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UNMIK-KFOR- UNMIK Police-UNHCR Press Briefing, 23 July 2001 UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel Susan Manuel IAC Cancelled As SRSG Hans Haekkerup will be meeting with US President George Bush tomorrow at Camp Bondsteel, there will be no Interim Administrative Council meeting this week. Mr. Haekkerup will meet with IAC members separately this week. Civil Registration A reminder that Civil registration has been ongoing in Kosovo and that habitual residents of Kosovo must be registered on the civil registry in order to vote. This is a particular message to Kosovo Serbs. We believe most K Albanians registered last year, although many have still not picked up their ID cards. Kosovo Turks have been registering in the past several weeks. Some 5,200 have registered this year in Prizren. You need to register to be considered a habitual resident of Kosovo. Registration will enable you to have an identity card which you may need to access various social services. UN Registration Centers are open in all municipalities to allow those people who have not registered last year to do so.After 30 July, the IOM and OSCE will be registering displaced persons in Serbia and Montenegro. Both organisations are also very concerned about the security of the data. Every effort will be made to ensure the security of personal information to ensure that personal information is not distributed out of the registration centres. OSCE has issued a press released noting the end of the period for
political party If a party has had serious problems meeting the deadline for application, it can ask the Central Election Commission for an extension. IOM A multiethnic internet center in Fushe Kosova/Kosovo Polje, will be officially inaugurated on 25 July at the OSCE Cultural Center at 4 p.m. The center has been supported by the Kosovo Transition Initiative program, implemented by IOM and the USAID. On 26 July, IOM will hand over the Kosovo Information Assistance Initiative (KIAI) Internet Center in Pristina to the National and University Library at 10 a.m. The KIAI was created to help locate relatives and family members through the internet, during the dramatic times of the exodus of the Albanian population. Now that there are plenty of internet centers in Kosovo, the time has come to had over the IOM/KIAI internet center to local institutions. Journalists are invited to both the events. Sqdrn. Ldr. Roy Brown KFOR Not In FYROM Air Space Unfortunately, this weekend has again seen reports in the media, openly criticizing KFOR actions, but which, on investigation, turn out to have no basis in fact at all. Let me take this opportunity to put the record straight for you. Media reports, based on a statement made by the FYROM MOD, claim that an American Chinook helicopter landed in the villages of Sipkovica and Brodec and speculated that it was delivering supplies to the NLA. I can assure you that these reports are wholly and completely inaccurate. The only KFOR helicopter active, at the time these incidents are alleged to have taken place, was a German CH 53 that was delivering equipment related to the construction of a radio relay station, close to the border but inside Kosovo. At no time did this helicopter cross into FYROM airspace and it most certainly did not land inside the FYROM. You are aware, because we have taken and shown you and we have honestly briefed you on the success we have had, so you know, that since early June, KFOR has put considerable effort into securing the border with the FYROM and interdicting the supply lines to the NLA. To suggest that we might now supply them by helicopter is, quite frankly, absurd. Helicopter Flares in FYROM While on the subject of helicopters, there have also been concerns raised by the FYROM MOD, and in the media, about KFOR helicopters dispensing flares while flying over Skopje. There is nothing sinister in this. KFOR helicopters, operating in the FYROM, are equipped with sophisticated self defense systems that automatically dispense flares when the aircraft is subject to certain radio signals. These defense systems, which are designed to protect the aircraft against the type of shoulder-launched surface-to-air-missiles that we have intercepted in past weapons seizures, are some times triggered by a combination of the many radio signals emanating from the Skopje region. Whilst the situation remains volatile in the FYROM it will only be prudent for us to continue to operate with these systems switched on. Children & Ammunition Let me now appeal to you to try to reach the children of Kosovo, through their parents and teachers, in order to remind them of the dangers of handling ammunition and unexploded ordnance. There have been a number of occasions recently when children have handed these items to KFOR soldiers: Last week children rolled a grenade towards a KFOR guard because they were afraid to go up to them, on Saturday children handed in two ammunition magazines for an AK-47 assault rifle with 60 rounds of ammunition and only yesterday children handed in a 20mm round to Station 4 here in Pristina. While we are grateful that these items are being removed from circulation and it is pleasing to see that the children of Kosovo are prepared to embrace a society free from the gun culture of the past, handling ammunition and unexploded ordnance is extremely dangerous. It is very often unstable and sometimes booby-trapped. We would not wish a child to be maimed or even killed through handling these materials; it is much better that they inform KFOR of the location of these items and allow the experts to retrieve them safely. Training Exercise Finally, on Thursday, Multinational Brigade East will be conducting a training exercise with approximately 100 members of the KPC in Brasaljce. They will be trained in first aid, medical evacuation and fire fighting. This training session is open to the media and journalists interested in covering the event should sign in with our media ops staff downstairs. Spokesman Derek Chappell Accept the law or accept anarchy Last week we drew your attention to the problem of a public that seems resistant to the imposition of law and order, especially by their own police. On July 21 near Lipljan, a KPS officer on patrol spoke to the driver of a car that had been illegally parked. The driver was given a verbal warning and allowed to leave. Two hours later the driver returned, with a group of friends. They searched for the KPS officer, surrounded and threatened him. The group attacked and injured the officer, who defended himself with his baton. The attackers fled and the KPS officer went to hospital for treatment. The gang then went to the hospital and again threatened him as he was being treated. Further threats were made to the Police Station against the officer. Three K-Albanian males have been now arrested. When the officer first spoke to the driver of the car parked illegally he could have issued a ticket or he could have towed the car. Instead, he used discretion and judgment, which saved the driver money. For his consideration he was repaid with violence. It seems that many people feel that their personal pride and ego is above the law. Living in a civilized community means accepting that there are limits to your individual freedom. Major Anti-Burglary Initiative While major crime - murders, bombings, shootings - attracts attention,
it is the less dramatic normal criminal acts such as burglaries and thefts
that most affect the lives of ordinary people. Police Recover Stolen School Computers Students at a school in Urosevac will be enjoying the use of their school computers when they return to school in September. In a particularly cruel and callous act, thieves broke into the community school and stole three computers. As a result of an investigation, all three were recovered and returned to the school on July 20th. A K-Albanian male has been arrested and Police are seeking others. To steal from children, surely those in the most need in Kosovo, is despicable and we are pleased to be able these youngster get the education they need. Police Patrol Interrupt Armed Robbery On July 21st in Pristina a routine patrol discovered an armed robbery in progress. Three males, armed with a gun, attacked the occupant of a flat near Police Station 1 as he returned home. He was hit on the head and threatened. After a fight in which he attempted to escape, he was overpowered and taken into his own home by the gunmen. A nearby Police patrol was alerted and attend the address. One male was
arrested in the flat, one was chased and caught as he tried to escape. The
third male is being sought. Prostitution Enforcement On the 12th of July UNMIK Police in Prizren received information about a bar at which four women were being compelled, through threats and beatings, to work as prostitutes. Following a week of investigation, a K-Albanian male suspect was identified as controlling the women. A search warrant was obtained and on July 20, Prizren Trafficking and Prostitution Unit, supported by the MSU Carabinieri, raided the ROMANTIKA bar. The targeted suspect, a 29-year-old male, was found and arrested. This is the second operation against this bar for prostitution offences. In Nov 2000, the then owner of the bar was arrested for trafficking in women. However, on account of the shortcomings of the old Yugoslav law against prostitution, he was released in Feb. By that time UNMIK had a new regulation defining trafficking and prescribing punishments for the offence. Following another complaint against him, just 3-4 days after his release, the man was arrested again and has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment under the new regulation. Vehicular Homicide Reckless and dangerous driving, with no regard to public safety, continues to take a deadly toll on Kosovo roads. On July 20th the result was a double tragedy in which two children, aged 7 and 8, were run down while tending their family cows. At 7 p.m. on Route Dog (Pristina - Pec), near the village of Korotina the two cousins had just tended their cows across the road. An Audi approached at a speed we estimate to be around 150 km/h. At this speed the car had no chance to stop or avoid the boys. After skidding 140 meters the car ploughed into both boys killing them instantly. The driver was arrested and is in custody. Driving a car on public roads at these speeds is much like shooting a gun down a crowded street. It reflects an attitude by people who refuse to accept limits on their personal freedom. Overview Looking back on the last week, we are pleased to announce that no murder case was recorded. The number of attempt murders as well as the number of kidnappings decreased from 8 to 5, and from 5 to 3 recorded cases. Reported arsons increased slightly from 4 to 6 cases. Across Kosovo, 172 persons were arrested, the majority being in Mitrovica, Prizren and Pec. 8 persons were arrested for outstanding major crimes, 6 of them for Attempted murder. Overall crime rate has decreased from 480 cases the week before to 479 cases this week, whereas intimidation and assault cases still form the majority of the reported incidents. Astrid van Genderen Stort Figures Total Number of Arrivals Since the Beginning of the
Conflict: 75,703 Estimated number of returnees approximately 15,669 Estimated Total remaining 60,032 Overall Situation: Refugees/Returnees from/to fYRoM The overall refugee/returnee situation has continued to fluctuate, with considerable numbers of people arriving in Kosovo and slightly more people returning to fYROM (to in particular Skopje, Kumanovo and Tetovo). As of today over 15,000 people have been reported returning to fYROM, with over 4000 people returning over the past days. At the same time there are still over 60,000 people remaining in Kosovo several (around 2500) who arrived over the past ten days. These people decided to leave fYRoM, unclear of what the political negotiations will lead to. Over the past weeks several heads of families went through Blace border crossing to fYROM to check out the security situation. Some of these later brought over their families, clearly indicating though that the stay in FYROM might only be temporary, depending on the situation. Those that came to Kosovo came for precautionary reasons and were mainly from Skopje and Tetovo towns. Among them there were several cases of people originally from Haracina/Aracinovo. These people fled to Kosovo before, then returned to Skopje. When they realized however that they could not go back to their village they returned to Kosovo. It should be noted that most of the refugees do not stop at the UNHCR site and proceed straight to their destinations, which indicate that they have family ties in Kosovo and arrangements for their stays have been made previously. It also shows that it is difficult to know the exact number of new arrivals. Most of the new arrivals through Jazince/Globocica came from Tetovo and the surrounding villages. They fled because of the continuing unstable security situation in their area. There were also arrivals from Gostivar who mentioned that the tragic mine-accident of Friday in Novo Selo, which killed three EUMM staff has caused further concern about the overall security in the area. Those coming from villages north of Tetovo mentioned sporadic shooting which took place in the Drenovec neighbourhood of Tetovo, and in Recica the Large. IDP Returns On Friday 20 July UNHCR organised the return of 43 ethnic Albanian IDPs (8 families) to Presevo town, Gornja Susaja and Bukovac in southern Serbia. This is the fourth return movement organised by UNHCR over the past weeks. Most of the returnees going back on these return movement are people that fled the area in 1999 and remained as IDP's in Gnilane/Gnjilane area ever since. The Special Envoy. Mr. Eric Morris visited Presevo municipality the same day, met with the Deputy Mayor of Preshevo town and visited the villages Gornja Susaja, Bujic and Depce (Ukmemet hamlet) and met with returnees. Despite the positive developments in the process of return, it is clear that there is a long way to go in order to make the return of IDPs sustainable. UNHCR will continue to organise more return movements. This week there will be a return on Wednesday to the villages of Cerevajka, Peceno, Sefer, Stanevce and Sukajt in Karadag area. On Friday a small group- upon their own request and insistence- will return to the totally destroyed village of Bujic, where they initially will live in tents and focus on commencing the build up of the village. Questions: Q: Will COMKFOR meet President Bush? Q: KFOR and the Macedonian government has worked closely together in
the past. After the alleged incident with the American helicopter,
does this mean cooperation with the FYROM Ministry of Defense (MOD)
failed? Q: How many times has the territory of Kosovo been violated by the
Macedonians? Q: What is the update on the Krivenic report. Q: We have heard that there are logistical liaisons between KFOR and
the Macedonian Army. How many are there, what to they do and will
those people continue to liaison between the two sides? Q: Can we have the KFOR Krivenic report and its conclusion? Q: The FYROM MOD insists that two American helicopters landed there
yesterday. Is it possible that two choppers could land there and no
one would notice? How can they say that they did land if they
didn't? Q: UNMIK Police mentioned children being killed on the roads by
speeding drivers. Why aren't there police on the roads?
Q: Is President Bush going to meet the IAC members tomorrow? Q: UNHCR mentioned the destroyed village. Who will pay to restore
the houses?
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