SOURCE: B92 27.November 2013.

Residents of the village Skela blocked the road at Obrenovac on November 27th, 2013, after arrival of 2 buses with asylum seekers for which there was no room in the Center for asylum seekers in Bogovadja.

The president of the local community, Zivota Mircetic, confirmed the information that dissatisfied residents blocked the road.

Let us remind, on November 25th the Serbian government has decided that about 200 asylum seekers from the Centre for asylum seekers in Bogovadja, which is overcrowded, should be placed in the workers barracks near Obrenovac.

However, local residents of Usce and Skele, as well as their leadership, oppose that decision and do not want a new asylum center near them because, as they say, they are in fear for their safety and the safety of their children.

President of Obrenovac Municipality, Miroslav Cuckovic, said that it is unacceptable that 200 asylum seekers be close to the power plant that produce 60 % of Serbian electricity and that this situation presents a serious security problem. He also believes that asylum seekers do not have basic living conditions in the new accommodation.

On the other hand, the Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, said that the state is obliged to provide humane accommodation for asylum seekers and that these are the people who have suffered a lot and that no one wants in their environment, although it should not be so.

“The state is obliged to ensure that asylum seekers get reasonable and humane accommodation and I do not have understanding for racism and other similar thinking. It is a fact that if someone new comes into a community, the people who live there should not look at it as a threat which will affect the quality of their lives and therefore is important that the Republic of Serbia fulfill its international obligations, but also to cooperate with Europe in order to resolve this issue”, said Jankovic.