Many Kosovars are coming to Albania; on the other hand, people with Yugoslav citizenship are arriving and heading toward Greece. According to data provided by the Kakavijë border police, in the last 24 hours 1,134 Yugoslav citizens have crossed into Greece. Seeing this movement, the government decided to expect around 100,000 Kosovars who are leaving their country. The Albanian government announced yesterday that, in the next 2–3 days, around 600,000 residents from Kosovo’s municipalities and other towns have begun to leave toward their mountains. Following the example of recent developments in Kosovo because of a massacre that has taken place, it is believed that 400,000 Albanians will abandon Kosovo. The chairman of the independent teachers’ union declared that, regardless of the situation, the Albanian school in Kosovo will begin at the start of September. Meanwhile, all prefectures and city councils were instructed to increase vigilance and put in place the necessary measures for shelter, food, and health services for refugees. The government’s move to take measures came after reports from Kosovo that an exodus of Albanians from Kosovo is being prepared and that the Serbian authorities are taking measures to block the departure of Albanians through the border with Albania. By order of the Croatian president, the Croatian army has been placed on alert as a result of the strengthening of Serbian movements in Bosnia. Meanwhile, the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, continues to experience fighting and heavy bombardment. Reports from Vienna say that the Austrian government has decided to ask the European Community to shelter refugees from Bosnia.

Last week, in Tirana, the secretary general of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Gerald Nagler, conveyed the greetings of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (“Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly”), and promised that he would help clarify the “Koha Jonë” case in full. He further announced that an international commission to investigate the persecution of this newspaper in Albania by post-communist and Stalinist structures will come to Tirana after the elections in order to examine the situation and produce a full report. This commission will have contacts with representatives of political parties, state institutions, and the leaders of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” themselves.

(By NESHAT TOZA) The government’s decision to send back those who fled Kosovo, not to place them in camps but to distribute them among towns and villages, was and remains a very prudent move. It responds not only to the emotional situation of these people who have fled, but also to the possibilities our country has for accommodating them. On the other hand, it would be completely absurd to confine people who have left Kosovo not to seek permanent asylum, but to save their lives from state and military terror, in improvised camps, in unsuitable conditions, with an uncertain future. And yet, this decision, however correct, is being accompanied by a public language that leaves much to be desired. One cannot speak of Kosovars as a burden, as a problem, as a number that must be settled at any cost. This language betrays not only a lack of sensitivity, but also a kind of cold administrative cynicism. There is no doubt that Albania has major economic and social difficulties, but that does not justify a tone that sounds more like reproach than care. The Kosovars who come here are neither tourists nor adventurers nor opportunists. They are people being pursued, threatened, stripped of even the most minimal security. To greet them with dry words, with suspicion, or with the implication that they are a problem to be gotten rid of as quickly as possible, is not only politically wrong, but morally unacceptable. A people that has itself known exile, internment, flight, and humiliation must know how to speak differently to today’s victims. If someone thinks that symbolic revenge against the Kosovars can be justified by old political attitudes, regional prejudices, or inherited grudges, they are gravely mistaken. These are days of trial for the Albanian state and society. And the test is not given only through bread and shelter, but also through the way people speak, write, and the way institutions behave. In this sense, the neighboring countries, official statements, or bureaucratic comments that smell of cynicism and revenge harm not only the Kosovars, but also our own national face. Subscribers (Continues on page 2)

Along with the astronomical rise, the newspaper’s fee has become unreasonable. The private press is being plundered while newspaper sales are concentrated in a few kiosks and in a few hands. Furthermore, the editorial staff announces that, despite the great sacrifices involved in publishing, the price of the newspaper “Koha Jonë” will be 3 lek, in an effort to maintain the fairest possible relationship with the reader. At the same time, all sellers and distributors are called on not to abuse the price and to respect the value set by the newspaper. BEN BLUSHI

It is becoming more than one newspaper in the state; please be careful with the sale of the press newspaper that had the price of 3 lek and is marked with this figure. Be careful with forgeries. Any price other than 3 lek is invalid. Do not assemble and do not put stolen newspapers up for sale. All of this is contrary to the law. We remind respected merchants that anyone caught falsifying the newspaper “Koha Jonë” as well as its price will be prosecuted criminally and administratively. Thanking you for your understanding and cooperation, we wish you successful work. 3 June 1992 Editorial Board of the Newspaper “KOHA JONË”

DILAVER BENGASI: MYSTERIOUS WORK IS MAKING A RILU, BUT SHERIM ÇELA IS WORKING ON IT