ALBANIA: KOSOVO REFUGEE CRISIS: NEW ARRIVALS

(4 May 1999) Albanian/Nat The is more evidence that Serbian forces in Kosovo are murdering ethnic Albanian refugees as they make their way to the borders. Many new arrivals are talking about Serb soldiers ambushing a convoy near Studime Eperme. The refugees were robbed the money and jewellery they carry with them. There are also continuing reports from refugees that their husbands and fathers are being taken away and killed by Serbs. The tide of Kosovo refugees swept into Albania once again on Tuesday evening. They came on foot or by tractors - whatever means were available. Many talked of Serb forces demanding money from them, and gunning down those who did not comply. Some referred to killings which allegedly occurred on Sunday night on a road near Studime Eperme, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of the capital Pristina. Refugees said in about a one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch, there were bodies lying along the road and in the river. SOUNDBITE: (Albanians) "The Serbs were chasing us from the mountains, They caught up with us and then stopped us, they wanted our money, then they started to attack us beating us with their guns. Look at my face." SUPER CAPTION: Kadri Bajrami, refugee Similar stories were repeated time and again as refugees on wagons pulled by tractors, in cars, or on foot, poured into Albania. More than 2-thousand had crossed the border by mid-afternoon. The refugees' accounts could not be independently confirmed, but U-N-H-C-R workers say the tales almost certainly point to systematic killings in Kosovo. SOUNDBITE: (Albanian) "When the Serbs ambushed us they separated all the men from the women and the children. Q; What happened to then? A: They took them away and started killing them." SUPER CAPTION: Melihate Zenuna, refugee Some refugees said more than 100 of their friends and relatives died in the latest attacks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...