ALBANIA: KOSOVO CRISIS: KOSOVO REFUGEES UPDATE

(1 Apr 1999) English/Nat The flow of refugees into Albania continued from the embattled Yugoslav province of Kosovo on Thursday. About 100-thousand refugees have already poured into Albania alone, and the U-N refugee agency says it expects the total to reach 150-thousand, causing problems for the government in one of the poorest countries in the world. Albania is struggling to cope with the continuing flow of refugees from Kosovo. The stream of people crossing the border continued undiminished on Thursday. The West is in the process of mounting a major aid operation for the Kosovan refugees, but Albania is still waiting for supplies to arrive in quantity. Although the numbers of refugees coming through is still high, their progress has slowed. And Albanian authorities are now registering them individually Refugees arriving in northern Albania from southern Kosovo are now complaining that NATO airstrikes in those areas have been ineffective, hitting military buildings already abandoned by the Yugoslav army. They said soldiers were staying in homes left behind by the fleeing ethnic Albanians. Some recounted how Serb forces had forced them to leave their homes. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We left Pristina because we had to left Pristina, they gave us about five minutes to leave our houses and if we not do that thing we take a ball (bullet)" SUPER CAPTION: Nehad Cetaky, mechanic In the town of Kukes, soldiers from the Kosovo Liberation Army were checking vehicles entering Albania and conscripting Kosovo Albanian men young and fit enough to fight. But most of those entering the town were not strong enough for military service. Some of those who needed it were lucky enough to receive medical treatment in the town's hospital. But for old and young alike the future is uncertain. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Our future? I don't know really. I can't imagine how can our future be now. We hope, now we are alive. I don't know." SUPER CAPTION: Refugee According to the U-N about 180-thousand ethnic Albanians have fled Kosovo since NATO airstrikes began nine days ago. At least 100-thousand have entered Albania, 3-thousand have reached Macedonia and 30-thousand are now in Montenegro. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...