(12 Nov 1996) Serbo-Croat/Nat
Gunfire and explosions were heard around the Bosnian Serb village of Gajevi early Tuesday, a day after a group of Bosnian Muslims moved into the area, provoking a standoff with Serb police.
Bosnian Serbs are continuing to try to prevent the Muslim refugees from the nearby village of Koraj from returning to their pre-war home.
Yesterday a Dutch member of the U-N police force was shot during the standoff in Gajevi by a Serb policeman in what the United Nations called an accident.
In the air and on the ground, NATO peacekeepers were out in force around the Bosnian Serb-held town of Koraj in northeastern Bosnia Monday as tensions between Muslim refugees and Bosnian Serb villagers soared.
The stand-off began Monday morning when Muslim refugees from Koraj, eager to return home before winter, entered the nearby suburb of Gajevi, which is now in the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia.
An heavily-manned IFOR checkpoint marks the entrance to the village.
The refugees said they had grown impatient waiting for approval from the U-N relief agency.
A Dutch U-N police officer was accidentally shot by a Serb policeman when scores of Muslim refugees crossed into the village.
A NATO statement released Tuesday in Sarajevo said that 150 Muslims, equipped with six tents, building supplies and a generator entered Gajevi to reclaim their homes.
The NATO statement also confirmed that 40 uniformed Bosnian Serbs carrying automatic weapons moved within a half-mile of the village.
U-S and Russian soldiers were sent to the area and U-S military helicopters flew low over Koraj and nearby Celic.
But a local Bosnian Serb police chief accused the refugees of trying to violently take over Bosnian Serb territory.
SOUNDBITE:
"In the area of Bare they tried to cross the border line forcibly. They have crossed two kilometres deep into the Serb territory. Some of them who were dressed like civilians were carrying big guns and as we could see they were pretty organised."
SUPER CAPTION: Branko Jekic, Bosnian Serb police chief
He said a crowd of more than 500 armed Bosnian Muslims launched an attack on Gajevi.
SOUNDBITE:
"Yes I can confirm that we were attacked and we were witnesses of the break-out of the Dayton agreement."
SUPER CAPTION: Branko Jekic, Bosnian Serb police chief
Bosnian Serb officials say units of their police are on alert and ready to respond to any future incidents.
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