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Crash - Bang

It's been a bad month on the roads. BIRN reports that 46 drivers were killed in traffic accidents during August. (In 2005 there were 308 fatalities in total. The statistics for 2001 indicate that 22% of that year's casualties were drivers of vehicles. This would suggest that the figure of 46 for August includes all fatalities, not just drivers.)

It's a frightening number of deaths in such a small country, but watching how people drive in one sense I'm surprised it's not a lot higher. Driving back from Saranda we saw plenty of accidents and plenty more near accidents. One of these nearly involved us thanks to a moron who tried to overtake us on a blind bend. If you are reading this driver of Nissan SUV, CD 41-17 your bosses at EU-CAFAO will be getting the official complaint shortly.

BIRN also reports on a spot of bother down south where villagers from Lazarat attacked a police station in Gjirokaster after some local criminal was shot dead by a special police unit, RENEA. Very wisely the local cops stayed on the roof until things calmed down. There is also a video report of the incident from VisionPlus.

I think we will give this village a miss on a farewell tour. And congratulations to the police. I'm all in favour of shooting armed criminals and terrorists.

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Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm against criminals as well. What bothers me is that there must be something wrong that the whole vilalge is uprising. And they rebeled after the special renea forces went in and killed this individual who hadn't finished his process in court yet. I don't know, it looks like a lot of pressure from the state, i hope this is not something political, someone usurping power for persoanl vendettas. If this is starting to happen, then citizens are threatened and we are going into a dictatorship again.
12:15 am
free_thinking_albanian said…
I'm sick & tired of Lazarat taking the law on their own hands. The police must take action even if it's heavy handed and attracts criticism.

They been doing this for years (since 97 in fact) and getting away with it. If anything they should have arrested the people who laid seige to the police station.
9:53 am
Anonymous said…
I myself have stayed in Lazarat and I find it a very friendly village, What every the villagers do they are not harming anyone.
I also think that the shotting of the young boy from Lazarat was'nt called for, he could of got arrested and delt with in the right way, then his family wouldn't be grieving for him.
4:40 pm
Anonymous said…
I to have stayed in the village of Lazarat, and i find it a very lovely and friendly place.
I also think that people from outside the village should keep them selves to them selves and leave lazarat people alone.
12:32 am
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