Timehost: We're going to be talking about the refugee crisis in Kosovo. Our guest is Bob Turner, deputy director of the International Rescue Committee's Kosovo refugee programs, who is joining us live from Skopje, Macedonia. Good afternoon.
Bob Turner, International Rescue Committee: Actually, good evening. It's 10pm here.
Timehost: Let's take the first question...
melanie1978april asks: What actions are being taken to make sure the refugees are safe and well taken care of?
Bob Turner: First, for security, there are currently in most of the camps NATO troops providing services
which inspires confidence and helps the people to feel safer.
Then there are a whole group of organizations providing different services to the refugees.
The International Rescue Committee is just one of those groups.
There are medical services,
food distribution,
water and sanitation workers,
education -- every conceivable service needed, some agency tries to provide it.
Stamm444 asks: How many countries and NGOÕs are represented in the refugee effort?
Bob Turner: I don't even know the total. I would guess that just working in the camps there would be 15 to 20 different NGO's, and six
UN agencies.
Many more countries.
For those who are not familiar with the term NGO,
that is a non-governmental organization,
such as the Red Cross, etc.
There are 15 to 20 NGO's working in the camps,
but there are far more working as advocates,
or working to donate goods and services.
Some agencies are giving things, some are providing services, some are in the camps,
some are working in communities.
Timehost: Here's a question that lots of people have asked, prompted by the bombing of the civilian convoy on the road near Djakovica on Wednesday...
a_l_close asks: Will NATO forces use more caution about bombing convoys?
Bob Turner: I think that NATO is using an incredible amount of caution.
I think it is a type of tragic accident that we have to expect
with this level of conflict.
It is unfortunate, but there will be civilian casualties.
wollomombi asks: How do the refugees feel about returning...are there many who would simply rather start over than ever go back?
Bob Turner: NO.
Almost universally, the Kosovars want to return to their homes.
florian060882 asks: We in Germany will take most of the refugees in Europe -- is this fair?
Bob Turner: I think Germany is being very, very generous,
and I think that should inspire other countries to try to give the same level of assistance.
But the countries that are taking the most refugees in Europe
are Albania and Macedonia,
not Germany.
Clasey2000 asks: I am young, and I don't understand why the Serbs are doing this. Can you give me a brief idea of whatÕs going on here?
Bob Turner: I think especially to North Americans,
it is an almost incomprehensible level of mistrust,
misunderstanding,
and historical animosities that I simply don't understand -- I have trouble conceiving of this,
and great difficulty witnessing.
To me, it is incomprehensible
So I can't really explain to you the reasons, because
it seems to me to be completely unreasonable.
Humperdink28 asks: Are the refugees beginning to be angry at the U.S. as well as the Yugoslav army? Or is there blame and anger centered on those who have driven them from their homes?
Bob Turner: Yes, it is centered on those who drove them from their homes.
Absolutely. I think the Kosovars have suffered tremendously
over the last 14 months, especially the last three weeks,
but their anger is targeted at those that it should be,
the people who brought this on, who caused this:
the Serbian leadership.
Lordnikonster asks: What are the conditions like in Kosovo?
Timehost: What are refugees telling you as they leave?
Bob Turner: In Kosovo at the moment,
we have information that there are about 300,000 people who are displaced.
There are an additional 500,000 people who are in their homes,
but they are essentially prisoners in their homes.
They are under a form of house arrest.
The stories the refugees tell us as they come across the border
are very consistent.
They tell us that Serbian police or para-military come to their homes or to their villages
They tell them they must leave.
They give them very little time - five or ten minutes to leave.
The only deviation in the stories is how much abuse they suffer
from that time to the time they cross the border.
Timehost: We're getting lots of questions about how people in other countries can help...
Garic369 asks: Where's the best place to donate to the Refugee's?
Bob Turner: The International Rescue Committee -- I am the country director for Macedonia and the
representative for Kosovo refugees --
there is a toll free number:
1 877-REFUGEE
There are also American organizations such as CARE,
Catholic Relief Services,
Mercy Corps International,
Doctors Without Borders,
The Red Cross.
Most of the relief organizations
are either international, like my own or the Red Cross,
or else they are American.
Timehost: And let me also add that the International Rescue Committee also has a website www.intrescom.org
johnnie08 asks: What can we do if we would like to volunteer to go help, physically?
Bob Turner: I understand the desire,
because I've been in the same position.
Unfortunately there is not a lot of non-technical work that can't be
filled by Macedonians or refugees helping.
The best way to help is to work in the country where you are,
either to raise donations or funds, or to raise awareness in your community --
unless of course you have a specific technical skill
that you can offer to one of the organizations helping here.
Nitrovamp asks: Where are the approximately 10,000 refugees that America is going to take in going to be placed, are we going to put them in/on one of our old military bases ?
Bob Turner: That number 10,000 -- is not correct.
There had been a plan to put 20,000 people in Guantanamo but that plan was scrapped.
At present there is no plan to move the Kosovar refugees
directly to the United States.
The U.S. is building a large camp in Albania.
UnderdogFL asks: What would it take to provide for a refuge family to come and stay with me?
Bob Turner: Where are you located?
For example,
if you live in the U.S.,
the International Rescue Committee has resettlement offices in several cities, including Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles,
Washington, DC,
Atlanta,
Boston, and
all over the continental U.S.
If you wanted to assist, you could call one of those offices
and offer to help,
or call a similar office operated by one of the other agencies helping here.
Wallace_and_Gromit_rule asks: I have relatives there, they have a little farm. I can not reach them by any means, are they hurt? Or are lines just cut? I am so worried I don't think of anything else.
Timehost: How can people get information?
Bob Turner: If you could tell us now where your family is from, we might be able to tell you something.
It would give me an idea what direction they would probably have gone when they fled,
or were pushed out of their homes.
If indeed they were pushed out.
In general,
since the telephone exchange in Pristina was bombed,
the phones have not worked.
Registration of refugees is not yet complete, so there
is no central database.
The only advice I might offer --
there is not much you can do at this moment.
It will take some time to register the refugees, and create a database
What I would suggest for now
is that you keep in touch with any other relatives you may have in that region
because as soon as people get out,
and get access to a telephone,
they begin to call their families.
BigSur_CA asks: Have any of the wealthy Arab Muslim nations offered shelter to the refugees, or is it just the western nations?
Bob Turner: I know Turkey has.
I believe the United Arab Emirates sent assistance.
Beyond that, I don't have information.
I'd like to add
that this is not a religious conflict.
The Kosovar population, although ostensibly majority Muslim,
is not a particularly avid religious population.
This is not a religious conflict. It is a political, economic and strategic conflict.
ArmySoldier_31FoXtroT asks: How well are aid efforts really helping the refugees, and what else can be done?
Bob Turner: Aid efforts are helping tremendously
but improvements will be made over time.
It is fair to say that the international community was not prepared
for the scale of the exodus, and has taken a bit of time to react.
Stamm444 asks: How are the Macedonian authorities handling the refugee problem? In some TV pix, their cops looked pretty hard on the refugees.
Bob Turner: There have been confirmed reports of violence against refugees.
I think that the Macedonian authorities could do more to ensure
that the refugees are well treated.
hustler_fan asks: Bob,do you think by engaging the Serbs on a full scale war will help the refugees?
Bob Turner: The only way
these refugees are going to be able to go home
is with a NATO ground presence in Kosovo.
But that won't end the conflict
There must be a long-term political solutions, or else
the Serbs will just spend the next 300 years trying to get Kosovo back.
Rattle_Snake316_99 asks: I am an Army Ranger from the 2nd Battalion at Fort Lewis and I would like to know if you have any new info on the status of the captured US soldiers
Bob Turner: I am sorry, but we don't.
we are working 16 hours per day.
We don't even get a chance to watch CNN
That is really your best source of information, or TIME.com
frankireland asks: Why doesn't NATO consider creating a safe haven in Kosovo??
Bob Turner: Well, that is the consideration,
but that consideration means fighting a ground war against the Yugoslav army at this point.
glassywave09 asks: Are there any Serbs who see Milosevic as we see him?
Bob Turner: Absolutely.
There is a large opposition to his government,
especially in Belgrade.
There were large demonstrations in Belgrade against his government
over the last couple of years.
ArmySoldier_31FoXtroT asks: What sort of timeframe are we looking at to get the refugees back in After this has ended?
Bob Turner: The refugees, I think
will start going home as soon as it is safe.
But I have no idea when that will be.
rigel_82 asks: Is there any possibility NATO will send in ground troops?
Timehost: And how will that affect your efforts?
Bob Turner: I hope so. We can't go back to Kosovo until it is secure.
zolfojabber asks: What will the Kosovars have to go home to even if they can?
Bob Turner: Not much.
For example, even just our organization,
we had five offices and fourteen homes and three warehouses there.
We are making the operational assumption that all of those properties
have been looted and burned,
that we will return to no running water --
no electricity,
no food, and
no shelter.
And that is what the Kosovars will be facing if they return home.
Timehost: Here's a follow-up to the question about Serb attitudes towards Milosevic...
MostStylish1 asks: But isn't there solidarity in Serbia behind Milosevic because of the war?
Bob Turner: I think
the Serb authorities have a very effective propaganda machine.
I think that in general, a population under siege coalesces,
and I think that in some ways, the NATO attacks have
strengthened Milosevic's political situation.
Scotty_20_1999 asks: Who supplies you with supplies?
Bob Turner: Most of our funding
comes from the United States government,
but we also get substantial funding
from the United Nations,
and from private donations of individuals
and corporations
to the International Rescue Committee.
You can find our website at
www.intrescom.org
Timehost: Once again, before we go, we're getting lots of questions -- people want to know how they can help...
Timehost: Perhaps you have a few closing thoughts on that.
Bob Turner: In the United States,
contact a refugee resettlement office of the International Rescue Committee
(they are located in many major cities in the US and are probably listed on our website),
and they will be able to tell you the most effective way you can help.
You can help by raising awareness in your community,
and by raising funds.
And channeling those funds to established organizations that can effectively help the Kosovars. Thank you all for your interest and support.
The generosity that the world's population has shown to this emergency
has been outstanding.
I just hope that in addition to giving resources,
that people will continue to give good will,
because this population has suffered enormously over the last year.
I'd like to add one thing:
this is only one crisis that is going on in the world right now.
It is a very serious one.
But there are a lot of other things happening, in other places,
that are almost as bad, or worse.
I hope people will lend their support in Sierra Leone,
in Burundi,
in The Congo, in Angola.
There are no shortage of places
where this type of thing is happening.
We should not focus only on what is going on in Kosovo.
We should pay attention to the tragedies that are going on in other parts of the world. Thank you.
Timehost: Bob Turner, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule of important work to talk to us.
Bob Turner: Thank you for having me here today.
TIME.com Special Report: A Kosovo Primer
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