Government reacts after Top Channel’s report
28/10/2011 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
The Deputy Minister of Defense, Ekrem Spahia, asked the support of the
media for appealing all residents that live near ammunition dismantling
areas to not approach detonation sites.
Until now, these sites were not guarded after the daily dismantling process. After this problem was raised by Top Channel’s program “Fiks Fare”, the Ministry of Defense promised to assign armed military forces to guard the sites after 16:00, when the dismantling work is over.
“We ask the media to cooperate in making people aware that they should not approach the dismantling sites, because the ammunition is eliminated through detonation and there will be residues from the explosions. We have made a full analysis of the situation and have taken the necessary measures. We have ordered that there will be armed military people who will guard the dismantling sites”, Spahia declared.
Ekrem Spahia rejected all accusations that the missiles found in scrap metal sites were taken from military polygons.
The Deputy Minister of Defense declared that Albania is the first post-communist state that will dismantle all ancient ammunitions by 2013.
Ammunition dismantled in rivers
The Shkumbin River in Elbasan has turned into a military “dismantling site”, where army officials are dismantling war ammunitions.
Top Channel has filmed the military vehicles arriving at 09:00 and working until 12:00, near the Xibrrake village. They dismantle ammunition with special equipments, separate the shells and burn the black powder.
The persons who are making this operation seem to be military people. They burn the black powder near the Shkumbin River and then collect the scrap metal which they transport with their own vehicles. At this site there is a white civilian vehicle with Kosovo plates.
There are also civilians engaged in this operation. By law, the sites for dismantling ammunition are approved by the Ministry of Defense. The law also provides that the dismantling of military ammunition can be realized only in military structures, under strict standards, such as the safety distance from living areas, dams and water resources.
This process seems that is being made for the expensive scrap metal, before sending the explosives at the official dismantling sites.
Top Channel investigative program, “Fiks Fare” showed for several days how military and civilians were organized for making profits from missile scrap metals.
Top Channel
