Gunfire from the early hours of the morning. Tension rose after the criminals were declared "persona non grata." Then there was an intervention with weapons. Two special officers were wounded, and at 3:00 p.m. dismissed policemen and civilians took the Prefect of the district hostage in the newspaper building amid police forces to protest with barricades THE MINISTRY DOES NOT BACK DOWN Çeka: They are still incriminated police officers "Nevertheless, those who have been dismissed have received and will receive what they deserve." This is how Interior Minister Arben Imami defined yesterday the fact that 30 police officers have been removed from the ranks of the criminals. This fact, together with the other accusations he raised against the superiors, has further inflamed the situation On page 5 SHKODËR - In the early hours of the morning the city woke up under the sound of gunfire. Fierce, worthy of Albanian films with heroes, was the clash between police units and officers from the police commissariats, who then, without asking either MPs or prefects or escorts, gathered the Minister of Public Order and civilians in a building. At least two policemen, one civilian and one guard policeman were wounded. But only this dramatic part ended with the conclusion at 3:00 p.m. In the evening the city is on the edge of the abyss. Hundreds of policemen, arriving from Tirana and other cities, guard the main institutions, block movement, stop gatherings and turn back countless cars heading toward Shkodër. A fierce confrontation has begun between the special police, the Public Order police and hundreds of civilians, bodyguards and bandits. Tension in Shkodër began around 5:30. The special police, arriving by order of the Minister of Public Order, Arben Imami, arrested the head of road traffic, Ndue Vata, and carried out searches in the homes of several people close to police and SHIK leaders in Shkodër. Under the orders of the special forces were the restriction of movement in the city and especially the control of the police and SHIK forces. The possibility has not been excluded at all that the special forces had orders to arrest the deputy chief of Shkodër police, Ndue Popa, and the chief of the commissariat, Mark Zefi. Then the situation escalated from all directions. According to the special forces, in resistance to the arrests gunfire began from the police building. Immediately after this act, very likely prepared beforehand, hundreds of armed civilians from the villages and the city gathered at the police, SHIK and prefecture buildings. The special forces managed to get Vata out to the fences and into custody. Then began what everyone had been expecting. Pursued by city police and armed civilians, the special forces were trapped inside the city newspaper building. Meanwhile, the city was blocked at all entrances and waves of people set off from the villages to help the policemen. At that moment, large police forces headed rapidly toward Shkodër, while at 3:00 p.m. the angry policemen, helped by civilians too, attacked the local newspaper where the special forces were barricaded. After the exchange of fire, two policemen were wounded. Immediately after that, there was fire from both sides. The tension eased only when MPs, the prefect, his bodyguard and people from SHIK intervened. Then began the ordeal of the hundreds of police officers of Shkodër and the citizens enraged by the dismissals. Exactly around 3:00 p.m., they stormed in and blocked the district prefect, demanding Minister Imami’s resignation. The situation was only partly resolved in the evening, when large police forces and armored vehicles entered the city. According to a preliminary tally, two policemen were wounded and several police officers and civilians were arrested. LAWYER NGJALA gives his opinions The football federation does not know any harm in keeping things hidden [?] Kendi: "They are still talent" On page 4 SPECIAL HOROSCOPE Leo: Fate will be above the sign during 1998 in all fields On page 6 TRIANGLE The Shehu-Eroesb cassette at the Prosecutor’s Office On page 3 VLORE Masked men wound a policeman On page 7 THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE Privatization is under investigation On page 3 TIRANA Arrests for a prostitution ring On page 8 In yesterday’s protests

Discovery by Polignani The arms trade began in Enver Hoxha’s time Enver Hoxha in 1983 On page 7

THE MINISTRY DOES NOT BACK DOWN Çeka: They are incriminated police officers "Huberi" did nothing to get out of duty On page 5

Lawyer Ngjala gives his opinions Berisha On page 4

Kendi: "They are still talent" Football Federation "we do not want any civilians on the field" SHIFE - The Kosovo Cup match in the city of Vlorë last night completely complicated the situation created by the cold stance of the capital’s sports clubs. It was the football match between Vllaznia and Tirana. According to the leaders of the Albanian Football Federation and of the two sports clubs, the decision to play these matches behind closed doors had been made long ago. The leaders of Vllaznia had been informed to delay the start of the match by more than an hour. They were ordered to replace the compromised elements of public order. This made both the leaders of Vllaznia and the players of the team play under pressure. According to the notice also received by Tirana’s coach, part of Vllaznia’s footballers did not show up at all for the match. This further aggravated the situation, which in the end led to the postponement of the match. According to Tirana’s leaders, many fans and armed people entered the stadium stands by order of the local police. This situation led officials of the Albanian Football Federation, who arrived at the stadium at 4:00 p.m., to order the implementation of the decision to play the matches without fans. The withdrawal of the local police from the stadium provoked strong reactions. Meanwhile the intervention of Shkodër deputy Ali Spahia and the district prefect, Bashkim Ceka, calmed the situation. After this moment the match began around 5:00 p.m. However, for 45 minutes of play there were still armed people in the stadium. In the second half things normalized and the game ended without incident. The first reports speak of an unusual situation in which sporting decisions depended on the day’s developments in Shkodër. According to the head of Tirana’s club, Ndoja, even the outcome of this match was conditioned by the presence of armed men. On pages 11-12

ISSUE BROUGHT TO TIRANA Sarandë-Tirana adventure of Justice In the "South" people are still talking about being judged TIRANA - Refyk Today [?] under the collapse of the state in the flood of reform, without doubt in the tens of thousands, the damage has still not been paid off. Justice continues to be escalated and frightening. The detention centers, on the one hand, continue to be mentioned because there is a first drag of the "papers" among people. While since two or three June only one shifted match [?] is very much breaking a lesson. Recently, after the sentencing of Kastriot Asllani, a former soldier in Sarandë arrested for the murder of a businessman in 1991, it is linked to the death of the former soldier, yes. There is only one nurse from the village. The trial of the defendant was held amid many difficulties. The decision was given on 9 January behind closed doors and away from public opinion. In this case, justice was forced to act outside its own norms because of the lack of security. After this decision, the topic of difficult trials in the south remains open. The same is being said about other cases left in local courts and now being transferred to Tirana. On page 8

Leo: Fate will be above the sign during 1998 in all fields On page 6

TRIANGLE The Shehu-Eroesb cassette at the Prosecutor’s Office On page 3 VLORE Masked men wound a policeman On page 7 THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE Privatization is under investigation On page 3 TIRANA Arrests for a prostitution ring On page 8

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