On "ethnic cleansing"

South Ossetia has always been and remains roughly 65-70% Ossetian and 30-35% Georgian. CarolC made the claim that the South Ossetians had been largely self-sufficient and independent since the early 1990's. Fact is the area and the people are as poor as church mice and no-one has ever really cared two figs about them. Their only source of income stems from customs duties for goods passing through a tunnel on the main trunk road between Russia and Tblisi. Far from being largely self-sufficient they have been subsidised to the hilt directly by Russia. There is absolutely no way on God's earth that South Ossetia could ever be "Independent". Independence is not the desired result incorporation into Russia is the aim. The parallel with the German take-over of the Sudatenland in 1938 is frighteningly similar.

Now Abkhazia is a completely different story:

1926 Census 186,004(Total) 67,494(Georgians) 55,918(Abkhazians) 12,553(Russians) 25,677(Armenians) 14,045(Greeks)
1939 Census 311,885(Total) 91,967(Georgians) 56,197(Abkhazians) 60,201(Russians) 49,705(Armenians) 34,621(Greeks)
1959 Census 404,738(Total) 158,221(Georgians) 61,193(Abkhazians) 86,715(Russians) 64,425(Armenians) 9,101(Greeks)
1970 Census 486,959(Total) 199,596(Georgians) 77,276(Abkhazians) 92,889(Russians) 74,850(Armenians) 13,114(Greeks)
1979 Census 486,082(Total) 213,322(Georgians) 83,087(Abkhazians) 79,730(Russians) 73,350(Armenians) 13,642(Greeks)
1989 Census 525,061(Total) 239,872(Georgians) 93,267(Abkhazians) 74,913(Russians) 76,541(Armenians) 14,664(Greeks)
2003 Census 215,972(Total) 45,953(Georgians) 94,606(Abkhazians) 23,420(Russians) 44,870(Armenians) 1,486(Greeks)

Now as CarolC pointed out both Abkhazia and South Ossetia fought for "independence" from Georgia in 1990-91. Looking at the census figures for 1989 and 2003 reveals what CarolC? Ethnic Cleansing of Georgians, Armenians and Greeks (I can understand why the Russian population of the area would drop after the collapse of the USSR, they simply returned home) What are the "Rights of Return" here CarolC and what would be the result of any referendum if one were held after they had returned?