CROATIA: KNIN: SERB CIVILIANS REFUGEES FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE

(12 Aug 1995) English/Nat

Serb civilians who found shelter in a United Nations base during the Croatian assault on Knin are facing an uncertain future.

After leaving the base, they must now choose whether they want to live together with Croats, or live elsewhere.

For a time, this UN base in Knin offered a haven for some of the Serbian civilians seeking shelter from the Croatian advance in Krajina.

Now, as they leave the camp, they face an uncertain future and a difficult choice: whether to live in an area now occupied by Croatian forces, or whether to leave the region entirely.

They represent some of the civilians now accounted for following the attack on Krajina and an exodus of about 100-thousand Serbian refugees.

The fate of the refugees is often shrouded in reports of killings and human rights violations.

The 800 or so civilians at this camp have had to confront documented incidents of violence against their countrymen.

To them, the future is anything but secure.

SOUNDBITE:
"There have been a number of people who have chosen to leave, either to go back to their villages around Knin or in Knin, it's a small number, and we'll just see what the choices are by those who which to stay in the camp at the present time. "
SUPER CAPTION: Allun Roberts - UN spokesman

The Croatian government has promised safe return to all Serbian civilians not accused of war crimes.

But whether these people chose to stay or leave, they are unlikely to believe in any guarantees.

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