• Around 24 commercial establishments in the villages of our district have been destroyed, looted and burned in broad daylight. • Nearly 20,000 residents of these areas are left without shops and without any commercial service facilities. • Lezha and the people of Lezha must not accept such acts. Lezha, and especially the villages along the Mat Coast, have never before in their history seen or experienced anything so shocking and painful. On May 31 alone, shops were broken into and looted in Shënkoll, Tale, Gama, Pllana and Zejmen, as were the warehouses serving the whole area in Zejmen; this continued at establishments in Spiten and Tresh. The looting began as early as May 27 in the villages of Firilë, where the entire shopping complex was broken into. Similar incidents have also occurred in Bërzanë, Grykë Manati and Shëngjin. In the middle of the night, everything that could be found was looted: industrial goods and food. The value of the looted goods came to approximately 4,271,000 lekë, not counting the value of the 80% of shops and warehouses that were burned, destroyed or put out of use. Livestock was treated the same way in almost all the villages, including those where the breakup of the cooperatives was delayed. Some people took three or four animals, or even more, while others took none. Matters went so far that maternity homes were occupied, pregnant women were driven out, and various equipment was looted. In some villages, kindergartens are no longer kindergartens. Who did this? Some call them terrorists, some vandals, and others thieves. I would say that nobody in the Mat Coast wants such acts, because they affect the shops and the people’s bread. Examples worth mentioning are the cases in Manati and at the NB livestock complex in the Hotel sector of Griçuesit, where the young people and workers themselves stood up to protect the shops and their goods. Could they not have done the same in the other villages? There were also attempts to break into and loot places in the city of Lezhë, which were thwarted by the rapid intervention of the forces responsible for maintaining order, even with weapons. The city’s residents also helped; they did not support these acts, whose costs would have fallen on them, especially during this difficult economic period, when the means to repair the damage are extremely limited. Much is being said about these authorities, and many “outraged” people are specifically demanding that the law be enforced. Indeed, it must be enforced, but none of these individuals, government bodies or parties is working or helping to prevent these destructive acts. Enforcing the law after these things—which should not happen—have occurred is easy. The problem is preventing them, and everyone must contribute: individuals, organizations, parties, the new Government and even Parliament, which, by dragging out discussions and debates without taking action, is doing nothing but leaving the way open for these undesirable acts. In this situation, so severely burdened politically and economically, it is the duty of everyone to do something for the good of this nation, with all its many hardships. We should pursue our rights by every means, but destroying the few good things we have built only postpones and makes it harder to secure these legitimate rights. As I said above, it has never been the tradition of Lezha and its people to burn and destroy, or to steal and loot their own goods and property. But this is happening here now as nowhere else. It is true that this results from widespread poverty and a loss of faith in the future, but these acts only deepen that poverty. Nevertheless, let us hope that the new Government will fulfil the aspirations of all the people. We must not accept what is happening—whoever considers himself a man of Lezha. ALEKSANDËR FRANGAJ

INTERVIEW WITH BASHKIM HISARI, FORMER DIRECTOR OF RTV PRISHTINA, GIVEN TO THE EDITOR OF OUR NEWSPAPER, ZEF SHTJEFNI. — What impressed you about Albania these days? — Thousands of people—nothing stands out; the scale of the misery is so great that I could not believe it. Not only in Europe, but I think even in Africa there are few societies in the condition to which Albania has sunk today. I am sorry; I don’t know how to console myself. Forgive me for speaking this way, but I feel that I know this side very little. — And compared with Kosovo? — We, too, are very far from Europe, and Serbian fascism drains our blood every day, but you cannot be compared with us. Your difference is, one might say, like our difference from Portugal or some other country. — What are your thoughts on the latest developments in Albania? — It is one thing to talk about democracy and another for there to be true democracy. You are breaking windows, stealing, burning and killing—what are you not doing? No, democracy cannot come to power this way. Fascism and Nazism, of the Milošević type, have come to power through such actions; democracy never has. — What do you think is the reason for this? — Disappointment after a long period of repression, the outburst against dictatorial rule, and economic and spiritual misery seem to me to have led to these uncontrolled, that is, irrational acts. But I hope they will not last, because otherwise we will bring disaster upon ourselves; we will destroy ourselves. — How do you see the opposition in Kosovo and Albania? — There are many parties in Kosovo too, and they openly debate many issues with one another. But the great hatred of the Serbian occupier unites the parties there so strongly, as it unites all Kosovars. It seems to me that your great patriotic cause, the cause of the nation, is not uniting you, as one would have expected at this decisive moment for the fate of our entire nation, unjustly divided. — How can some contradictory statements by various Kosovo personalities about the situation in Albania be explained? — Kosovo, like Albania, now needs new people at the helm. Disillusionment in Kosovo begins with your disillusionment here. As I understand it, you mean Adem Demaçi. Think about it: he spent as many years in prison as Mandela, but publicly acknowledged Enver Hoxha as his spiritual leader. And imagine someone emerging after so many years in prison, disillusioned. Perhaps that is not the case, but I can see no other reason. — Do you think Kosovo is closer to Enver Hoxha’s Albania or to Albania today? — Almost all Kosovo was with Enver Hoxha’s Albania, although quite a few intellectuals had reservations about his isolationist policy. But now Kosovo has changed, as you have. Many of your internal problems are not known, and are not well understood, there. Today Kosovo’s eyes are fixed on you more than ever. — Do you hope Albania can emerge from this situation, and how? — The world today faces two major crises: food and energy; every event is connected to them. Given its rich natural resources, Albania has no problems with these at all, if Albanians work from now on. What are you crying about?...? Clothes, garments, televisions and washing machines, cars and other ordinary things that the world has had enough of and has nowhere to sell... Come on, men, stop acting foolishly and suffering over these things; you have it in your own hands. — Why are you no longer working at TV-Prishtina, and what are you doing? — I am neither the first nor the last to be thrown out of Prishtina Television. And who did it, you know that too...? In fact, you should know it very well. Now I am in trade. I want to bring to Albania the goods you need, but you still won’t let us do anything, because you are destroying the little property you have! — Who could benefit from Albania’s present situation? — I think that, apart from the Serbian chauvinists, nobody else could, and it is hard to shut your mind to the fact that they have their tools here. Following the debates in the new parliament, it seems to me that one could say that hardly anyone there speaks for themselves. I am talking about all sides. — Which political force might be best able to defend Albania’s fate? — At present, it seems to me that no one other than the democratic wing could. This requires hard work, new thinking, new energy and new people. I think that whichever democratic force comes to power, the first thing it would do would be to start, as I would put it, a (continued on page 3)

During these days, in several villages, mainly along the Mat Coast, large groups of people have attacked state property and shops, destroying and looting food and industrial goods. The police have detained these people. 1 — Sokol Tahir Media, Lezhë. 2 — Saimir Ramazan Media, Lezhë. 3 — Eduard Pjetër Marku, Lezhë. 4 — Ilir Fetah Media, Lezhë. 5 — Engjëllushe Ramadan Sinani, Lezhë. 6 — Miranda Uk Uka, Lezhë. 7 — Viktor Gjergj Lazri, Zejmen. 8 — Gjon Frrok Ndreu, Zejmen. 9 — Dedë Preng Mëhilli, Zejmen. 1 — Mirash Gjin Nikolla, Markatomaj. 11 — Rrok Nikollë Lulashi, Markatomaj. 13 — Martin Gjon Gega, Gjader. 1 — Ahmet Shaban Bruçaj, Balldre, detained for conducting prohibited trade. 2 — Gjovalin Prend Buna, Torovice, detained for selling goods at higher prices and conducting prohibited trade. Investigations are being carried out into these people and others who may be detained, according to the information available. We emphasize that the police are by no means standing idle. From a spokesperson for the Lezhë police

How beautiful! We believe you also like her dress design. If you would like a design like this, go to the women’s dressmaking department near the sports center or to Viktor Gega’s shop in Manati.