Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes an archival document extracted from the Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the initials “To top secret”, which belongs to 1980, where the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Feçor Shehu, informs the first secretary of the Committee Central of the ALP, Enver Hoxha regarding the Albanians of Kosovo and those of other areas in Yugoslavia who would come as tourists to Albania. According to the report of the Minister of Internal Affairs, out of 2847 foreign citizens who came to Albania as tourists in the period July-August 1980, 74 of them were suspected as agents of foreign intelligence and of them, 46 were from Yugoslavia, Albanians of Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia. Enver Hoxha’s note on the State Security report, where he suggests that “Kosovars will come to Albania as tourists and make good propaganda, but this will naturally create problems and troubles for the State Security, that there is no work without trouble… ”?!
Three or four years ago, in one of her rare pronunciations in the press, the widow of the former communist dictator of Albania, Nexhmije Hoxha, also spoke about the much-discussed problem in the media, that of “correcting Kosovo’s borders.” Among other things, she pointed out “Enver Hoxha’s great love for Kosovo and what he had done for Kosovo and Kosovars”. “?! Without wanting to comment on her words, it is appropriate to say that; The tragic fate of Kosovar immigrants who came to Albania from 1949 until the collapse of the communist regime is known worldwide, as from 1991 onwards, dozens and dozens of archival documents or various evidences have been made public, such as a very large number. Many Kosovo Albanians or from other Albanian areas in the former Yugoslavia have suffered in prisons or internment camps in communist Albania. The stories of the internment camp in Llakatund, Vlora, which has been open since the early 1950s, are already well known, for the “settlement” of Albanian emigrants who came here from the border by the savage Serbian repression and mainly the rank-and-file policy. In that camp, but also other internment camps in the fields of Myzeqe, etc., several years have passed a heavy ordeal and already well-known names, such as scholars, historians, writers, artists, etc., people of letters, such as: Nazmi Berisha , Esat Myftari, Gani Demiri Ratkoceri, Kapllan Resuli, Sadri Ahmeti, Namik Luci, Estref Kelmendi, Shefqet Kelmendi, Selim Kelmendi, Preloc Margilaj, Zef Gjeloshaj, etc., etc., where many of them died in the prisons of that regime. But without going into these stories that are already very popular, what was the “love” of Enver Hoxha for Kosovo and Kosovars, among other things, makes us an archival document of 1980, where the Minister of Interior At the time, Feçor Shehu, among other things, informed Enver Hoxha about those Kosovo Albanians or other areas in Yugoslavia at the time who came as tourists to Albania. Thus, according to the document in question, only for the period July-August 1980, out of 2847 people who came as tourists to Albania, 74 of them were suspected as agents of foreign intelligence, and of these, 46 were from Yugoslavia. So not only did we quote from the above, but the whole generation that lived at that time remembers very well that after every Kosovar, the communist regime was watching a UDB agent ?! Which is also confirmed by this document that is published for the first time and exclusively by Memorie.al.
Feçor Shehu’s letter to Enver Hoxha in 1980
SOME FOREIGN PROBLEMS
During the months of July-August, 2847 foreigners came to our country, of which 245 traders, 12 specialists, 123 drivers, 369 visitors, 1527 tourists, 104 guests, 467 in cultural-sports groups.
Following the attitude and behavior of these foreigners with vigilance, tact and correctness so as not to cause concern, the State Security organs have determined in their ranks as suspects (cadres and agents of foreign intelligence) 74 persons, of whom of whom 46 came from Yugoslavia (7 were processed).
In the context of the arrival of foreigners, I have given priority to coming from Kosovo and other Albanian countries in Yugoslavia, of which 545 people came during the months of July-August, of which 205 visitors-tourists, 122 in cultural-sports groups, 14 guests and 16 traders and specialists.
For the future, we plan to continue like this, giving priority to the arrival of Albanians from Kosovo and other places as visitors and not to apply their arrival with tourist groups, because:
It gives Yugoslavs the opportunity to exploit these tourist groups to bring in people of all nationalities and more easily camouflage their own agents, who have family ties to people with bad political standing in Albania.
Persons who come with tourist groups, based on the Tourism Agreement with foreign firms, are considered and approved only as a number of groups, which makes it difficult for the Security organs to take precautionary measures to control and detect hostile activity. .
MINISTER OF INTERNAL WORKS
(FEÇOR SHEHU)
Enver Hoxha’s remark on Feçor Shehu’s report
On the issue of Kosovars, we especially need to do more, come to see and do good propaganda. Security will certainly be a problem, because without trouble it is not possible, but it is necessary to weigh the positive sides and negative sides of Kosovar tourists with organized groups. We do this for foreigners, not for Kosovar Albanians.
Memorie.al