Bosnia: The ability of displaced ethnic Croats, who are from areas in Bosnia dominated by Muslims or Serbs, to move to and reside in areas dominated by Croats; the treatment by the authorities in the Croat-dominated areas of such returnees; whether such returnees are denied residence permits; whether such returnees, who evaded military service during the civil war in Bosnia and who did not pay a "war tax" to the Croats during the civil war, would face any negative consequence (January 1998 - March 1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BOS31490.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bosnia: The ability of displaced ethnic Croats, who are from areas in Bosnia dominated by Muslims or Serbs, to move to and reside in areas dominated by Croats; the treatment by the authorities in the Croat-dominated areas of such returnees; whether such returnees are denied residence permits; whether such returnees, who evaded military service during the civil war in Bosnia and who did not pay a "war tax" to the Croats during the civil war, would face any negative consequence (January 1998 - March 1999), 1 March 1999, BOS31490.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aac37c.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A 2 February 1998 New York Times article states:
It [the village of Bosansko Grahovo in Bosnia] was captured by the Croatian Army in the summer of 1995. Some 8,000 ethnic Serbs, 95 percent of the village's prewar population, were expelled. In the following months the Croats dynamited nearly every structure as part of the plan to prevent ethnic Serbs from returning to areas under Croatian control.
The village is now home to some 200 ethnic Croatian families from other parts of Bosnia. There is no running water. People heat their homes with wood or coal, windows are covered with plastic strips and power lines sag between snapped and fallen poles. Most people are destitute, surviving on relief aid and odd jobs like cutting firewood.
The flight of thousands of ethnic Croats from the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia left the Croatian authorities facing a need for housing in the western, Croat-held part in Bosnia. The Government of Croatia has begun renovating the very houses its army destroyed and offering the refurbished dwellings to homeless ethnic Croats, including those living as refugees in Germany.
Croatian companies with close links to the Government have invested in the seized municipalities, offering jobs in local factories to Croats willing to relocate.
No additional information on the ability of displaced ethnic Croats, who are from areas in Bosnia dominated by Muslims or Serbs, to move to and reside in areas dominated by Croats, nor on the treatment of such returnees by the authorities in Croat-dominated areas, whether such returnees are denied residence permits, and the treatment of such returnees who did not perform military service or pay a "war tax" to the Croats during the civil war in Bosnia, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, for information on the 19 February 1996 Law on Amnesty of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, please consult BOS23719.E of 25 June 1996.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate 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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
The New York Times. 2 February 1998. Late Edition-Final. Chris Hedges. "U.N. Stymied By Resistance to Easing of Bosnian Partition." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, NEXIS/LEXIS, REFWORLD, WNC.
Transitions [Prague]. January 1998 - January 1999.
