund for Needy
Victims of the Holocaust-Shoa, and especially its use of "partner"
organisation, i.e. organisation which submit lists of victims and then
distribute the humanitarian help was a "free lunch for the Holocaust
Industry". He subsequently asked the Swiss Fund to distribute the
money directly to the victims. The RNC further added that the Fund was
guilty of dereliction of duty in not properly checking and insuring
the distribution of its help to victims of the Holocaust. The RNC
spokeman further alleged that the Swiss Fund had been informed as
early as August 1998 and had not undertaken the appropriate steps to
correct the matter nor to contact and discuss the matter directly with
the victims.
During the conference, the RNC demanded the resignation of Mr. Rajko
Djuric, the Roma representative in the Swiss Fund's advisory board on
the grounds that he did not properly inform Roma of the Fund's work;
that he did not help the Polish Roma victims who were cheated and that
he is not a representative of the entire Roma community. The RNC even
added that they had information that Mr. Djuric presented lists for
10'000 Roma victims of the Holocaust, list whose whereabouts are
currently not known (according to the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of
the Holocaust Shoa). The RNC stated it is currently checking the
facts.
The RNC asked the Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust to
clean up its act, distribute the money directly to the victims, be
transparent, that is state which organisation received funds and to
actually pay the spoiled Roma from Poland.
The RNC further indicated they had set up a hotline and commission to
evaluate the further rumours of other irregularities in the
distribution of humanitarian help from the Swiss Fund for Needy
Victims of the Holocaust.
The RNC representatives as well as the victims themselves met the
speaker of the Swiss Fund after the press conference. Meanwhile, the
Swiss Fund has announced a press conference on Tuesday, February 16,
1999 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Internet: http://rnn-swiss-nazi-gold.8m.com
RNC Holocaust Hotline
Western Europe
(++49-40) 319 42 49
Eastern Europe
(++420-181) 723 011
--------------------------------------
RomNews is published by the Roma National Congress on a Non-commercial
basis
European Central Office:
Simon von Utrechtstr. 85
D - 20359 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: ++ 49 40 319 42 49
Fax: ++ 49 40 31 04 75
URL: http://www.romnews.com
Emergency Hotline ( Phone ): ++ 49 171 8931 831
Emergency Hotline ( Fax ): ++ 49 171 8910 702
Emails:
Editorial Office: [email protected]
Send News to: [email protected]
Comments: [email protected]
RomNews Network: [email protected]
Moderator Listserver: [email protected]
ITEMS PUBLISHED IN ROMNEWS ARE COPYRIGHT OF THE RNC
PLEASE ACKNOWLEGDE ROMNEWS NETWORK / RNC WHEN QUOTING.
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================