Tskhinval/Agency Caucasus – The South Ossetian refugees in Georgia continue to take shelter in South Ossetia as they are forced to leave their homes due to constant pressure from both the Georgian administration and public.
The refugees who come from the Georgian region of Lagodehski had to walk through paths in the forest to arrive in South Ossetia because the Georgian armed forces do not allow for transits across the border.
Refugees fear that harm may befall their relatives in Georgia. "The Georgian administration forces the young refugees to enlist in the army. They may have to spend the night outside the house, in the forest, in the graveyard–that is to say, anywhere that happens to be a place of occupation for them… The Georgians are looking askance at us. When we go to the shops, we are not only being denied permission to buy things but also we are being insulted. For this reason, we have decided to move to South Ossetia from Georgia, where we can’t take it anymore."
The administration of South Ossetia accommodates the refugees. They are also supplied with enough food.
One refugee told reporters that it was difficult to find a job because the refugees were not provided with official papers until now. The worse thing was that they had no idea when they could be given the papers, he added. He further expressed his hope that President Eduard Kokoity would keep to his earlier promise to allow all South Ossetian refugees in Georgia to be accommodated in South Ossetia.
Kokoity promised to allow the South Ossetian refugees in Georgia to take shelter in his country before the war between Russia and Georgia in August broke out.
Nowadays, South Ossetia endeavours to recover from the debris of the August attacks that Georgia launched on it.
OSRDY/ÖZ/FT
