Tent camp 'Bella' doomed to termination

Since September 1 'Bella' refugee tent camp must be pulled down by the order # 234449 of Yunash I. B., the head of the IM Federal Migration Control Service.

Such announcement signed by administrator of the camp was displayed to view in 'Bella' camp located in Ordjonikidzevskaya village. On September 1 Akhmed Parchiyev, the head of the Interior Ministry migration department of Ingushetia and Mr. Pomeschenko, a representative of the Federal Migration Service as well as activists of the Chechen Committee for refugees visited the camp.

"They arrived in several cars with an armored vehicle as convoy," told the inhabitants of the camp. "They have given us a week to abandon the camp. Otherwise, as those officials warned, we would be forced out of here. They did not offered us any option, where to go."

The Chechen refugees are extremely disturbed by the situation. They consider the attempt made by the officials to get "Bella" camp removed as a bit by bit process of deportation of the Chechen refugees from Ingushetia.

Nevertheless, the authorities of Ingushetia ruled out any possibility the refugees would ever be forced out. They acknowledged the 'Bella' camp had been planned to be removed very soon, but after all the authorities of Ingushetia are not going to push the refugees, Ali Daud Parov, the chief of Ingushetia's migration service department was quoted as saying in his interview with the Caucasus Times correspondent .

The decision was due to a small number (slightly above 700 who actually made their mind to go back to Chechnya) of residents remained in the camp, Parov reasons, so it turns out unreasonable to waste money for supplying the small settlement with gas and power. He added the refugees have no reasons to be uneasy. If the refugees would want to stay they are allowed to settle in any camp in Ingushetia." he said.

The official noted just an application is to be submitted to the Migration Service office of Ingushetia to stay in the republic.

Malica Suleimanova, Ingushetia Caucasus Times