Information on the protection offered by Croatian authorities to ethic Croatians from other parts of the country who are displaced persons living in Zagreb [HRV17494.E]

According to an official at the Croatian Government Office for Displaced Refugees and Displaced Persons in Zagreb, displaced ethnic Croatians from other parts of Croatia living in Zagreb have the same rights and privileges as other Croatian citizens (18 May 1994). The official stated that in the region of Zagreb there are approximately 54,000 displaced Croatians from areas of Croatia currently under Serbian Control (ibid.). He stated that these individuals live in private residences or in "centres" administered and financed by the government (ibid.). According to the source, a centre for displaced persons and refugees may be a hostel, converted army or workers' barracks, or a new settlement consisting of prefabricated housing (ibid.). He said that in the past, displaced persons were also housed in tent cities and in sports complexes. He also said that some senior citizens have been placed in existing old age homes (ibid.). He added that there are currently 60 to 70 centres in greater Zagreb (ibid.).

The official stated that centres provide displaced Croatians with accommodation, meals and medical services (ibid.). He said that some centres have on-site medical clinics and that the children of displaced Croatian families attend regular primary and secondary schools (ibid.). He added that displaced Croatians also have access to international humanitarian aid (ibid.).

The official stated that displaced Croatians living in Zagreb enjoy the same access to police protection as other citizens and that they have the right to work in the city. He added that displaced Croatians are employed by the police, army, and federal and municipal governments, but that unemployment remains a problem (ibid.).

Additional or corroborative information on the protection offered to displaced Croatians in Zagreb could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB. For general information on displaced persons and refugees in Croatia, please refer to the attached documents.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Reference

Croatian Government Office for Displaced Refugees and Displaced Persons, Zagreb. 18 May 1994. Telephone interview with official.

Attachments

Agence France Presse (AFP). 28 May 1993. "Croatia Sees Salvation in Tourism Despite War and Refugees." (NEXIS)

Baltimore Jewish Times. 17 December 1993. Paul Benson. "Both Sides Now: Now Back in Baltimore...." (NEXIS)

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 17 March 1994. "Over Half a Million Refugees and Displaced Persons in Croatia." (NEXIS)

. 6 November 1993. "Croatia Appeals for Help to Accommodate Bosnian Croat Refugees from Vares." (NEXIS)

The Daily Telegraph [London]. 29 November 1993. Jim Muir. "Five Die as Serbs Shell Busy Bridge in Sarajevo." (NEXIS)

Newsday [New York]. 6 December 1993. Alfred Lubrano. City Edition. "Health Workers Tell of Bosnia Horrors; Repairing Shattered Lives a Heroic Task." (NEXIS)

PR Newswire. 17 August 1993. "Samaritan's Purse Opens Home in Croatia for Pregnant War Victims." (NEXIS)

RAPID. 7 May 1993. "Commission Decision on Emergency Humanitarian Aid for the Victims of Conflict in Former Yugoslavia." (NEXIS)

The Times [London]. 6 May 1994. Leila J. Richards. "Croatians Care for Bosnia's Refugees." (NEXIS)

The United Press International (UPI). 28 December 1992. BC Cycle. Laura Pitter. "Esma, 40, Sits in a Chair...." (NEXIS)

The Washington Post. 14 July 1993. Final Edition. David B. Ottaway. "Million Adrift in Europe's Biggest Forced Migration Since WWII." (NEXIS)