U.N. fears for refugees as flow declines

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 4 (UPI) -- Fewer refugees are crossing from Libya into Tunisia, and many may be trapped by Gadhafi forces, the United Nations said Friday.

"The border on the Libyan side is now manned by heavily armed pro-government forces. … Many people appear to be frightened and are unwilling to speak," Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in Geneva.

She said fewer than 2,000 people made it into Tunisia Thursday, compared with 10,000 to 15,000 each day earlier in the week.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Thursday 119,000 Egyptians working in Libya have been repatriated on 352 flights in the last two weeks, al-Masry al-Youm reported.

Assistant Foreign Minister Abdel Hakam said the navy ship Shalatin landed in Alexandria Wednesday with many Egyptian refugees and the Halayeb departed from Tunis Thursday for Alexandria.