[wonders]

The reason I said Hungary was because I read that the NATO troops in Bosnia had orders not to let Serbs from Serbia through the border during the bombing. Maybe that was incorrect. Even if true, I'm sure some still got in, though. I'm also sure UNHCR and other refugee agencies were clearing the way for refugees from Kosovo during and after the bombing. People who left Kosovo and went to third countries wouldn't affect the census figures as we're not including the population of Kosovo.

As for why the family from Novi Sad didn't want to go back... maybe because Novi Sad and got bombed real good. Main targets in Novi Sad were the oil refinery (bombed repeatedly), the bridges and the TV station. The power plant was also bombed (target) and a residential area was hit (NATO called this an error). All the bridges were bombed along with the water pipes which carried water across the bridges, so the water supply was knocked out. Maybe their home was one of the ones bombed, or maybe all the smoke from the bombed refinery plus no water, no power, no bridges did the trick.

[joan]

"The reason I said Hungary was because I read that the NATO troops in Bosnia had orders not to let Serbs from Serbia through the border during the bombing. Maybe that was incorrect."

Yeah, but if were talking about a recent census conducted in Serbia, there were about 3 years after the bombing that Serbs could have tried to go back. About not letting Serbs into Bosnia - I heard that the Russians serving in Bosnia guarded a particular bridge from there to Serbia to prevent it from being bombed. I don't know if it was true that the Russians did that, but if it was, I'm sure they'd let Serbs across.