ALBANIA: KOSOVO BORDER UPDATE
(17 Apr 1999) English/Nat Thousands of Kosovo refugees continued to pour into northern Albania on Friday as Serb forces allegedly continue to shell Albanian border villages further north in Yugoslavia. It has been the largest influx of ethnic Albanians in over a week and relief workers say many of them are in the worst condition they've seen. A convoy of tractors, cars and trucks queues at the border checkpoint, but many more arrive on foot. The Albanian government has sent army trucks to ferry refugees away from the crowded border camp at Kukes. All of the people who arrived on Friday were from Kosovo's Mitrovica region. Some are saying that there is a pattern to the way Serb forces are allegedly driving out the ethnic Albanians from their homes. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I would say that we are getting people by package. It means that today's Mitrovica, Two days ago it was Istok and Serbica etc It seems that they (Serb forces) make their ethnic cleansing in a very systematic way and that they take a group of villages or people from a city, and they send them to the border." SUPER CAPTION: Jacques Franquin, United Nations refugee worker For some, the journey was too much to bear and medical teams laid out stretchers to help the weak. Refugees were handed cups of warm milk and beans to strengthen them after days on the road. SOUNDBITE: (English) "One can only assume that these are part of that crowd. When the flow ceased a few days ago, the refugee flow completely stopped and the road emptied except for vehicles. And now that we're getting large numbers of refugees it's good news at least that the fate of these people have now been confirmed." SUPER CAPTION: Aid worker The World Food Programme aid agency says they are preparing to rush 150 tonnes of high-protein biscuits to the area. The new wave of people has only intensified the refugee crisis in the already impoverished Albanian country. Albania also fears the additional influx of ethnic Albanians will destabilise the country's own fragile ethnic balance. 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...
