Document #1049361
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
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.
Croatian Government Office for
Displaced Refugees and Displaced Persons, Zagreb. 18 May 1994.
Telephone interview with official.
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)