ALBANIAN CHARGE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22339, 26 May 1947, Page 3

ALBANIAN CHARGE

ATTACK BY GREEK PLANES

CUTTER IN GUN DUEL OFF CORFU GUERRILLAS AMBUSH BRITISH TROOPS (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (11.50 a.m.) LONDON, May 25. The Albanian Telegraph Agency said that over 15,000 people attended the burial today of two persons killed in an alleged attack by Greek planes on Koritza on Wednesday. Eight- thousand in a nearby village demonstrated against what they callcci Greek “criminal provocation.” In Athens, the Minister of Air, M. Canellopoulos, denied the Albanian report to the United Nations that three Green planes had machine-gunned Koritza. “These reports are part of the tactics of deceiving international public opinion,” said the Minister. The Greek Minister of Public Order announced that an Albanian'coast guard cutter and Corfu shore guns exchanged shots when the vessel approached the island.

A military court at Fiorina sentenced to death seven soldiers and eight civilians, including two women, for aiding guerrillas. The court at Yannitsa sentenced to death five civiliars who were charged with “autonomist activities." Greek guerrillas yesterday ambushed two, British military lorries in Thrace and killed two British soldiers. The ambush occurred near Alexandroupolis. One soldier was killed outright and the other badly wounded.

Four civilians, whom the guerrillas had captured a few minutes earlier, said the guerrillas killed the lorry driver with the first fusillade, surrounded the lorries, ordered the soldiers out, and set fire to the lorries. It was apparent that the wounded soldier would be unable to accompany the guerrillas, so the leader killed him and took' a British captain and two other ranks in the direction of Komotene. . The dead soldiers were buried in the First World War British cemetery at Komotene.