ALBANIA'S beleaguered government, watched anxiously by its neighbours, moved to smother violent unrest sweeping Europe's poorest country and the Albanian ambassador to Britain said part of the south was out of control.
After weeks of unrest sparked by the collapse of fraudulent pyramid schemes, officials issued orders to shoot armed rioters on sight, imposed a dusk to dawn curfew and curbed press freedoms after parliament declared a state of emergency.
Tanks were spotted in the southern town of Gjirokaster and gunfire from automatic weapons was occasionally heard yesterday, Greek diplomats and eyewitnesses said.
"At least five or six tanks are inside the town now and have taken up key positions. There has been sporadic gunfire from automatic weapons throughout the day," said a Greek consulate official in Gjirokaster.
The interior ministry said two people had been shot dead in the southern port of Vlore. Hospital sources in the town had said earlier that five people were wounded by gunfire.
Giant Chinook helicopters sent by Italy plucked 35 foreigners from Vlore, as the city was set ablaze and plundered by armed mobs enraged by the loss of their savings.
The Albanian ambassador to Britain, Mr Pavli Mihal Qesku, said the government retained control of the rest of Albania.
In Tirana, the parliament elected President Sali Berisha to a second five year term.
The United States said yesterday it strongly regretted Albania's imposition of emergency measures and the vote by the parliament to re-elect President Berisha. "We strongly regret the measures taken by the parliament and government today to, in effect, introduce a state of emergency and to introduce censorship of the Albanian press," said the State Department spokesman, Mr Nicholas Burns.
Foreign journalists were under strict state control in Albania. The BBC World Service and the US Voice of America yesterday said they would continue Albanian language news broadcasts by short wave after their FM transmitters in Albania were shut down.
Weeks of unrest sparked by the collapse of fraudulent pyramid schemes climaxed this weekend when at least 13 people were killed after crowds in several southern towns raided weapons depots and went on a rampage of burning and looting in the south.
In Vienna, a spokesman for Mr Berisha dismissed the unrest as the work of criminals intent on toppling the government. He blamed "communist rebels helped and financed by foreign espionage services" for the violence.