After the tragedy in the Adriatic, where 17 Albanian citizens lost their lives On 1 December, another tragic event of clandestine illegal emigration was repeated with the disappearance at sea of 17 Albanians still unidentified. The Republican Party shares in the deep sorrow of the families who lost their sons, victims of the difficulties we are living through. The Republican Party sees this event as a turning point in the issue of emigration. According to reports in the Italian mass media, in the last six months alone 15,111 clandestine migrants have been intercepted on the coasts of Apulia, of whom 12,079 were sent back and 3,032 were expelled. The bulk of this clandestine emigration and its organizational flow are described as Albanian. At the same time, it is stressed that these official figures are far below reality. This means that we are dealing with a severe and ongoing hemorrhage involving tens of thousands of people, with a round trip and even more victims. This week, RAI aired a highly sensational program about the sale of children in Albania. Only this year, the number of children sold is estimated at around 250. The film showed a mother selling her many "children" at a price of 1 million lire each, or even less. The Republican Party notes that illegal emigration, the sale of virgins, and the export of prostitution are phenomena with a devastating effect on the national moral fabric, while such an image of Albania seriously hinders our integration and cooperation with Europe. Our deputy, Professor Mehmet Çeliku, has been instructed to request a parliamentary interpellation with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in order to reach the following conclusions: 1) Despite the measures taken, the work of the country's institutions to stop clandestine emigration has not succeeded. These institutions should be cleared of negligent elements, mobilized to stop this emigration at any cost, and the organizers prosecuted and punished. 2) Urgent talks should be sought with the Italian side, as a country that has shown us genuine friendship, for an official agreement on emigration, while also dealing with the issue of visas related to humanitarian matters and cooperation. The Republican Party also calls on all political forces to join these demands, or to express their views, in order to make both the authorities and public opinion aware of the tragic reality created by illegal emigration, the sale of children, the export of prostitution, and the spread of drugs, as two serious wounds now affecting the nation in this phase of transition. (continued on p. 2)

"The approach of the election campaign, with all its burden and heat, will inevitably bring with it the demand to intensify work and responsibility within LDSH in order to increase its role on the Albanian political stage. For this reason, at the request of all the chairmen of LDSH member entities, and also on the basis of the fact that PRSH is one of the most widely organized forces within LDSH, it was decided that this party should currently be at the head of LDSH." This was emphasized yesterday by Mr. Godo at the meeting with journalists at the PRSH headquarters.

For five years, the dream of 3 million Albanians to reach the West, which can be reached clandestinely by land, has also had a maritime route. But unfortunately the clandestine sea route has been accompanied by many victims. Aside from the unconfirmed number of people lost at sea in 1991 during the mass escapes on seized ships in the port, unfortunately victims have not been lacking in the following years either. Of the roughly 875 names missing from the world of emigration, a considerable share belongs to those lost in the sea waves. Besides the 36 recorded on the lists of drownings due to the severe overloading of improvised boats, there is also another list of drownings caused by bad weather, which reaches 24 people on the maritime border with Italy and 14 people on the maritime border with Greece. If on the Italian border the victims were due to the large sea waves, on the border with Greece there have also been killings by the Greek police in the middle of the sea. At least that is what happened in August 1994, when the Greek snipers' rampage destroyed an Albanian boat together with the 8 people on board. In the sea waves around 74 motorboats have sunk, and in most cases it has been possible to save people either from foreign ships or because they were close to the shore. Around 267 motorboats have also been blocked by the Albanian and Italian police. Around 19 people have been taken into criminal proceedings because they violated the border regime and used their sea vessels without a license. In any case, these are vital figures and facts drawn from press reports over these four years. In reality, the figures differ on both counts. B. PERMETI

"Reporteri i Ri" in a sense is a continuation of the journalism students' newspaper, but this time it comes out in English, and is the result of two weeks of joint work between 15 students from the Department of Journalism at UT and 9 students from the Danish school of journalism. The newspaper stands out for its pleasant themes, distinctive style and very good graphic presentation. The newspaper "Reporteri i ri" is part of the project "For the development of journalism in Albania," funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1. In democracy everyone complains that nobody works. 2. People have their minds on strikes and demonstrations rather than work. 3. Under socialism we had 100,000 communists, today we have 100,000 cars (very harmful to the environment). 4. Back then we had only one Namik Hot, today we have many. 5. Today you can't find black bread, only white bread - very harmful to health. 6. Listening to foreign stations is no longer enjoyable. 7. You can talk the government down from morning to evening and you are no longer an interesting person. 8. Participation in elections is no longer accompanied by music. 9. No one is engaged in putting the Party Congress tasks into practice. 10. Beggars no longer ask you for 2 lekë. l.d.

"...the scrutiny of the profile of officials and other persons linked to the defense of the democratic state" Page 2