Please don't boot us out

Evening Gazette ^ | Oct 12 2002 | Lyndsay Emmett

[Destro]

Please don't boot us out

Oct 12 2002

Lyndsay Emmett, Evening Gazette

A Teesside family fear for their lives if they are forced to return to their homeland of Kosovo.

And their 12-year-old son's promising footballing career could be left in tatters.

Father Kujtim Thaci and his wife Sulltana and their family, who live in Derwentwater Road, in Grangetown, are Yugoslavian Albanians and fled to the UK two years ago to escape the Kosovan war.

Now they have been told by the Home Office it is safe to return.

But they believe they will be murdered if they go back to Presheva on the Eastern Kosovo border.

Dad Kujtim, 45, said: "If we go back we are dead. The people who were against us when we left now have powerful jobs and it would be easy to get rid of us.

"We are not in danger of being killed here."

The Thacis are currently in the process of appealing against the Home Office decision.

They became targets after Kujtim refused to fight in the war.

The former builder refused to join the Medveq Presheve Buyanavoc group, which fought with the Kosovan Liberation Army against the Serbs.

But that refusal placed the five-strong family in mortal danger - on one occasion part of his hand was blown off by a fire bomb as an act of intimidation.

He said: "We were surprised at the Home Office decision. We had told them everything."

Now the family must wait and see what happens. If the appeal is rejected then they will have to be ready to leave at any time.

Kujtim, Sulltana and their children Elvis, 17, Erion, 12, and Eneida, nine, are settled now.

Erion is one of the star players in the under-12 South Park Rangers football team.

Living in England brought out the youngster's previously undiscovered talent for football.

The central midfielder's medals and trophies take pride of place on the mantelpiece of the family home.

Chairman of South Park Rangers Tony Duffy believes the youngster has what it takes. He said: "He is just so determined and give it everything.

"I couldn't believe he hadn't played before when he came to us, he's a natural. He a smashing kid and he's doing well at school. I think he could become a professional if he carries on the way he is.

"I've got to know the family over the years since Erion started playing and they are lovely and they encourage him. They live in an area full of boarded up houses that no-one else will live in and they are in danger back there so why shouldn't they stay?"

While the family has been on Teesside they have had their windows broken and suffered abuse from a small amount of people.

"Most people are okay but some cause problems for us," said Kujtim, speaking through English-speaking Erion.

[Destro]

No wonder this Thaci refugee family in the UK fears for their lives. The Thaci Clan leader Hashim Thaci is the leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army and for a Clan member to refuse the jihad is punishable by the liquidation of the entire offending man's family.

[Destro]

KLA bump

[Hoplite]

for a Clan member to refuse the jihad is punishable by the liquidation of the entire offending man's family.

I see you've adopted Fusion's fact-based writing style.

Drive on.

[Destro]

So this man and his family have nothing to worry about from his fellow Thaci clansmen?

[swarthyguy]

The British repatriated tons of Soviet soldiers back to Stalin after WorldWar2, to almost certain death. These people are screwed.

[Destro]

You think? Hoplite thinks they have nothing to worry about.

[swarthyguy]

Anybody who takes the side of jihadis is MAJORLY suspect in my book.

My tolerance for the so called moderates is dead.

The only muslims i'll listen to are SECULAR LIBERALS. That's it. Only they have the brains and the temperament to live in the modern world.

The others are liars; aided and abetted by naive and gullible fellow travellers or by ignorant idiots.

[crazykatz]

I know a family of Albanians here whom we assisted in re-settlement in our city. They fled to Montenegro shortly before the bombing because they did not want their 15 or 16 year old...ONLY son( they have 5 daughters as well)to be in the kla.

There was also some kla guy who wanted to "buy" their oldest daughter...14 years as I recall.

Anyway, the 3 oldest kids now have jobs and do not go to school at all.

Papa and Mama sit at home. That's OK...at least the kids work and don't ask for hand outs all the time.

These folks have NO intention of returning to KosovO.

[vooch]

The others are liars; aided and abetted by naive and gullible fellow travellers or by ignorant idiots

How dare you suggest that the Bosnian and KLA supporting Freepers are "gullible fellow travellers or ignorant idiots"...........I for one recognize that they (Hoplite and Torie for example) are witty and articulate spokesmen for Clinton's foreign policy....... describing Hoplite & Torie as gullible idiots is simply untrue and unfair !