Police on alert Riot in the prison. Inmates seize the cells Tension and gunfire on the outskirts The clash with the guards began at 10:00 p.m. Three of them are being held hostage by the prisoners; the other police officers have withdrawn in alarm TIRANA - The prisoners of Tirana have revolted. Some of them have taken guards hostage. There are no police officers left inside the building, while large numbers of forces have surrounded the entire area. Gunfire continued for 70 minutes and, late into the night, the prison remained in the hands of the rioters. The Director General of Police, Sokol Bare, told Gazeta last night that the prison had fallen into the hands of the rioters, who were holding three guards hostage. Numerous shouts could be heard from the wings, warning that the three guards would be killed on the spot if any police officers tried to enter. The situation unfolded in Building 313. It is surrounded by large numbers of police. Special forces, officers in blue uniforms, military vehicles, vans and cars are on site. The entire building was emptied within minutes, and the officers who came out onto the street alerted their colleagues. Alarm at the Ministry and in all the police stations. Within seconds, the area around the building was filled only with blue uniforms, which blocked all passages. Numerous shots continued to be heard, but their direction could not be determined. Bare stressed that the prisoners would not be fired upon and that the operation would be carried out by special forces. Numerous IFA vans carrying police officers moved along the Ring Road, blocking all secondary routes. Until midnight, the standoff between the group of prisoners and the police remained tense. The numerous shots heard near the building spread panic and fear throughout the area. The blocking of vehicle traffic has ... who is leading them. Zani is in Building 313, as are those arrested in the Shkodra incident. The incident, which began at 10:00 p.m., was followed by a swift move by some of the prisoners, who took three guards hostage. With guns to their heads, they called on the police to withdraw— —the three guards on the spot and [they said] that they would [do something] if any police officers tried to enter. the situation between the group of prisoners and the police remained at a standstill. fear throughout the area. The blocking of vehicle traffic raised questions among those out late at night. Bare, leading the operation to retake the building, stressed that everything would be calm by morning. It is still unknown which of the prisoners is leading the revolt, but until late at night their cries could be heard saying they would kill the guards unless they were allowed to go free. It is still unknown what will happen to Building 313, which is entirely in the hands of the rioters. Andi Tela

Terror in the city. Police and residents join the hunt for the killers Berat, six dead Gang war causes massacre Terror in the city. Police and residents join the hunt for the killers Crime goes on the attack Berat, six dead Gang war causes massacre BERAT - A black day for the well-known city of [unclear in source: “bijë ndi a rëzare”]. Six dead and two wounded was the toll of the battle between rival gangs. Hours of anxiety and fear for the city’s many residents, who have still not recovered from a whole year of unrest. The attackers, who opened fire beneath a bar, quickly left the scene, but large numbers of police forces and vehicles of various kinds set off in pursuit. Two people from the gang were caught; one was killed, while another—[unclear: “k apo banda”]—escaped. Throughout last night, police forces continued the pursuit of the wanted individuals. A car with Tirana license plates stopped at the entrance to a bar-buffet near the stadium. Two long bursts of gunfire left the two brothers and two other people dead on the spot. On page 5

LAST NIGHT Parliament decides: Hajdari before the investigators Democratic MP lets rip: This is an illegitimate Parliament and we will overthrow it TIRANA - Azem Hajdari stands up and imitates [unclear]. Yesterday the Albanian Parliament voted unanimously to lift the immunity of the Democratic MP. It was the Mandates Committee that proposed the case in question to the legislature following the accusation received from the Prosecutor’s Office: violently resisting police officers in the performance of their duties. This is the charge submitted yesterday by the Prosecutor’s Office, which urged the legislature not to hesitate to lift his immunity. But Hajdari did not hesitate to unleash a series of attacks against Parliament, the Government and Minister Çeka. Yesterday he presented his version of the Milot Bridge incident. “It was an attempt to physically eliminate me,” Hajdari said, adding that all the accusations being made against him were a dirty game that would soon be exposed. But the Albanian MPs did not hesitate to lift his immunity after a long marathon of heated discussions and debates. Hajdari yesterday during the rally (Photo: Plator Ilo) On page 3 Hajdari yesterday during the rally (Photo: Plator Ilo)

TNT against the pipelines Three cities in the Prefecture left without supply

He did not come after being summoned

KRUJË - Eight explosions at the cement factory in Fushë-Krujë. On Tuesday evening, explosives shook the small town of Fushë-Krujë, damaging around ten areas of Albania’s largest cement-producing factory. The first explosion occurred at 9:57 p.m. and was the most powerful; it was followed by seven more explosions. The cement factory had been shut down for three months, so there were no workers inside at the time of the attack. On page 7

TNT against the pipelines DURRËS - Explosives have once again been used against the Durrës water supply system. Four hundred thousand residents of Kavajë, Shijak and Durrës have been left without water following the fourth attack on the main pipeline that runs through the village of Fushë-Krujë. The attackers’ identities remain a mystery, but the damage is extensive and, according to the director of the Durrës water utility, repairs will take time. There have been 12 explosions on this pipeline so far, and it is in very poor condition. This time, the issue is not ownership of the water source, as in the previous cases. The Kurbin police are on the trail of the attackers, who are believed to have carried out this act of terrorism. On page 7

TIRANA - Vehbi Alimucaj will be brought by force before prosecutor Sokol Stojani, following his failure to appear yesterday morning at the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office. Summoned to provide explanations after a complaint by the Minister of Finance, Alimucaj failed to show up, even after the prosecutor waited for a long time. At the appointed time, meanwhile, Minister Arben Malaj appeared and gave his statement. Malaj had filed a complaint against Alimucaj for defamation and obstructing the work of the administration. Meanwhile, yesterday, Farudin Arapi and one of the representatives of “Deloitte & Touche” handed Chief Prosecutor Arben Rakipi a copy of the report on the pyramid schemes. On page 2

VLORA - Village teachers are left stranded. The drivers who normally transport them to the villages around Vlora have said: “Enough, they must not get on the bus anymore; they don’t pay us.” On top of the everyday difficulties of their work, they now also face the problem of finding vehicles to get to their students in Orikum, Novoselë, Peshkëpi, Lakatund and Kote. There are, in fact, 10 bus routes that take teachers from Vlora every day and distribute them among the villages. But for the past three days, the buses have stopped their daily routine because the education directorate has not compensated for the increase in the price of diesel. The agreement between the two parties began around December ’97, and the drivers—the bus owners—had threatened even then to “leave the teachers stranded,” but the Education Directorate had promised to pay them. Nearly four months have passed since the price of diesel rose, however, and the drivers have not seen a single lek added to their pay. Hundreds of teachers from Vlora travel to the villages every day and face familiar economic problems; now the bus drivers’ protest has been added to their difficulties, making their work impossible as well. For years, the buses have undertaken the transport of teachers and other passengers travelling in those areas. They take the teachers in the morning at 6:30 and pick them up when they finish teaching in the villages. Nevertheless, according to the Vlora Education Directorate, the payment issue will soon be resolved and teachers will once again have the essential means of transport at their disposal. The delay in payment appears to be due to a lack of funds. And yet, village teachers face the same predicament in other Albanian cities too; some of them have never had buses at their disposal, and are therefore often seen hitchhiking along the road. Petrag Hanxhari

PYRAMID SCHEMES Creditors on hunger strike On page 12

BORDER War against the mystery speedboats On page 5