Recent Romnews postings
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 20:25:50 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Recent Romnews postings
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Roma National Congress <[email protected]>
Recent Romnews postings
Situation on Balkan
Visit to Macedonia by Nicolae Gheorghe OSCE ODIHR Adviser on Roma and
Sinti Issues
Serbia
According to the information received from Gargoljub Ackovic from
Belgrade NATO bombings in Serbia brought to increase of the number of
ruined houses, buildings, factories, roads, and many victims. A few
Roma houses in Belgrade were ruined, there were Roma victims and many
wounded people who were immediately hospitalized in Belgrade. It was
very difficult to obtain an information in the recent days. One
information from Roma in Vranje and Bujanovac says that if NATO
bombings go on Roma will be in very bad position.
Macedonia
The Macedonian government is helping the refugees with same intensity.
The number of new coming refugees on the borderline is reduced.
Foreign delegations are coming in Macedonia almost every day in order
to picture the situation of the refugees and the Macedonian citizens
in the same time. They declare that the citizens of Macedonia need
help too, because there are cases with greater difficulties for
survival of the Macedonian families than the refugees.
Roma Refugees
The number of Roma refugees in Macedonia is not increasing, according
to the evidence by the Roma organizations from Skopje, Tetovo,
Gostivar, Kumanovo, and the Commune Suto Orizari there are 2500 Roma
refugees in Macedonia situated trough many families. There are
unofficial information about bigger number of them, and an evidence of
Roma refugees in the camps must be done. Roma refugees accommodated in
families receive help (food) from the Roma NGO, received from foreign
donators.
Nicolae Gheorghe OSCE ODIHR �Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues - visit
of Macedonia
After the published information on the refugee crisis of Roma in
Kosovo and Serbia, their problems, by our informing on RomNews, we
were visited by Nicolae Gheorghe adviser on Roma and Sinti from
OSCE-Warsaw-Poland. All previous information for presence of Roma
refugees in the camps, registrating Roma as Albanians, no right for
the Roma from Serbia to take the status of refugee, were confirmed.
Nicolae Gheorghe on visit of Macedonia went to the Roma organizations
involved in giving help to the refugees, he had a meeting with the
mayor of Commune Suto Orizari Nezdet Mustafa, with the member of the
parliament Amdi Bajram, the representatives of the Macedonian
authorities and visited the camps Cegrane, Stenkovec and Blace.
Meanwhile an information was found out that there are Roma refugees
from Kosovo but registrated as Albanians. In Cegrane the families
stated that they signed down as Albanians on their own and there are
Roma who don't know the Roma language. Few Roma refugees are in
Stenkovec, and one in Blace who was prisoned in Kosovo before coming
in Macedonia, and he said that he would like to go abroad. We are not
mentioning their names on their request, but they are evidenced at
Nicolae G. Roma refugees from Serbia in organization of OSCE held a
meting with Roma NGO, political parties and foreign organizations
included in the work in camps dedicated to the Roma refugees from
Kosovo and Serbia. The mayor of Commune Suto Orizari Nezdet Mustafa
together with Nicolae visited the camps few times and had a miting
with the Roma refugees from Kosovo.
Kumanovo
Right in this moment there is no problem with the refugees, they
receive help in food, hygienic means, clothes, from foreign donators -
Karitas Essen, SB, Open Society Institute-Skopje, Roma Regional
Participation Program-Budapest, Macedonian Center for International
Collaboration, ADRA provided by the Roma Women's Organization
KHAM-Kumanovo) CRS-Skopje. We have good collaboration with the
organizations but there is one problem - transport vehicle for
refugees in few cities in Eastern Macedonia - Sveti Nikole, Stip,
Radovis, Vinica, Kriva Palanka. We are faced with big pressure and
need for the social endangered Roma families from Kumanovo to help
them and who are in very bad position because of the war and the
transition. We need help for 900 families or 4000 Roma.
Asmet Elezovski Board Member of the Roma National Congress
[email protected]
Account Number
Stopanska Banka a.d.Skopje
Broj na smetka:40100-620-42 � 20625
Roma Community Center "DROM"Kumanovo
Lokalitet serava prizemje 7a, 91300 Kumanovo
Tel.fax:++38990127558
Kumanovo 02.06.1999
23.00 h
----------------------
WOUNDED ROMA REFUGEES IN THE CAMP STENKOVEC
Kumanovo / MACEDONIA (RNN Correspondent) July the 7th, 1999
On Saturday night, June 05, around 20.00 h in front of the main gate
of camps Stenkovac occurred big fight - large croud of the Kosovar
Albanians attacked few families of Roma refugees from Kosovo. Reason
for the incident was intolerance between the two ethnical groups which
exists since they were in Kosovo, because the Albanians think that
Roma gave support to the regime of Serbia. Macedonian police is
securing the camp from outside, they intervened and didn't allowed
more stronger incidents. The wounded people 15 were taken to the
military Hospital in Skopje by the UNCHR cars. Three Roma people were
badly wounded. They were thought of members of the Yugoslav Army who
terrorized the Albanians in Kosovo. The word is about Nazmi Halili 52
years old, Abduli Halimi 23 years from Podujevo and Malici Veli 27
years from Urosevac, they were said that they came few days ago.
At the moment of incident the members of the German hospital helped to
the wounded Roma people in the camp, and then they found shelter in
the tent of the catholic humanitarian organization.
The American ambassador Christopher Hill came on the spot calm the
whole situation, Albanian high functionary in the Gov..of R. of
Macedonia. The gathered crowd of Albanians (about 5000) in fury wanted
to lynch those Roma people. After the words of the American ambassador
Christopher Hill, the crowd disappeared around midnight inside the
camp. Pola Ghedini - spokesman of UNCHR announced that there is always
been a problem between the Albanians and Roma since their
accommodating in the camps.
There were journalists, foreign organizations on the place. Though she
announced that, this is the first public statement and any information
for the problem at all up to now.
Nobody said nothing of it by now. The Albanians want those people to
taken to the International Court in Haag and receive their punishment.
If the work is not succeeding by one side then some other alternatives
are needed. Are the Roma one of the alternatives?
Roma families from Kosovo are declaring now: "it will be better to
kill us here than to put us back in the camp".
They are very grateful to the Macedonian police because the police
saved them from the fury. Therefore a question is raised: "why all
this happened and to whose behalf is this, why Paula Ghedini was quiet
by now for the presence of the Roma people in the camps and the
problems they are facing with?
>From whom these Roma people from Kosovo will seek justice and help,
only from God or?
Asmet Elezovski member of the Roma National Congress
Kumanovo 07.06.1999
----------------------
Romanian Kalderash Roma in Argentina
Argentina (RNN Correspondent) June the 7th, 1999
Since the Argentinian government decided to open the frontiers to
immigrants from the Eastern Countries. Since 1994 approximately have
been arriving People from Russia, Ukrainia and Bulgaria, and among
them a flux of Rumanian Kalderash Roma have been arriving into this
country incesantly. The first arrivers settled in one of the
neighboorhoods of Buenos Aires and got closed to others Kalderash. The
newcomers are so many that they are creating their own Romanian Romany
Kalderash Community apart in this same neighboorhood were until now
they are living in board-houses.
Jorge M. Bernal
----------------------
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 ACKNOWLEDGE 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
==============================================================