CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC School of Social Sciences of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs Fax: (+422) 231 7391 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 76, Monday, May 24, 1993. FROM LAST WEEK EVENTS (May 12-19) Government Decision on Shares Issue Shares from the first wave of coupon privatization will be issued to Czech as well as Slovak shareholders, decided Czech government at its session on May 12. According to Premier Klaus, "overwhelming majority" of the cabinet voted for this decision. The Czech Republic will not demand any compensation from the Slovak Republic for having issued the securities to Slovak holders of the investition coupons. According to Czech Premier, recent stoppage to the shares decided upon by the government on March 17, did help to property negotiations, but today the positive role of the measure evaporated. The shares will be issued as of May 24 till the end of June 1993. Varied opinions on shares issue Slovak daily Narodna obroda published the day after the Czech government decision about the shares issue to Slovaks, quotations of Czech politicians, such as: Czech Minister of Finance Ivan Kocarnik, before the cabinet vote:"I personally agree with the issue of shares to Slovakia. But I want it to be conditioned on keeping to agreements as settled between premiers Klaus and Meciar." Czech Minister for Privatization Jiri Skalicky, also before the vote: "I remained in my position of a practical skeptic... I prefer the interest of the Czech state, therefore we cannot make any steps which would deprive us of such a weapon as the shares is. Issuing the gold would also be a fault." Minister of Education Petr Pitha and Minister of the Environment Frantisek Benda (both Christian Democratic Party) got according to daily Narodna Obroda a strict order from their secretariat to vote against issuing the shares to Slovak investors. Czech daily Rude Pravo quotes in its Thursday issue Slovak Minister of Finance Julius Toth, according to whom the shares issue to Czech companies is one of the results from Friday's negotiations of the Czech-Slovak property commission, and it is another precondition for succesfull negotiations. Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic for the opposition Christian Democratic Movement, Mikolas Dzurinda said, according to Rude Pravo, that the helpful attitude of the Czech government deprived Slovak Premier Meciar of one of the weapons he could use in future. Czech Minister on Meciar's Statement on Contingent Gas Supply Stoppage for the Czech Republic "Czechs should not forget that all the energy they get comes through Slovakia. If there was a break-down in gas supply, they would not keep up more than 10 days," said Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar in an interview for Der Spiegel weekly, as quoted in Tuesday's Czech press. Czech Minister of Finance, Josef Zieleniec said on the same day in TV programme Events, Commentaries that the Czech Republic could react to Meciars's statements in usual diplomatic ways. He said that such a tone should not sound in Czech-Slovak relations because it escalates mutual discussion. He said he was informed that Meciars's statement are not acceptable abroad either. World Believers Pilgrimage On May 15 the catholic church celebrated 600th anniversary of martyr death of Jan Nepomucky. Celebrations attendant on the anniversary began with unveiling a statue of Jan Nepomucky on the square in west Bohemian town Nepomuk which is these days the goal of pilgriming believers from all the world. The biggest event of the celebrations - mass celebrated for apr. 20 thousand believers on a meadow near Nepomuk by Pope legate, archbishop from Koln above Rheine, cardinal Joachim Meisner, was attended by Czech Prezident Vaclav Havel. Having a speech later, Havel talked about the significance of St.Jan as a martyr for the truth and fidelity, and about his legend. "The best would be not to have any more martyrs for the truth in future," he said at the end. Celebration followed in Prague at Charles bridge where a new copy of the statue of St. Jan Nepomucky was established, then at St.Vitus Cathedral, and several churches in Prague. The myths about the catholic martyr from the 14th centry, St. Jan Nepomucky alias Johanek from Pomuk say that this priest of Czech king Vaclav IV rejected to give out the secret of king's wife, and therefore was punished and thrown from Charles bridge. New Mayor in Prague The third Prague mayor of this election period was on May 13 elected 42 years old physicist RNDr. Jan Koukal, a member of city board of representatives for Civic Democratic Party. His predecessor Milan Kondr was removed on April 30. Minister Zieleniec about Yugoslavia The conception of Czech foreign policy, definition of new Europe and its borders, and relations to European Communities were the main points Minister of Foreign Affaires Josef Zieleniec talked about on May 18 at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Students were particularly interested in the opinion of the members of the government about the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The minister said: "This problem devides all states and nations. This is an encounter of three cultures concentrated in one point. Each community is backed by a metropolis of these cultures. This is a classical scheme which, as we have already seen, can set the world on fire. When valuing this conflict, we should use words which are in proportion to what we really want to do as a state, and what we can do as a republic. It suprises me how little representatives of intelligentsia talk about the war participance of individual national minorities in the former Yugoslavia. All around Europe people from universities and intelligentsia are defending some attitudes, and we have but some commentaries which appeared in our press. It is hard to expect a deep opinion from people when intelectuals do not discuss such a difficult problem." Railway strike On Wednesday, May 19 from 5 till 6 six o'clock, 119 stations in Bohemia participated in an alarm strike called by some basic organizations of Railway Trades for wages increase. The management of Czech Railways as well as Minister of Transport Jan Strasky declared this strike as illegal. Member of the Railway Trades Jaromir Dusek declined these statements. He said that Minister of Transport Jan Strasky who is also in the management of the Czech railways had acknowledged trades' demands. A group for human rights at Czech Committee of Helsinki Civic Assembly, Czech section of International Community for human rights, Sudan organization for human rights, and Union of Sudan students in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic put court decision in doubt Sentence for one year in the first reformatory group, fine of 6750 Kc and a punishment of expelling from the Czech Republic was put by Regional Court for Prague 1 on Sudan student Mohamed Hamed Mohamed Elamin charged with an attack on a public body, and with a bodily harm. We informe about the sentence pronounced on April 30 since we were presented an opinion of the Czech group for human rights at Helsinki Civic Assembly doubting the court verdict. 26-year old Mohamed Elamin, 4th year student of architecture in Prague, had an ordinary residence permit and had not been charged with any crime. He was supposed to commit the attack on a public body on January 21 right after midnight in a conflict with non-uniformed cops in the centre of Prague. When peacefully walking with his three Sudan friends, the accused rejected to show his identity card to a group of cops who were escorting a reporter and photographer from daily Expres. The Sudan student defended himself saying that he had not trusted the group of civilians and had been willing to show the identity card only to an uniformed cop. At the corner of the Wencelas Square and Na Prikopech street he wanted to go to a taxi stop where a group of uniformed cops was standing. One of the cops in civil cloths tried to prevent him from it, and there happened a physical encounter between the four Sudan students and a group of apr. twelve cops. The organizations mentioned in the head are pointing out a rising racial and ethnical tension in the society. Moreover, they say, there were a lot of racial attacks in the centre of Prague, and strangers, mainly with dark complexion, have a reason to feel endangered. If the accused defended himself saying he had had doubts about the identity of the cops in civil cloths, than such an argument cannot be ommited. Since the students did not give any reason for suspection of any crime, were not disorderly, and the only reason for them being checked was their complexion (as the cops admitted themselves at the court), the above mentioned organizations consider the qualification of a crime as unproved, and the sentence inappropriate. They also say that the conflict might have been stirred due to the photographer and the reporter who might have contributed to the tension. The also emphasize a human side of the case when the father of the accused student came to Prague to help him, and died here of heart-attack after vain attempts to get his son out for bail. His son was not allowed to participate at his father's funeral in Prague. The sentence and mainly the expelling from the country unables Mohamed Hamid to finish his education in the Czech Republic. The organizations appeal to offices and the public, and demand that the case be re-investigated, and given proper attention. CULTURAL SERVICE Prague Spring Began On May 12 the 48th year of the international music festival Prague Spring was opened. The festival started in the Carolinum Hall with a composition by J.S. Bach and N. Paganini performed by American violinist Marek Kaplan. In the evening a cycle of symphonic poems by Bedrich Smetana - My Country was played in Smetana's hall by Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Libor Pesek. In the history of this music festival, this was the first time that My Country was performed by a foreign interpreter. One of the expected tops of these music celebrations was the performance of Liverpool Oratorium by Paul McCartney in the St. Vitus Cathedral. The author did not come personally. Marie Rosulkova died Czech actress Marie Rosulkova died on Saturday at the age of 92 years in a Hospital for long-time patients in Prague-Motol. Marie Rosukova was born on December 17, 1901 in Pilsen. She played in theatres in Pilsen, Ceske Budejovice, in the theatre of Vlasta Burian, in Prague Theatre na Vinohradech, and till 1982 she was a member of City Prague Theatres. Viewers could see her in films for example in Karosin Lamps or in a series Such a normal family. EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN buy sell USA 1USD 27.90 29.30 BRD 1DEM 17.36 18.28 GB 1GBP 42.69 45.53 CAN 1CAD 21.53 23.31 FRA 1FRF 5.08 5.48 AUT 1ATS 2.47 2.59 TURIST RATE OF SLOVAK CROWN (for 100 Sk) buy sell Komercni banka 83.00 87.00 Investicni banka 89.00 94.00 Ceska sporitelna 86.00 91.00 Agrobanka 88.00 93.00 The rates are valid as of May 18, 1993. SPORT Bicycle Course de la Paix The 46th year of bicycle competition Course da la Paix Bohemia Crystal finished on Sunday with the ninth stage. The popular Peace Competition was not only renamed but for the first time led only on the territory of the Czech Republic when Germany and Poland declined their co-organization due to financial reasons. After excellent performances, the first four places were taken by Czech competitors Bilek, Trkal, Padrnos, and Tesar. 27th round of Football league All three candidates for the title won. Sparta Praha (42 pts) beat Vitkovice 2:0, Slavia Praha (40 pts) beat Bohemians Praha 3:1, and Slovan Bratislava (39 pts) beat Trnava 4:1. The fight for the title remains unresolved. Dukla Praha (15 pts) won at the turf of Nitra 1:0, but remains the last. WEATHER Last week it was clear, sunny and without rains again. Nightly as well as daily temperatures hovered in agreeable rates from 7 till 12 and 20 till 25 degrees Centigrade respectively. The ozone-layer above the Czech Republic is thinner by 10-12 percent as against the long-term normal state. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them please to the address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET. 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