A luxury boat carrying 20 Albanians without visas intercepted in Apulia Refugees aboard a yacht International trafficking from Vlora The owners were two brothers from Durrës. Five people will be repatriated; the others managed to get away VLORA — (p.r.) — This time the refugees were travelling by yacht: a boat with a ten-metre cabin, carrying twenty Albanians (and perhaps some foreigners as well), who were attempting to enter Italy clandestinely, was intercepted in Apulia, on the beach at Otranto, 40 kilometres from Lecce. It was the Italian Financial Guard that discovered the boat, which had set out from Vlora and was worth tens of millions, as it reached the beach known as «Dell Orto», a very isolated stretch of the Apulian coast. The clandestine migrants had gone ashore, and only the yacht's two owners were on board: brothers Idriz and Shpëtim Muço, aged 44 and 29 respectively, originally from Durrës but residing in Sarandë. The boat — built in Greece — bore their name: to avoid checks in the Strait of Otranto, an Italian flag had been hoisted on the yacht, and this disguise had been enough to prevent the numerous Italian and Albanian patrol boats monitoring that stretch of sea from becoming suspicious. Until now, it has never been seen for clandestine migrants to travel aboard a yacht, which is usually used for luxury sea trips. The Italian Financial Guard immediately raised the alarm, and the search for the Albanian clandestine migrants began. A few hours later, five more were stopped: they were walking through the streets of Otranto, waiting to find a way onward. They were questioned at the Lecce police headquarters, and they themselves reported that there had been more than twenty clandestine migrants aboard the yacht. It was not ruled out that there might also have been refugees of other nationalities. The clandestine migrants will be repatriated, while the boat has been seized and is now in the port of Otranto at the disposal of the judicial authorities. This is the sixth boat carrying Albanian clandestine migrants to have been intercepted in recent weeks in the province of Lecce. This yacht too, according to investigations conducted by the Italian police, had set out from a quay in the port of Vlora. The discovery was not an isolated incident. There are now many signs confirming a major suspicion: Albania is becoming a transit point for clandestine emigration, whose organization is based precisely in Vlora. It is an international network involving not only Albanians and Italians. Recently, along with Albanian clandestine migrants on boats sailing toward Italy, men, women and children from Sri Lanka, China and Russia have also been found; all were irregular migrants. This kind of trafficking seems to bring in a great deal of money for those who organize it: the yacht seized from the Muço brothers is the clearest proof. Each illegal passage into Italy costs between 500 and 1,000 dollars. The fishing boat seized in Otranto

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TWO ALBANIANS FALL INTO THE SEA — The accident turns into an outing... TWO ALBANIANS FALL INTO THE SEA — Numerous accidents occurred on Saturday night in Bari because of the rainstorm that had begun in the afternoon in the city and surrounding areas. Two Albanians travelling in a car that ended up in the sea, not far from the port of Bari, were unharmed. Both managed to get out of the vehicle quickly and were helped by the Port Authority. POLLUTION CHANGES SEX — According to an extraordinary finding by a British scientist, environmental pollution can also cause sex change. So far this has happened to some small molluscs living on the coast of Kent: females have developed male organs, while males have lost theirs.

HUMANITARIAN AID FOR POOR FAMILIES IN TEPELENA — A Dutch humanitarian association has sent aid, mainly clothing, to the 300 poorest families in Tepelena. Similar aid has also been distributed to several poor families in the village of Dukaj in this district. The association is also well known in the district for the aid it previously brought to the town hospital. 381 BOXES OF CHEESE SEIZED IN LUSHNJE — The Financial Police of the Lushnje District has seized 381 boxes of cheese at the Milk Processing Enterprise. The cheese amounts to about 10 quintals and was purchased in Greece through official channels. After the enterprise's managers had cleared the goods through customs, the cheese was transferred, by means of an official report, into the ownership of a private trader. The Financial Police is treating this as a breach of the law. The same trader had repeatedly taken various quantities from the enterprise without paying the money into its cash office. PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY TO OPEN A NEW SCHOOL IN SARANDË — Preparations are nearing completion for the opening of a new secondary school in Sarandë. The school, which will open on Wednesday, will train merchants and accountants. Initially, 60 students will take their places in its classrooms; they will come mainly from the districts of Sarandë and Delvinë, but also from other southern districts. The purpose of opening it is to train qualified personnel able to meet the needs of the market economy, a field where many shortcomings are still evident. The local authorities have taken measures to ensure that classes at the new school begin normally, providing the basic requirements in teaching materials and textbooks.

TIRANA — (d. k.). The ancient city of Butrint, near Sarandë, will henceforth be considered a “World Heritage Site” under the direct protection of UNESCO. The news was confirmed in a letter from Bord von Droste, a senior UNESCO official, addressed to the Albanian Ministry of Culture. Archaeologists and researchers, not only from Albania, have shown continuing interest in the importance of this renowned ancient centre—the city is also mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature. The latest decision creates significant opportunities to fund restoration and excavations, which have covered only around 10 percent of Butrint’s area.

TIRANA — At a meeting with Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Qian Qichen—who paid an official visit to Tirana last Saturday—President Sali Berisha divided Milosheviç’s supporters into two categories: those who support him openly, such as Russian conservatives and Greek ultranationalists, and those who support him secretly. According to the Albanian President, the latter are certain international circles interested in their own interests in creating a Greater Serbia. Berisha once again called on China and the entire international community not to allow the “policy of fait accompli,” seen in Bosnia, and to intervene so that the Yugoslav conflict does not spread to Kosovo as well.

DEBATE/ Rules for information Following Saturday’s article on the need to establish rules for Albanian information through a Press Law, the debate is beginning. The first to spark it is Dashnor Kokonozi, journalist and Director of the Culture Section at the Ministry of Culture. This space is open to anyone wishing to take part in the exchange of ideas—and in this delicate and fundamental issue; naturally, each author takes responsibility for their own arguments, statements which do not involve the editorial line of our newspaper. DASHNOR KOKONOZI A look at Press Laws in different countries around the world reveals the diverse forms in which they exist. In some places it occupies almost an entire volume; elsewhere, just one paragraph of a constitutional act; and in other countries there are federal laws, but this does not deprive each state of the right to enact its own press laws. Thus, given that in our country some still consider it constitutional to discuss the press, even if only indirectly, one might say that Albania has been without a Press Law, but at the same time has not been entirely without one. Nevertheless, the fact that the need for a law on the press—one that clearly defines its rights and obligations—is raised from time to time undoubtedly means that something here is not right, something whose significance makes it a problem we need to address. The danger of legalizing the right to defame is only one of the serious consequences accompanying this ill, which results from the disorder in the press and, in many cases, from its claim to go beyond all bounds of moral, human, and legal responsibility. Without going into internal matters, an article published in recent days by a member of the governing committee of a parliamentary political party, which [unclear in source] the presence of the high-level delegation of the Chinese government in Albania, is entirely unjustifiable. The issue concerns the moral and political code. Morally, respecting a guest is part of this country’s tradition, and this is incumbent not only on the host but also on the other guests. Meanwhile, I would remind this person that, for his insinuation, German press law provides for several years in prison for [unclear in source] of foreign personalities [unclear in source] by the state. I have considered the question of personal character in a press law excessive, starting from the principle—if it is indeed the person himself. The reasons for this phenomenon should be examined along two lines. First, this apparently reflects the law of compensation. The inability to express even a basic independent opinion during the endless years of dictatorship has been accompanied and sublimated into [unclear in source] by something spectacular, in many cases exceeding every kind of norm. Setting aside for a moment the political motives behind this entire “public exhibitionism,” its content would be determined by the journalist’s professional level and moral formation. A survey from mid-1991 shows that 75 percent of Albanian daily newspapers had a state origin. On the other hand, it is known that, in the countryside, the dictatorship ruled not only through the reach of its territorial presence but also through the conspicuous division of groups. These phenomena would have the consequence of cultivating feelings of clientelism and revenge, as well as narrow-minded attitudes, which would try to bring forward the faces of [unclear in source] groups, [unclear in source], and individuals. Under these conditions, a press law would help, among other things, to raise the press’s own credibility. In historical terms, it would mark the end of its infancy.

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