14 K. Serbs hurt in clashes with police

An incident occurred today in the Kosovo village of Silovo where Kosovo police, KPS, clashed with local Serbs. Several dozen people were initially reported injured as a consequence. On duty doctor in the Silovo hospital Zoran Dimeski said that six Serbs are treated there for serious head and abdomen injuries. Beta reported earlier that two of them were women. 14 K. Serbs hurt in clashes with police Eight more escaped with lesser injuries. The Serbs were protesting over their villages having been left without electricity for one week. Kosovo-Pomoravlje District chief Dragan Nikolic confirmed that dozens were injured. One of those arrested is Dusanka Stanojkovic, whom her husband Ljubomir said KPS members first threw to the ground, to then take her to a Gnjilane police station. Today's protest march was led by women and children, in order to point out that as International Women's Day is marked, Serb women in this area of Kosovo do not even have electricity in their homes, said Silovo local board chairman Aleksandar Petrovic, who witnessed the incident. Kosovo police members, he said, started pushing the Serb women immediately after they left the village of Silovo, to which the men reacted. A free-for-all erupted after that, this witness says. "Our goal was to organize a peaceful protest, but the Kosovo police provoked us when they stopped the column and started to push women and children who ask for nothing else than to have electricity. We reacted, and there was a clash where some 50 Serbs were injured," Petrovic said. According to him, strong KPS and KFOR troops are stationed at the entrance to the village as Serbs continue with their protest. "I don't know how this will end. I am appealing on all politicians to find a solution to this power problem, because we have been in the dark for seven days now and we are in a desperate situation," Petrovic explained. Also today, KPS spokesman Arber Beka claims that five members of this formation were also injured, "when Serbs gathered for the protest attacked them with stones". Meantime Serb representatives, including Petrovic, met with Gnjilane municipal leader Cemalj Mustafa in a bid to resolve the crisis, but the meeting produced no results, Beta news agency reports. Petrovic said that Mustafa would not even agree to restoring power to Silovo for two hours each day. "We achieved no agreement. The municipal president conditioned the restoration of electricity with us signing contracts with KEK, and at the same time, he did not answer why is it that Serb villages are being cut off, when more than 70 percent of residents in Kosovo do not pay their electricity bills," he told the news agency. K. Serbs look to Belgrade over power cuts Earlier today, reports said that Kosovo Serbs who have been left without electricity for seven days have appealed on the government to help them. Some 5,000 Serbs in four central Kosovo villages, including Priluzje, Plementina, Babin Most and Grace, and several hundred from the village of Silovo near Gnjilane, have suffered power cuts because of unpaid bills that date back to 1999, according to a company in charge of Kosovo's electrical system, KEK. The Serbs want Belgrade to start negotiating with those in Kosovo with jurisdiction in the matter. The power cuts, initially caused by grid failures that KEK refuses to repair, have caused water shortages, while normal work of schools and local health centers has been distrupted. People are reporting food going bad in their homes as refrigerators have been turned off a week ago. Sasa Aleksic, who represents Serbs from Priluzje, said the people there cannot pay the bills. He also said that OSCE, KFOR and EULEX all said they had no jurisdiction in the problem and refused to help. Beta news agency reported last night that Vucitrn municipal President Zoran Rakic, reminded that prior to 1999, some 1,000 Priluzje and Grace residents worked in the power company, left jobless in the meantime. In Priluzje, the healthcare center has trouble sterilizing medical instruments, while its workers yesterday had to take vaccine units to Kosovska Mitrovica in order for the children to be vaccinated, according to head of the pediatric service Doctor Nada Milenkovic-Smugic. Several hundred Serbs from Silovo have been prevented from taking their protest to the Gnjilane-Bujanovac road for several days now by Kosovo police, KPS. But local Serb leader Aleksandar Petrovic said that the villagers will not desist from their intention to block the road, "since this is the only way to draw the politicians' attention".

14 K. Serbs hurt in clashes with police

Eight more escaped with lesser injuries.

The Serbs were protesting over their villages having been left without electricity for one week. Kosovo-Pomoravlje District chief Dragan Nikolić confirmed that dozens were injured.

One of those arrested is Dušanka Stanojković, whom her husband Ljubomir said KPS members first threw to the ground, to then take her to a Gnjilane police station.

Today's protest march was led by women and children, in order to point out that as International Women's Day is marked, Serb women in this area of Kosovo do not even have electricity in their homes, said Šilovo local board chairman Aleksandar Petrović, who witnessed the incident.

Kosovo police members, he said, started pushing the Serb women immediately after they left the village of Šilovo, to which the men reacted. A free-for-all erupted after that, this witness says.

"Our goal was to organize a peaceful protest, but the Kosovo police provoked us when they stopped the column and started to push women and children who ask for nothing else than to have electricity. We reacted, and there was a clash where some 50 Serbs were injured," Petrović said.

According to him, strong KPS and KFOR troops are stationed at the entrance to the village as Serbs continue with their protest.

"I don't know how this will end. I am appealing on all politicians to find a solution to this power problem, because we have been in the dark for seven days now and we are in a desperate situation," Petrović explained.

Also today, KPS spokesman Arber Beka claims that five members of this formation were also injured, "when Serbs gathered for the protest attacked them with stones".

Meantime Serb representatives, including Petrović, met with Gnjilane municipal leader Cemalj Mustafa in a bid to resolve the crisis, but the meeting produced no results, Beta news agency reports.

Petrović said that Mustafa would not even agree to restoring power to Šilovo for two hours each day.

"We achieved no agreement. The municipal president conditioned the restoration of electricity with us signing contracts with KEK, and at the same time, he did not answer why is it that Serb villages are being cut off, when more than 70 percent of residents in Kosovo do not pay their electricity bills," he told the news agency.

K. Serbs look to Belgrade over power cuts

Earlier today, reports said that Kosovo Serbs who have been left without electricity for seven days have appealed on the government to help them.

Some 5,000 Serbs in four central Kosovo villages, including Prilužje, Plementina, Babin Most and Grace, and several hundred from the village of Šilovo near Gnjilane, have suffered power cuts because of unpaid bills that date back to 1999, according to a company in charge of Kosovo's electrical system, KEK.

The Serbs want Belgrade to start negotiating with those in Kosovo with jurisdiction in the matter.

The power cuts, initially caused by grid failures that KEK refuses to repair, have caused water shortages, while normal work of schools and local health centers has been distrupted.

People are reporting food going bad in their homes as refrigerators have been turned off a week ago.

Saša Aleksić, who represents Serbs from Prilužje, said the people there cannot pay the bills. He also said that OSCE, KFOR and EULEX all said they had no jurisdiction in the problem and refused to help.

Beta news agency reported last night that Vučitrn municipal President Zoran Rakić, reminded that prior to 1999, some 1,000 Prilužje and Grace residents worked in the power company, left jobless in the meantime.

In Prilužje, the healthcare center has trouble sterilizing medical instruments, while its workers yesterday had to take vaccine units to Kosovska Mitrovica in order for the children to be vaccinated, according to head of the pediatric service Doctor Nada Milenković-Šmugić.

Several hundred Serbs from Šilovo have been prevented from taking their protest to the Gnjilane-Bujanovac road for several days now by Kosovo police, KPS.

But local Serb leader Aleksandar Petrović said that the villagers will not desist from their intention to block the road, "since this is the only way to draw the politicians' attention".