VIOLENCE / A night of terror in the centre of the capital A 30-year-old man is burned while sleeping among cardboard boxes. Another beggar is robbed in his sleep. Two young men are in jail. “We did it only as a joke” A war among the poor TIRANA — There is one thing that should unite all people regardless of race, ideology, religion, age or social conditions. That word is tolerance. Tolerance means, above all, respecting others. It is a night that must be forgotten, the night of Wednesday. A night of absurd violence which, by striking two of the poorest people, sleeping in the street, was also a cursed night. This time, the one who killed an unfortunate man was another unfortunate man. And that is even more serious: because when intolerance becomes the master of a desperate person, and when even society’s abandonment of them is not a source of solidarity, then the alarm grows in size. It is a bad day that makes us lower our heads and look at humanity, and precisely for that reason it must belong to all of us. Because its threat is a game of creation — incitement excludes man[?]. (c.b.o.) EDMOND LAÇI TIRANË — It was a real night of terror and fear in the “kingdom” of the capital’s beggars. More precisely, on Wednesday and within a few minutes, the beggars — who, as usual, were sleeping in the street near the center of Tirana — turned into victims of two very aggressive people. Among the two beggars attacked, the fate of 30-year-old Valent Kaba was the most tragic. Around 1 a.m. his body was engulfed in flames, because the man, who was living among rags and cardboard, was mercilessly set on fire. Then — in the pair of new violators[?] — an old man known in Tirana, always surrounded by a pack of dogs — this time only while asking for some bread and money — found his friend’s condition completely ruined. Later, two people aged 17 and 18 respectively, residents of Tirana, were arrested. They admitted responsibility for the criminal act. At the police station they also explained the motive: “We did it only as a joke.” “Yes, we were the ones who set fire to the beggar sleeping near the ‘Unknown Soldier’,” they immediately admitted after being detained by the law-enforcement authorities, Rustemi and Këmbaci said. Investigations have only just begun and the exact motives of this scandalous crime cannot yet be confirmed. The first contradictions between the two aggressors are emphasized, while the hypothesis of the act may have been more spontaneous than premeditated. But the statements of the two defendants differ from one another, since one says he threw the match after throwing away the cigarette, while the other claims he set it on fire in his pocket, but as a joke. In any case, both admitted that they fled in terror immediately after the victim’s body — the beggar Valent Kaba — was engulfed by the tongues of flame. Only a late group of witnesses saw the macabre scene. Despite the rapid intervention of the Tirana Police and hospital doctors, after ten days[?] hours in a coma, Kaba’s charred body died. Forensic examinations found a large amount of alcohol in the victim Kaba’s blood. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he did not immediately feel — at the moment he was set on fire — what was happening to his body. Initially, since the night of 7 May was very cold in Tirana, it was thought that Kaba had fallen victim to some banal accident while trying to warm himself, but the next day the investigators followed the terrorists’ traces, eventually managing to detain them. Now a proper investigation will charge the perpetrators after the crime: one of them, for about an hour, preferred to make “love” with another beggar near the Palace of Culture, while his friend, with nearly 300 dollars in advance, had supposedly gone for a happy stroll in the bars of Tirana and Durrës. The successful evening and the terror that occurred concerned the miserable beggar — who stays on the pavement near Café “Europa” together with his dogs — who, shortly before midnight on Tuesday, had his bag of money stolen. One of the two arrested men had lived for some time near the miserable beggar and even knew where he spent the late hours of the night. In this cold weather, above the Café “Europa” building — while the beggar was sleeping — with speed and a snatch over the dog, the swollen bag also disappeared. The poor beggar also raised his voice because such robberies had occurred, but it is still unknown whether the culprits are the same people. Thus ends, with two dead, one robbed and two young men in prison, an unusually terrifying night for the capital’s beggars. As June dawned, the normal rhythm of life in their “kingdom” was deeply shaken. One of the beggars begging in the streets of Tirana (Photo F. Guiscini) One of the beggars begging in the streets of Tirana (Photo F. Guiscini)

Parliament, the opposition’s motion TIRANË — The Socialists have taken another step in the political battle begun in Parliament last week. A statement read by the chairman of their parliamentary group, Namik Dokle, announced their request that Parliament should dismiss Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi from his current post. “No responsibility prevents the six other demands that fall directly within the competence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, whom the Constitutional Law specifically charges with ensuring the protection and strengthening of the legal order and the rights of citizens,” Dokle stressed. One week earlier the PS parliamentary group had asked Prime Minister Meksi to dismiss the Minister of the Interior, the head of SHIK, the prefect of Durrës, and the head of the municipality of Kuman. According to the Socialists, these are the main culprits behind the events in Libofshë, verified during the latest municipal elections. “Their repeated, aggressive and destructive stance in Parliament after the partial local elections clearly shows that, unfortunately, the Socialists are not managing to draw lessons from the latest electoral defeat,” was the Democrats’ response in a retort by MP Halit Shamata. (p.r.)

More than 20,000 people in 4 years ELBASAN — The population of the city of Elbasan has now exceeded 100,000 inhabitants. The news was confirmed by the city’s Civil Status Office. Over a four-year period, the population increase has reached 18,000 inhabitants. In January 1990, 82,000 people were registered. The figures include only residents who are officially registered with the Civil Status Office. If we also take into account the thousands of residents now living in the city’s outskirts, then the number would be much higher. According to the same source, the causes of the growth are both the large number of births — although a large number of abortions has also been recorded in Elbasan — and the internal migration of the population, which began in recent years.

PRESIDENT BERISHA MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AUTONOMOUS TRADE UNIONS OF ALBANIA — The representatives of the trade unions in Albania were received in a special meeting by President Berisha. During this meeting, numerous issues affecting this union were discussed, among them the expansion of cultural life and institutions as well as the possibility of inaugurating them, and the special treatment of distinguished artists who are already retired. President Berisha on his part offered, in any case, support and called for a more active role in addressing these problems. PREPARATIONS ARE UNDER WAY FOR A STATUE OF AQIF PASHA ELBASANI — Work on the clay model of the statue of Aqif Pashë Elbasani has now been completed and it is expected to be cast first in plaster and then in bronze. The statue, dedicated to this prominent figure of Elbasan — together with its pedestal — is expected to be placed, once fully completed, in one of the city’s public spaces. KORÇË, WHICH WILL SOON HAVE A REGULAR SUPPLY OF DRINKING WATER — Soon the city of Korçë will have a regular 24-hour supply of drinking water. The government has already allocated 10 million lekë for the city’s waterworks. This fund will be used to open a new pumping station, a new water pipeline and a water reservoir with a capacity of 8,000 cubic metres. RUSHAJ, THE REMAINS OF 37 PATRIOTS KILLED BY THE DICTATORSHIP ARE REBURIED — In a ceremony full of emotion and respect, the remains of 37 patriots from this region, executed by the dictatorship, were accompanied. Attending the ceremony were personalities and many family members. National figures from this region escorted their remains to be buried with honours in the city cemetery.

— Heavy fines have now begun to be imposed on “illegal fishermen” in Lake Prespa. Illegal fishing, often even during the breeding period, has increased specialists’ fears about the disruption of the natural balance and the drastic reduction in the amount of fish inhabiting the lake. According to reports from Korçë, the fish caught without a permit are transported[?], it is said, by vehicles with license plates from many districts of the country. The action launched by the Financial Police and the Korçë Police Station aims precisely to eliminate this phenomenon, which had begun to take on worrying proportions.

A cash register TIRANË — The winning bidder has been announced — for a tender worth 10 billion lire — for the supply of the Ministry of Finance and for units throughout Albania. It is the Italian company Sweda, which manufactures electronic calculating equipment. Sweda — which will carry out the supply — will also provide installation and technical assistance for these devices, and managed to win against other powerful competitors such as Siemens, Samsung, Olivetti and Sarema.

Lushnje LUSHNJË — A quantity of fuel worth 7 million lekë has been seized in Lushnjë. The reason for this measure taken by the city’s Financial Police is the falsification of sales documentation by the trading firm. A Greek company that had previously operated in cooperation with an Albanian company used the seal of the latter to sell the fuel. Moreover, the Greek representatives put pressure on the buyer, and after the money ran out they disappeared. After the entire quantity of fuel was blocked, the case has now been handed over to the district judicial authorities, from whom a decision is soon expected.

Lenders are asking for their money ELBASAN — This is a special case of a family from the village of Pajovë in Elbasan. For some time now, the Tabaku family has been living underground in the village. Only a few people from their close circle know them and shelter them. The reason for this “adventure” is the money-changing activity of the head of the family, who, after suffering a robbery in Macedonia, no longer has the means to pay his clients. So the father has gone into hiding for fear of possible revenge. All the family’s early earnings were created through the work and sweat of his sons abroad. With this money and other funds collected from many other people, Tabaku began dealing in bullion[?] in order to exploit the money. “But better, they say, they tell Gazeta Shqiptare themselves that while they were returning more money than the previous year, from there he would release it in two hours and he would hand over the bag.” From that moment the anxiety of this family began, still caught between the obligation to repay the debt and the inability to pay it. M. K.

TIRANË — Today a room of the Hotel “Tirana” will be presented in the capital. For one month it has been restructured, improved and brought back into operation in a way that reflects the hotel’s established tradition. In its entirety, on the 11th floor, a hotel room has been finally equipped. This double room with bathroom, coloured telephone, radio and all modern amenities is a model of the clientele and opportunities that this hotel will offer in the future.

June 10 of the year ’24: the first dream of democracy TIRANË — Seventy years ago the rebel troops entered Tirana in triumph. Thus began the short government of Fan Noli at the head of the exhausted Albanian state. 10 June 1924 was only one of the stages of what is now called the “June Revolution”. Today, major initiatives will begin in commemoration of this act, to which official Albania has given great importance. There have also been voices calling the celebrations of this day excessive. Supporters of King Zog are, of course, among the first to raise their voices: “But revolution means overturning the legal order, and this event is therefore an illegal act.” In fact, many then — both inside and outside the country — denounced the political content of this act. In the foreign press, phrases such as “coup” and “putsch” appeared, while a “Europe frightened by the Russian Bolshevik revolution” wanted to understand such a political upheaval in the small, almost unknown Albania. Even more so, they condemned those Albanians who, threatened by armed tyranny, were driven to place power in the hands of supporters. Now, fortunately, the times are far away when even in judging historical events “unity” had to be preserved. “One merit of the time we are going through is precisely this: we can debate and express even opposing views, always providing good explanations. Perhaps if the program of Noli’s government is taken into account, the reason for the support of the majority will then be clearer. Strengthening state authority over every personal and unlawful power and restoring order, improving the economic situation of farmers, facilitating the entry of foreign capital, simplifying bureaucracy and legally supporting the status of civil servants, full independence of the judicial system, greater local autonomy, raising the prestige of the Albanian state in foreign policy — these are just some of the points of the government program that emerged from the Revolution. Many of them still sound very current, and precisely the fact that their fulfilment has long been an Albanian aspiration is the source that feeds the celebrations beginning today. (fa.ba.x)

Aegean Sea: Turkey threatens Greece ON PAGE 2 Balance sheet: What the State’s pockets contain ON PAGE 3

SOMETHING TO SELL? SOMETHING TO BUY? This space is free for your economic notices. Send your message to all the newspaper’s editorial offices in Tirana: in Tirana: Rruga Bajram Curri, 370, or in Bari: Viale Scipione l'Africano, 264. Tell in your message what you are looking for and offering, your name and address FOR SALE — trailer parts for a heavy Fiat-type truck, disc. Spare parts available for Fiat Iveco industrial vehicles. Reasonable price. For information call 32646 in Tirana in the afternoon hours. FOR RENT — a 2-room apartment with 1 kitchen equipped with all comforts. Interested parties should contact the address Rruga “Sami Frashëri”, Building 21, Staircase 1, Apartment 2 in Tirana. FOR RENT — a 2-room apartment with 1 kitchen, without American-style furnishings[?]. Contact Bari Muhametin in Tirana, address Rruga “Hodi”, Building 64, Staircase 1, Apartment 2. FOR SALE — complete colourful[?] German-made set. Interested parties should contact Rruga “Qemal Stafa” no. 31 in Tirana. FOR SALE — a Fiat self-dumping truck with a capacity of 29 KV, in very good condition. US$8,500 cash. Contact Destan Kokoshi, Rruga “Kongresi i Lushnjës”, no. 29 (near restaurant “Mondial”) in Tirana. FOR SALE — a Turkish bread-making machine from 1992 (worked only seven months). Contact Viktor Basko by phone 26182 in Tirana. FOR RENT — a 3-room and 1-kitchen apartment (third floor, Rruga “Shyqyri Ishmi” (former city band, mosque). Contact by phone number 28901. FOR SALE — a 3-room and 1-kitchen apartment (second floor), Rruga “Shyqyri Ishmi” (former city band, mosque). Contact by phone number 28901.