- Title: MACEDONIA: EXODUS OF KOSOVO ALBANIANS INTO MACEDONIA CONTINUES UNABATED
- Date: 24th May 1999
- Summary: BLACE CROSSING, MACEDONIA (MAY 24, 1999)(REUTERS) NIGHTSHOTS: 1. SLV BORDER POST 0.08 2. SLV BUSES LEAVING BORDER TO TAKE REFUGEES TO STANKOVIC CAMP / SLV PEOPLE STANDING AROUND (3 SHOTS) 0.29 3. SLV UNHCR VEHICLE 0.40 4. SLV REFUGEES WAITING IN NO-MANS-LAND (3 SHOTS) 1.04 5. SCU SOUNDBITE (english) ASTRID VON GENDEREN STORT, UNHCR FIELD OFFICER SPEAKS:"The've been kept here all day and they didn't want to order buses before hand. They didn't allow us to get any buses. They tried to get these buses to Albania. That's been reversed. They're now going to Stankovic ONE, and the rest is going in the holding area and tommorrow we'll see further." 1.26 6. SLV BUSES EN ROUTE TO STANKOVIC CAMP (2 SHOTS) 1.53 7. SLV REFUGEES IN NO-MANS-LAND 1.59 8. SCU SOUNDBITE(english)DENIS MCNAMARA, REGIONAL UNHCR COORDINATOR, SPEAKS "The asylum that was promised to the secretary-general should be met as we've agreed so hopefully it was a misunderstanding and we can do business as usual tommorrow." 2.07 9. SLV REFUGEES BEING PUT INTO TEMPORARY HOLDING CAMP AT BORDER (8 SHOTS) 3.05 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th June 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BLACE, MACEDONIA
- Country: Macedonia
- Reuters ID: LVA4KVVCONJ3E8R1QCSAK9YM96PU
- Story Text: The exodus of Kosovo Albanians into Macedonia has
continued unabated, and refugees are being allowed into the
country after the officials tried to bus them directly to
Albania.
The've been kept here all day and they didn't want to
order buses before hand.They didn't allow us to get any
buses.They tried to get these buses to Albania.That's been
reversed, said UNHCR field officer Astrid von Genderen Stort
at the Blace border crossing on Monday (May 24) morning.
On Sunday refugees had been held in no-man's-land as the
Macedonian authorities attempted to move them directly to
Albania, but UNHCR officials intervened, and buses were
allowed to take the refugees on to Stankovic camp.
Denis McNamara, the regional UNHCR coordinator, said he
hoped the "misunderstanding" was over.
"The asylum that was promised to the secretary-general (of
the UN) should be met as we've agreed so hopefully it was a
misunderstanding and we can do business as usual tommorrow,"
he said.
On Saturday, some 7,000 refugees fled into Macedonia
through the Blace crossing, some 30 km (18 miles) to the north
of the Macedonian capital Skopje.Another 700 came via other
routes.It was the biggest influx in one day since May 4, when
nearly 9,000 came over.Another 7000 were reported to be
waiting to enter Macedonia on Sunday.
Thousands of Kosovo Albanians fled to Macedonia every day
in April and early May.The influx stopped when the Macedonian
government, saying it could not cope with the massive flow of
refugees, closed the border.
The exodus resumed a week ago.
There are now 226,000 Kosovo refugees in Macedonia, of
whom 75,000 are in camps and the rest sheltered by the local
Albanian community.
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