The United Nations refugee organisation, the UNHCR, has criticised the Albanian authorities for forcibly removing Kosovo refugees from camps near the border against their will.

The Albanian authorities say the refugees had to move south to bring them out of the range of Serb guns and make more room for new arrivals.

A spokesman for the UNHCR Ray Wilkinson said all movement should be voluntary and refugees should be encouraged rather than forced to go.

He said a formal complaint might be made to the Albanian government.

Albania is currently giving shelter to almost four-hundred-thousand refugees and the government says it's willing to take in every refugee that arrives in the country.