some 40 refugees from 2 camps visit Moravian Karst

SOME 40 REFUGEES FROM TWO CAMPS VISIT MORAVIAN KARST

Czech News Agency (CTK)
December 19, 2004

BLANSKO, South Moravia, Dec 19 ; (MS) — Some 40 refugees from the
Zbysov and Zastavka facilities in south Moravia visited sights in
the Moravian Karst today, Martina Vodickova from the Nesehnuti civic
association has told CTK adding they were very much pleased with
the trip.

Vodickova said that refugees, many of whom are families with children,
do not have enough opportunities and money to spend their leisure time
in an attractive way while waiting for their asylum applications to
be processed.

This can result in pathological phenomena, such as loss of interest
in developments around them, alcoholism and tension in the group they
live in, Svatava Zajdakova from Nesehnuti said.

Vodickova said that the untraditional tourists were refugees from
the Islamic regime in Iran, the Chechnya conflict, desperate social
conditions in Armenia as well human rights violations in Vietnam.

“We want to show that the refugees are people like us, who are not
coming to threaten us or to take work from us, but they only seek
safety in the Czech Republic,” Vodickova said.

The Moravian Karst administration did not collect entry fees from
the refugees.

Nesehnuti plans further actions for the refugees, including trips,
cultural actions, sports activities, as well as a theatre performance
for children.