UN accuses Russia of forcing refugees to return home

[David McDuff]

21 February 2004

UN accuses Russia of forcing Chechen refugees to return home - radio
report [BBC Monitoring]

[Presenter] The UN has accused the Russian authorities of forcing
Chechen refugees to return to their homeland from Ingushetia. Dariya
Sakhnovskaya has the details.

[Correspondent] The UN's refugee agency claims that heating was cut
off in winter in camps to try and force refugees to return to
Groznyy. In an interview with Radio Svoboda, UN representative Kris
Janowski said that in such conditions it was impossible to talk about
the voluntary return of refugees. Meanwhile, a new centre for
temporarily housing returning refugees opened yesterday in Groznyy.
The Chechen authorities said that it would house people who leave
camps in Ingushetia. Some refugees left Ingushetia and returned to
Chechnya on 10 February. Twenty families left the Bart refugee camp.
Head of the department for refugees Akhmed Tomov said that the
increase in refugees returning to Chechnya was due to the fact that a
special intergovernmental commission was working in Ingushetia.
Officials are explaining matters to refugees. The commission's
members explain to refugees that if they return home, their lives
will not be in danger and that the republic's authorities will look
after them and arrange for compensation to be paid for lost housing
and property.

[Presenter] Akhmed Tomov said that the Bart camp would be closed down
completely on 1 March. All housing and utility services have already
been warned about this.

[ethics]

Here's a good example of UN's impotence. They have been "dismayed" and accusing despots and tyrants for decades, David. Where were they in Uganda and Congo? Where were they in the days of Pol Pot?

Bleh!

[David McDuff]

Here's a good example of UN's impotence. They have been "dismayed" and accusing despots and tyrants for decades, David. Where were they in Uganda and Congo? Where were they in the days of Pol Pot?

Bleh!

Sadly, it's true - the UN can no longer be used as a reference for what is right in the world and what is not. I believe it's true to say that out of 191 member countries in the UN, over 60 percent are dictatorships.

The UN has never debated the genocide in Rwanda, and around one third of its resolutions have been used to condemn the state of Israel. Libya was chosen as the leader of the Human Rights Commission and Syria as leader of the Security Council.

Not much comfort there for the people of Chechnya. Meanwhile, military co-operation between Russia and Syria continues, along with the transfer of nuclear technology, in spite of all the phony Russian claims of "defeating al Qaeda".

[ethics]

People tell me, "oh you feel that way about UN because of Iraq" and my reply is that Iraq was the last straw. By accusing a country without any force to back it up the UN is making that tyrant do things covertly rather than openly. Not sure how that's beneficial.

Bah, this is just depressing. And to know that the UN, the money sucking monstrosity that is impotent as hell is only a few blocks away from me.

[David McDuff]

Bah, this is just depressing. And to know that the UN, the money sucking monstrosity that is impotent as hell is only a few blocks away from me.

It's probably high time the UN was taken away from New York and moved to somewhere more appropriate, like Paris or Damascus. In fact, I believe there have been rumours that something of the kind may in fact occur.

[ethics]

It's probably high time the UN was taken away from New York and moved to somewhere more appropriate, like Paris or Damascus. In fact, I believe there have been rumours that something of the kind may in fact occur.
From your mouth (keyboard) to God's ears.

[Allene]

From your mouth (keyboard) to God's ears.

I don't have the impressive statistical bank you guys can draw on at will, but for pure, unadulterated spinelessness, the UN is hard to beat!