24.05.99

According to Ministry of Interior (MVR), in the last 24 hours, 4.548 refugees entered Macedonia, while 3.765 of them entered in borderland Blace. 132.375 refugees have the status of humanitarian cared person. 119.907 refugees have been settled in families.

Yesterday, 865 refugees were transferred to third countries using airlift. Up to now, 65.700 refugees left Macedonia using airlift.

According to the information of Directorate of interior in Tetovo, yesterday about 1.000 refugees illegally crossed Macedonia in the region of Tetovo. Kosovar refugees have been found near villages Pervce, Odri and Beloviste. Yesterday night they have been settled in camps Neprosteno and Cegrane.

According to the daily newspaper Makedonija Denes, refugee camps in Bojane and Radusa, located in a protected zone "Rasche", present a potential danger for bespattering of underground spring water, are saying in Republican Institute for health care. According to the analyses of Center for sanitation control, up to now, drinkable water has maximum of permitted concentration of chlorine. Professional stuff is suggesting dislocation of camps or setting up infrastructure for clearing of excrement waters.

According to the daily newspaper Dnevnik, UNHCR is ready to give promised 800.000 US dollars to the Ministry of health of Macedonia, but the guarantee letter for using that money has not been signed yet. In UNHCR it’s not clear why representatives of Ministry of health aren’t signing the letter. In the Ministry of health say that this happened because of former minister’s resignation and the vacuum that appeared until the new one was chosen, and today is expected this guarantee letter to be signed.

According to the daily newspaper Flaka, UNHCR is ready to transfer about 65.000 refugees settled in camps in Macedonia and Northern Albania, to the camps that will be built in region of Korca, in Albania for three weeks. That has to be done in order to free some places in camps for the new influx of refugees that is expecting to arrive in Macedonia in the days that are coming. For that reason, a delegation of kosovar refugees settled in camps Stenkovec and Cegrane, organized by UNHCR were in visit to camp Chatromi in Albania, to be informed with the life conditions in this camp and to tell to the other refugees what that they have seen there and to make easier for them to decide whether to go there or not.