26.05.99

According to the daily newspaper Dnevnik, about 15.000 refugees are waiting to be emptied transit center in Blace, so they can enter Macedonia. According to the Ministry of Interior (MVR), in the last 24 hours, 8.421 refugees entered Macedonia, while 6.680 of them entered in borderland Bllace and also 73 illegal entries were registered. The total number of refugees in Macedonia now is 257.118, while 135.851 of them have the status of humanitarian cared people. 91.267 refugees have been settled in camps, while 135.851 refugees have been settled in families.

Yesterday, 1.142 refugees were transferred to third countries using airlift. Up to now, 66.991 refugees left Macedonia using airlift.

UNHCR spokesman in Macedonia, Ron Redmond, yesterday said that a new refugee crisis could happen in Macedonia, because in last three days, about 22.000 refugees entered Macedonia, and a large number is waiting to enter Macedonia.

According to the minister of urban planing and construction, Dushko Kadievski, a new refugee camp, located in village Vrapchishte, will be built. Its capacity will be for about 20.000 refugees, and American government will finance it.

According to UNHCR, a new camp for 10.000 to 12.000 refugees will be built near to the existing camp in Cegrane.

According to the daily newspaper Nova Makedonija, the manager from UNHCR of camp Stenkovec 1, Aurvasi Patel, said that for this humanitarian organization building of mounted barracks is a routine work and now they are in preparation phase for this task.

According to the daily newspaper Nova Makedonija, Dutch Prime Minister Vim Kok visited camp in Cegrane, and during that visit he showed interest for health situation in this camp. Hi also had e few conversations with some refugees about life conditions in this camp.

According to the daily newspaper Dnevnik, Philip Ricker, official of American Embassy in Skopje, yesterday denied what "Dnevnik" yesterday wrote, about ambassador’s Christopher Hill interview for CNN. In that interview he "allegedly" said that USA is planning to built thousands of mounted houses in refugee camps in Macedonia. Ricker said that it is an misunderstanding, because when he mentioned the possibility of building mounted houses, ambassador Hill said that in a context of a lot of possibilities for caring refugees in winter conditions.

According to the daily newspaper Dnevnik, Macedonian government will send a protest letter to UN high commissioner for refugees, Sadako Ogata, because UNHCR in Macedonia is obstructing process of transferring refugees to Albania. Vice-minister of foreign affairs, Boris Trajkovski, said that UNHCR in Macedonia is making politics, while they should take care for refugees.

According to the daily newspaper Vecer, UNHCR, up to now paid all expenses for burying refugees that have died in refugee camps Stenkovec and Bojane, but henceforth they will not pay for muezzins prays during mortal ceremony. Henceforth these expenses should be paid by latte’s family, if they want muezzin to say prays for him. Burying expenses are 19.000 denars. Up to now, 30 refugees died in camps Stenkovec and Bojane.

According to the daily newspaper Fakti, yesterday, borderland Blace was closed from early in the morning up to midday.

According to the daily newspaper Fakti, HO "Drita" from Debar, even that they are a new organization (a few months), they are helping about 2.000 refugees.