The United Nations has appealed to Germany to stop forcibly returning ethnic minorities to Kosovo following increased violence against them.

The UN refugee agency is particularly concerned about attacks on the Roma, the gipsy community targeted by Kosovo Albanians in retaliation for its alleged collusion with the Serbs during last year's conflict.

A Roma family of three deported from Germany on Thursday told the UN they feared for their safety.

Earlier in the week, three Romas were killed and one was wounded by a booby trap planted at their house in Kosovo, in a village south of the capital, Pristina.

Fear

The UN has set up a transit centre for minorities who have nowhere to go on their return to Kosovo. It is considering asking Germany to take back the deported Roma.

A spokesman said despite repeated assurances from Berlin that no minorities would be sent back against their will, sporadic deportations continue.

According to the UN, it is not only Roma who are slipping through the net, but other minorities such as Serbo-Croatian speaking Muslims, who are also fearful about their return to a province where ethnic tensions are acute.