Tuesday, August 3, 1999 Published at 21:02 GMT 22:02 UK
Kosovo's minorities 'under attack'
Gypsies have been subjected to arson attacks and beatings
Two international human rights groups have accused Kosovo Albanians of waging a campaign of violence and intimidation against the Serb and Roma minorities.
It said Serbs and gypsies had been the victims of "direct and systematic efforts" by the Kosovo Albanians to force them to leave their homes.
Kosovo Albanians say that once the Serbs forced them out of their homes during the Nato air war, it was usually the gypsies who moved in to loot their possessions.
The Kosovo Albanians are now taking their revenge on both communities, say the reports.
Call for international police
The human rights groups said efforts by the Nato-led peacekeepers to stop the violence were ineffective, and called for the urgent deployment of an international police force in Kosovo.
Nato officers say the murder rate in Kosovo has dropped to half of what it was six weeks ago, and that this is a measure of the peace-keeping operation's success.
But the UN has still not deployed an international police force.
Human Rights Watch says the frequency of abuses against Serbs and Roma is a consequence of this lack of a police force.
Murder of old women
The human rights group says that more than 160,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo since Nato arrived, along with significant numbers of gypsies.
It also documents less well-known cases, such as that of 77-year-old Marica Steminkovic, and 63-year-old Panta Philipovic. The two women had lived in the town of Prizren for decades and decided to stay when other Serbs fled the city.
Within days, Human Rights Watch says, uniformed KLA members began appearing at their homes demanding money and arms.
After repeated visits, both women were found with throats cut, Marica Steminkovic almost decapitated.
The majority of abuses against both the Serbs and the Roma have been committed by men dressed in KLA uniforms, the reports says, although it remains unclear whether there is an organised KLA campaign against minorities. The KLA denies involvement in the killings. <