THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES HAVE BEEN POURING INTO EL SALVADOR TO ESCAPE WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS A TERROR CAMPAIGN BY THE HONDURAN GOVERNMENT.

THE PROBLEMS ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED BY A WORLD CUP FOOTBALL DISPUTE BETWEEN HONDURAS AND EL SALVADOR WHICH TOOK PLACE IN JUNE. THIS SET OFF RIOTS AFTER A SERIES OF ELIMINATION MATCHES, AND A BREAKING OFF OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ON JUNE 26.

THE TROUBLE, HOWEVER, IS FAR MORE DEEP SEATED WITH ACCUSATIONS OF INVASION BY FORCES FROM BOTH SIDES.

THE STREAM OF REFUGEES FROM HONDURAS BEGAN IN JULY, AND SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL WAVES. MORE THAN 24-THOUSAND HAVE CROSSED THE BORDER SINCE JULY 16, WITH THE MAJORITY ARRIVING IN THREE WAVES DURING SEPTEMBER. THE MOST RECENT GROUP, ESTIMATED AT 7,000, ARRIVED IN THE EL SALVADOR BORDER TOWN OF SANTA ANA ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18.

MOST OF THE REFUGEES HAVE BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN HONDURAS, BUT BECAUSE THEY, OR THEIR PARENTS, CAME ORIGINALLY FROM EL SALVADOR, THE HONDURAS GOVERNMENT HAS ORDERED THEM TO LEAVE. BEFORE THE WAR IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 500-THOUSAND PEOPLE OF SALVADOR ORIGIN WERE LIVING IN HONDURAS.

REFUGEE CENTRES HAVE BEEN SET UP AT THE FOUR MAJOR CROSSING POINTS; THE TOWNS OF EL POY, AMATILLO, SANTA TECLA AND SANTA ANA. THE PROCESSING OF THE REFUGEES IS BEING DONE BY THE RED CROSS AND VARIOUS SALVADOR VOLUNTEER ORGANISATIONS. AFTER PROCESSING, THE MAJOR EFFORT WILL BE TO RETURN THE REFUGEES TO THEIR OR THEIR PARENTS' BIRTHPLACE IN EL SALVADOR. MEANWHILE, AS MANY AS POSSIBLE ARE HOUSED IN THE BORDER TOWN, ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF THE REFUGEES MUST BE TAKEN ELSEWHERE.

THOSE WHO ARRIVED IN SANTA ANA ON SEPTEMBER 18, CARRIED FEW POSSESSIONS. SOME WERE ILL, AND MANY OF THE ELDERLY, INFIRM. THEY SAID THAT THEIR PROPERTY, AND, IN MANY CASES, THEIR MONEY HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE HONDURAS GOVERNMENT.