After the hunger strike was dispersed by the police “We only have economic demands” After the hunger strike was dispersed by the police Protesters in hiding “We only have economic demands” TIRANA — The hunger strike, the hottest event in this summer’s news coverage, has entered a new phase: clandestinity. After the Court of Cassation’s ruling was made public — ruling that the hunger protest by former political prisoners was illegal — groups of men have continued the strike in hidden places. The situation is more serious in Shkodër and Vlorë, where, in addition to the strikers’ insistence on not leaving the buildings where they are barricaded, bursts of gunfire were also heard, the origin of which remains disputed. In Tirana, a group — including women — has continued to uphold the line that most of them had already stated earlier: to stick to the line of purely economic demands until the end. Although they felt betrayed by their leaders and cut off from their colleagues in the regions, the group, nearly forty people by Friday evening, had already taken measures that would allow them to continue their protest. On Friday, President Berisha also intervened. His statement retained almost the same tone as those of the government. Berisha considered the hunger strike a manipulation by the “state secret police,” manipulated by the feelings of an illegal striker from Tirana, but only by certain political forces. “We have not had and do not have political demands. The politicization of our demands is one of the reasons for the failure of the fast. We only want the Government to implement what it has promised us. We are in a very miserable economic situation: with minimal income and without a home. These and nothing else have pushed us to take this extreme of self-sacrifice with a hunger strike,” Skënder Tufa, one of the former political prisoners who has decided to continue the protest under other conditions, told Gazeta Shqiptare, expressing the opinion shared with his comrades in the secret place where they have chosen to shelter in Tirana. “If necessary, we will also use other ways so they do not discover us, but we will prolong the strike until the end,” Tufa adds. Azem Hajdari, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Order — now criticized even by the strikers themselves — said that in the meantime, during a press conference, he would continue to ask his party to condemn the dispersal of the strike by the police; otherwise he would resign his deputy’s mandate. (p. r.)

A crime committed four years ago He hijacks the motorboat and throws the guards into the sea A crime committed four years ago Life sentence: he killed two military men He hijacks the motorboat and throws the guards into the sea DURRËS — The Durrës court did not hesitate: Aldurin Sallmoni, a resident of this city, has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Thus the grave accusation of the crime means that his life will from now on be confined forever within the walls of a prison cell. Sallmoni had been wanted by Albanian justice for four years for the killing of two people. The crime is among many such cases that occurred in 1990, when the desire to head for the Italian coast had become a real obsession. It was precisely during one such attempt that Sallmoni’s crime took place. In October 1990 he tried to seize a military motorboat. To fully achieve his goal, he threw a non-commissioned officer and a soldier into the sea, and they lost their lives. Together with the motorboat’s weapons and seven other people, he set off for Italy. From that moment, the search began and cooperation between Albanian and Italian forces started. The first result of that cooperation was achieved only after two years, when only the motorboat was returned to Durrës. Another two years were then needed before Sallmoni himself was caught in Albania. On 8 March he was captured by the forces of order and placed under arrest. Now, at the beginning of this month, this ending was dictated. The 4-year history of this serious crime now seems to be a closed chapter even for justice. Sallmoni’s only hope of escaping a life in a cell remains an appeal and then Cassation.

TIRANA — One of this year’s most important trials opens tomorrow in Tirana. — One of this year’s most important trials opens tomorrow in Tirana. Six activists of the Greek minority organization in Albania “Omonia”, arrested a few months ago, will appear before the court accused of a serious charge: treason and activity in the service of foreign intelligence services. All face severe sentences, including the death penalty. The case of the six minority members, more notable for the sensational nature of the charge — no trial for such accusations has been held for a long time — is important because of the impact it is expected to have on strained Albanian-Greek relations. For some time now, the case has become the target of harsh accusations between the two diplomatic sides of the neighbouring countries. The Greek side accuses the Albanian authorities of using it to “frighten” the Greek minority in Albania so they would not continue efforts to have their demands met. Greece’s Foreign Minister Papulias, after a meeting in Athens with the Chairman of “Omonia” Oiriazati, called their arrest a “farce based on provisions of a criminal law used by the Stalinist regime.” Papulias added that “the situation has become more tense in another climate,” recalling that the course of this trial would not fail to be immediately reflected in inter-state relations. The Albanian side immediately responded by describing the Greek position as unacceptable and as interference in Albania’s internal affairs. “It is for the court to prove the innocence or guilt of those arrested; the Greek government is manipulating the minority and ‘Omonia’ for its own internal purposes,” said Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi, among other things, in a meeting with the Greek Ambassador in Tirana Tsiallis. The prosecution will be represented by two of the country’s best-known prosecutors at present. Arben Keleshi and Genc Gjokutaj will present to the court the evidence that, in their view, constitutes the activity of each of the “Omonia” activists. (p. r.)

POGRADEC — Serious environmental damage in the Pogradec area. There are ten long pipes that discharge the city’s sewage into the lake. Along the shore, from the Tourism area at least as far as the “1 Maj” promenade, these pipes emerge above ground and extend toward the lake, where they “vomit” the city’s waste. For residents and vacationers, many areas have become inaccessible — the water is polluted up to 30 meters from the shore — while there is also the risk of the spread of infectious diseases, especially skin diseases. The area in front of the Tourism park is the most deserted. Even more painful is the situation when, just a little farther on, without hesitation, fishermen and residents of Shen Naum make use of this shell of crystal-clear water purity of the lake. But the pollution of the lake waters has also been accompanied by great damage to nature and the lake surroundings. Thus the beach area is emptying day by day of its sand. Trucks loaded with stones that have disappeared because of this erosion are scattered around. Here, substantial amounts have been reduced; nor has the beauty of the shore in front of hotel “Turizmit” been spared. As soon as the sand was removed, the area turned to earth, stripping it of its rare greenery. (Al. Ba.)

VLORE BEACH, A CHILD DROWNS — A family from Fier, which had planned to spend the day at the city beach, ended its holiday day in tragedy. The 4-year-old boy F. L. escaped his parents’ notice and went too far into water he was not prepared to handle. It was too late for the child when the adults intervened to save him. KRUJA WATER SUPPLY — A joint German-Albanian-Austrian company will be awarded the work to build the Kruja water supply system. The winning company was selected after a long competition among 16 construction firms that took part in the tender. Of these, four were chosen in the first ranking as the most suitable, and after further screening the joint company made up of firms from the three states was declared the winner. The first step will be to send specialists, which is expected to be done soon. Like most Albanian cities, Kruja also has a very acute problem with drinking water supply. CHILD IN SERIOUS CONDITION IN HOSPITAL — The 12-year-old boy A. Kuqo from the village of Vështinë is in very serious condition in the resuscitation ward of Fier city hospital. The child was struck during an ordinary game by a broken electric cabin. Doctors are now making every effort to save the boy from Vështinë from the claws of death.

Elbasan, debt dispute ELBASAN — A debt story has turned into a blood tragedy. A trade agreement, involving only a few bottles of beer, has caused one death, three wounded and three others detained by the police. The conflict arose between two traders from the village of Pajovë in Peqin, when one of them, Ardian Plaku, withdrew, a few days earlier, 6 crates of beer and 10 cans of oil. It was the deadline for repaying the debt that prompted Plaku to take revenge on his fellow trader. After arming himself with a shotgun and taking some of his relatives with him, at midnight that same day he set out to kill the beer merchant. But the situation, seemingly favorable to Plaku, immediately changed to his disadvantage. The merchant managed to snatch the shotgun from his hand and, before he could fire it, the cartridge did not spare Plaku, who was killed on the spot — even though his relatives were accompanying him that night. (Me. Kl.)

In Fier FIER — A desire to play billiards ended very badly for A. Tahiri, 22, from Fier. And he not only died badly, but in recent years he had also become very much in fashion in the city; he would have been so dangerous. The exact clear motives that led to Tahiri’s death are still not known. It is only known that it was a quarrel with some young men which began as a simple argument, the sort that often happens among young people in bars, where disputes frequently do not end there and, after years, continue in bars. They got into a conversation and then started striking. It was precisely one of them, the 26-year-old V. N., who hit the victim with a billiard cue. Such a blow caused his later death. The 32-year-old involved was taken to the city hospital, but the victim died. There is still no information about the reason for the quarrel and the police are continuing the investigation. (Le. M.)

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