Clashes in Kosovo over electricity cuts

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Clashes in Kosovo over electricity cuts

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Serbs of Pasjan village by the eastern area of Kosovo, Gjilan, have protested today against Kosovo Electricity Corporation (KEK), who disconnects them by electricity supply, two weeks ago. About 100 protesters, around 45 minutes, today have blocked the road which connects Gjilani region with Presevo valley. KEK's decision for the villages to have had little or no electricity for months because Serb residents have refused to pay Kosovo's ethnic Albanian-run power company. The Serbs want neighboring Serbia to provide their electricity supply instead. "This is a political problem. We have information that Thaci has disconnected us from the electricity supply, in order to provide his business by selling us generators for electricity, “said the old granny in the village of Pasjan.”Even Albanians are not paying electricity,” she recalled. The protest started around 1200 o clock, protesters have been distributed around after 45 minutes. Meanwhile, last night the situation was more tense protests in the ethnically Serb 2 villages inhabited by Serbs of Kamenica region, in Korminjan and Ranillug.

Kosovo Police said “we are ready to act”, Kosovo police spokesman, Arber Beka told BPA, that the health condition of 21 policemen injured yesterday by violent protestors in Gjilani-Bujanovac road is now better, while five arrested Serbs still detained by a police ban until the other order by the justice officials. Kosovo's residents did not pay electricity charges while the territory was under UN administration before it declared independence. Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008, something which the Serbian government in Belgrade has refused to recognize./©BPAnews