Georgian authorities build villages for South Ossetian refugees

Tengiz Ablotiya, the Tbilisi-based expert of the Centre of Extreme Journalism, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that villages are now being built in the territory of Georgia for the projected capacity of 15,000 residents - exactly the Georgian population of South Ossetia.

Mr Ablotiya has added that the money of the world community granted to Georgia as humanitarian aid will be mainly spent on building houses for refugees. "The Georgian population can't get back to the territory of South Ossetia - all the houses are burnt down," the expert asserts.

The problem remains of Georgians' return to the so-called "buffer zones": Georgian villages are also burnt down there, however, Russian troops are no longer there, and, according to Tengiz Ablotiya, population is coming back there. "People live in cellars and repair the houses, which can be repaired. For the families whose houses cannot be rebuilt, new ones will be built by the Georgian administration. At present, 6000 houses are in construction - in the territories of Georgia and "buffer zones", he has explained.

As to the closing of schools in the Akhalgori District, according to Mr Ablotiya, there is no precise information on the matter: the Georgian party asserts that schools are closed, while Russians and Ossetians are refuting. "Propaganda works from both sides, therefore, there's no trustworthy information. Now, the region is under Ossetian administration. Even if Georgian schools survive, the curricula will be amended," said Tengiz Ablotiya.