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 STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 159, Friday, May 12, 1995. EVENTS FOR THE WEEK MAY 3-10 Czechs Celebrate 5Oth Anniversary of World War II's End In a speech at Prague Castle on Monday, President Vaclav Havel condemned the crimes of fascism and thanked those who played a role in defeating it. At the same time, however, he noted that some Czechs had passively tolerated the German totalitarian regime and some even supported it. "The meek cautiousness in which many of us excelled after Munich, under the Nazi occupation and also under communism, can be our cultural program no longer," Havel said. After apologizing to the Czech veterans of World War II for the indifference with which others viewed their persecution by the Communists after the war, he presented commemorative presidential medals to several dozen anti-fascist resistance groups that fought alongside the Allied forces. Havel also decorated members of resistance groups from the Nazi concentration camps. Before a special concert by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague's Rudolfinum concert hall, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Parliament Chairman Milan Uhde also delivered speeches. Klaus emphasized the importance of World War II as a warning against the dangers of racial and national intolerance. Uhde said that it would have been unrealistic to expect Czechs to treat the Germans without hatred immediately after the war, when emotions were still strong, but that enough time had passed since then for reconciliation between the two nations. Following the speeches the Czech Philharmonic performed Dvorak's New World Symphony under the direction of Vaclav Neumann. The day of celebrations culminated with the largest fireworks show ever held in the history of the city. Martin Kupka/Jirka Schneider George Patton Jr. - The Past Must Be Forgotten Also in Prague for the celebrations was George Patton Jr., son of the legendary General George Patton, commander of the 3rd U.S. Army, which liberated the city of Plzen and the whole of Western Bohemia along with it. After visiting Brno, Patton and his wife on Saturday traveled to Plzen, where, during celebrations of the city's liberation, he was made an honorary citizen of Plzen. Two days later he was in Prague for the celebrations there, meeting with Parliament Chairman Milan Uhde and officials from City Hall. On May 6, 1945, General George Patton brought his army to a halt on the line connecting the cities of Karlovy Vary, Plzen and Ceske Budejovice and asked for permission to liberate the Czechoslovak capital. But since the Soviets claimed they had already begun operations to support the Prague uprising against the Germans, General Dwight Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe, ordered the U.S. forces to stay put where they were. Asked what would have happened had his father liberated Prague, Patton Jr. said that he had had a great time in the Czech Republic, drinking "a lot of beer and champagne." But he urged the Czechs to forget about the past and stop saying "what if." Now, said Patton, it's time to think about the future and get down to work. Lukas Zentel/Jirka Schneider Freedom Celebrations Nationwide As a symbolic gesture, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus flew in for Plzen's liberation celebration directly from his official visit in Washington, D.C. Also present was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright, who is of Czech origin. After a monument was unveiled in the center of Plzen saying "Thanks, America" in both Czech and English, the official program concluded with interdenominational religious services at the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew. Karlovy Vary commemorated its liberation with a ceremony on the bridge over the river Ohre in Cheb, where U.S. and Soviet troops met on the line separating the U.S. liberation zone from the USSR's. Brno's liberation celebrations featured a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument by the Kounic dormitories, site of the Gestapo's Czech headquarters during the war where many Resistance fighters were executed. Vera Vitkova/Martina Vojtechovska Havel Vetos Law Thanking Resistance Fighters President Havel on Friday returned to Parliament a law expressing thanks to some members of the foreign resistance in World War II. The law - submitted by Josef Janecek of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) and adopted by Parliament in April - would make it possible for members of the resistance to claim compensation from the Czech government. However, only those who did not play an active role in "the suppression of democratic principles in Czechoslovakia" - for instance, Communists and members of the People's Militia, the Communist paramilitary force - would be eligible for such compensation. "As a matter of principle, one cannot connect heroism exhibited in the defeat of fascism with the evaluation of acts that have nothing to do with that struggle," Havel said. The new legislation, he said, would make the decision as to who had the right to be compensated an arbitrary one based on the opinions of government officials, since the Czech legal code does not clearly establish any criteria. This, said Havel, transforms the appreciation of past acts into "a verdict on people's entire lives." Instead, said the president, such decisions should rest with independent courts, basing their verdicts on appropriate legislation. Prime Minister Klaus on Sunday said he supported Havel's veto, noting that the Cabinet, too, had refrained from recommending the bill at its March 1 session. From Rude pravo by Jindrich Jirasek/Martina Vojtechovska Christian Democratic Club Splits Over Merger With ODS In protest against the planned merger of the Christian Democratic Party (KDS) with the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), five of the 10 KDS members of Parliament founded a new parliamentary club May 4. The KDS deputies said they viewed the merger as nothing but an opportunistic move on the part of a few ambitious individuals. According to Pavel Tollner, a member of the new club, the split means the creation of two wings, but not the end of KDS. While the new club does not reject cooperation with ODS, they say integration is not acceptable. KDS chairman Ivan Pilip described the creation of the new fraction as regrettable and said those deputies could be expelled from the party. At a meeting Wednesday evening, the KDS executive board dismissed Tollner from his post as party vice chairman. Whether or not he will remain vice chairman of Parliament remains to be seen, according to Pilip. Both Pilip and vice chairman Vaclav Benda said they were not informed of the move in advance. The new club, which calls itself "KDS 1," has yet to show any interest in allying with the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak Peoples' Party (KDU-CSL). According to ODS parliamentary club manager Jiri Honajzer, the situation calls for further talks on the merger, as the ODS leadership must take seriously the fact that there are such varied opinions at the heart of KDS. None of the politicians in the government coalition said they felt the split in KDS would endanger the coalition. From Rude pravo by Stepanka Kucerova/Andrea Snyder Police Release Original ODA Promissory Note Investigators in the case of the foundering Credit and Industrial Bank (KPB) released Tuesday the promissory note binding the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) to repay 51.86 million Kc to the KPB by May 31, 1996. Richard Malacek, director of the Prague investigator's office, told journalists Tuesday that ODA chairman Jan Kalvoda had not signed the note. Police confisicated the note May 2 from a Commercial Bank (Komercni Banka) safe that had been rented by Antonin Moravec, KPB's director and a major KPB shareholder. Moravec has been in custody since Dec. 14, 1995, on charges of fraud and falsifying business and economic information. Ministry of Interior spokesman Jan Subert showed reporters the promissory note, dated Sept. 22, 1992, in which ODA Secretariat Head Josef Reichman agrees to pay 51.86 million Kc by no later than May 31, 1996, without protest. In the column labled "name, address, signature" the only signature is that of J. Reichman. On the back of the note are Reichman's full name, address and social security number, along with the words "with full authorization of the ODS from 2.11.1992." This means that Reichman was not authorized to sign the bill until a month and a half after he actually signed it. ODA spokesman David Rozanek told Carolina that the bill was post-dated. "These things are entirely common. Mr. Reichman had several previous authorizations, so the text on the bill is not necessarily binding," he said. On March 17 the police initiated prosecution against Reichman, who is being charged with falsifying business information. ODA borrowed 52 million crowns from two Czech banks for the 1992 elections. After the elections, ODA transferred the funds to KPB, although previously ODA officials had said the debt was cleared when KPB assumed ownership of Marklap, the company that was guaranteeing the loan. Marklap's owner Adolf Klapka and his lawyer are now being charged with illegally raising the company's basic assets from 100,000 to 52 million Kc based upon an audit performed by Mirslav Tera, also a member of ODA. According to Czech legislation on promissory notes, however, now that the promissory note has been found, no firm is guaranteeing the loan. Jiri Cvojka/Andrea Snyder Ethics Panel on Czech Television In response to conflicts following the broadcast of certain news programs on private and public TV channels, Czech Television (CT) has established an Ethics Panel. This advisory group is made up of long-time CT employees who will be responsible for screening reports before they are aired. CT General Director Ivo Mathe said the members of the Ethics Panel, each serving a three-year term, would not act as censors, but rather as independent advisors, meaning they will not have the power to stop any reporter's work from being broadcast but will only give recommendations. Czech TV has also published "The CT Handbook on Violence," for in-house use, which stresses ethics in journalism. CT Assistant News Editor Jan Urban said he used the BBC as an example in preparing the handbook. Jakub Knezu/Andrea Snyder Finance and Accounting Attract Most High Schoolers Approximately 3,000 students will begin attending the School of Economics (VSE) in the 1995-96 school year, nearly 500 more than last year. VSE has already received 9,400 applications, which means that about one out of every three applicants will be accepted. Neither the Faculty of Finance and Accounting (3,000 applicants, 650 places), nor the Faculty of International Relations (2,500 applicants, 500 places) declined in popularity. Both the Faculty of Business Economics and the National Economics have room for 500 students each. Entrance exams will be in June. Students will take a written math exam, and a written exam in either one or two major languages of their choice. To be considered for acceptance, applicants must receive at least 50 points out of 100 possible. Along with the tests, high school results will also be considered. Katarina Polakova and Tereza Hadravova/Andrea Snyder Sole Czech Astronaut to Leave Army Vladimir Remek, the first and so-far only Czech astronaut, has announced that he will leave the Czech Army on June 1. Remek, who has been working for the army since April 1990 as director of the Museum of Aviation and Astronautics in Prague-Kbely, refused to comment on his decision, saying only that it was not an easy decision for him. FROM SLOVAKIA Parliament Voices Lack of Confidence in President Eighty of 150 deputies in Slovak Parliament voted a lack of confidence in President Michal Kovac at their Friday session. Prior to the vote, they listened to a report on the operations of the Slovak Information Service, in which Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar again accused the president of using the secret service to follow representatives of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). Meciar is the head of HZDS. Slovak National Party (SNS) deputy Vitazoslav Moric proposed the vote. The opposition parties (Christian Democratic Movement, Democratic Union, Party of the Democratic Left) voted against, and the deputies of the Hungarian coalition abstained. President Kovac rejected Parliament's decision, declaring it "legally meaningless." After representatives of the government coalition (HZDS, SNS and the Association of Slovak Workers) strongly condemned his statement, on Tuesday HZDS and SNS officials urged Kovac to resign. HZDS claims that Kovac is incompetent, that he has a negative effect on Slovak society, and that he is violating democratic principles. The opposition parties rejected HZDS's arguments, and voiced support for the president. From Lidove noviny, by Michal Vynohradnyk/Andrea Snyder BUSINESS/ECONOMICS March Again Shows Growth in Industrial Production Czech industrial production in the month of March rose 4.8 percent compared with the same period last year, continuing the first quarter trend of 6 percent growth, a rate on a par with that of the "Asian tigers" of the 1980s (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand), according to local experts. "I believe this is a long-term trend that can be accounted for primarily by firms with less than 50 employees," said Jaromir Veprek of the Academy of Sciences' Institute for National Economics. As far as larger firms are concerned, he said, there are not yet any signs of stimulation. Government officials here consider this a long-term phenomenon. According to Ministry of Industry and Trade spokesman Kamil Cermak, the March statistics prove the positive influence of privatization. On the other hand, opposition parties are warning that the importance of this number should not be overestimated. Social Democrat chairman Milos Zeman said the March growth was a short-term phenomenon and was not backed up by the export of domestic goods. "A short-term increase in industrial production could be caused by better utilization of production capacity," he said. According to the Czech Bureau of Statistics, industrial production has been increasing continuously for the past 11 months. From Mlada fronta Dnes by Petr Hosek/Eftychia Damianidou Termination of Clearing Still Up in the Air As we wrote in last week's Carolina, the Czechs are negotiating intensely to terminate their payment agreement with the Slovaks. The pace of talks picked up when Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar announced that Slovakia did not intend to give up the advantages it enjoyed from the difference in exchange rates used in the clearing system. While Czech Minister of Finance Ivan Kocarnik says the unilateral termination of the payment agreement will be a complicated process, which first must be approved by Parliament, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus would prefer to reach an agreement with the Slovaks and considers termination just one of several possibilities. Klaus was out of the country when the Cabinet charged Kocarnik with drawing up the proposal for terminating the payment agreement. Petr Hosek/Eftychia Damianidou Interkamera in Fifteenth Year Interkamera 95, the 15th annual international exhibition of audiovisual technology, opened Tuesday in the Industrial Palace of Prague's Fairgrounds, organized by M.I.P. The first Interkamera exhibition took place in 1967 as an analogy of the Photocamera world exhibition, held in Cologne, Germany. This year's show, with some 115 firms from 14 countries, features the world's biggest in the field of audiovisual technology. Most of them are foreign firms with subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, such as Olympus, Nikon, Kodak and Minolta. Representing the Czechs is the firm FOMA Bohemia, which specializes in the manufacture of photographic films and papers. Every year the Interkamera exhibition includes a photo show as well, and this year is no different. In addition to world-renowned photographers Joel-Peter Witkin and Elliot Erwitt, students from the School of Performing Arts also have their work on display. Martina Vojtechovska/Eftychia Damianidou Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (May 12) Checks Cash country buy sell middle buy sell Great Britain 1 GPB 41.018 41.430 41.224 39.80 42.64 France 1 FRF 5.292 5.346 5.319 5.12 5.52 Italy 1000 ITL 15.899 16.059 15.979 15.21 16.75 Japan 100 JPY 30.848 31.158 31.003 29.70 32.30 Canada 1 CAD 19.215 19.409 19.312 18.42 20.20 Austria 1 ATS 2.639 2.665 2.652 2.59 2.71 Germany 1 DEM 18.552 18.738 18.645 18.19 19.11 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.313 22.537 22.425 21.93 22.93 USA 1 USD 25.998 26.260 26.129 25.43 26.83 Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.355 -- -- CULTURE Actor Josef Bek Dies at 76 Josef Bek died in Prague on Friday, May 5. Bek was born in Hradec Kralove on Dec. 21, 1918. After graduating from the Business Academy he went to work in a bank, but enjoyed acting in amateur productions and was soon led away from his career in finance. In 1942 he began working at the theater in Olomouc, acting in plays, singing tenor in operettas, and helping out backstage. Following that he worked 35 years as an actor in the Prague City Theater group. During his long career in theater, radio and television, Bek created dozens of characters, all of them known for their cheery moods and optimism. TV viewers remember him as the kind-hearted Martin Kabat from Drda's "Toying with the Devil," as Langer's tough guy Ferdys Pistora, as the patriot and athlete Hanc from the film "Sons of the Mountains," Tonik from "Anna Proletarian," and the bus driver from "Florenc 13:30." Tereza Hadravova/Andrea Snyder Prague Uprising in Pictures On Friday, 50 years to the day after the outbreak of the Prague Uprising on May 5, 1945, an open-air exhibition of photographs documenting the dramatic events of that time opened in the garden next to the Malostranska Metro station. The exhibition, which includes photos that have never before been shown, follows the uprising day-by-day. Carolina spoke about the show with Karel Srp, president of Artforum's Jazz Section, the exhibition's organizers. * Tell us, how did this photo exhibition come about? "The history of this exhibition goes back 10 years, we started putting it together back in 1985, all of it from the collection of Marta Chadimova. At that time, though, the officials prevented us from doing it, later when they locked us up they even sent us fines to prison. So we had a 10-year break, and I'm just glad the exhibition can be held today." * Could you tell us a little more about it? There are shots from the battle for the radio station, President Edvard Benes's arrival in Prague in mid-May ... "A lot of material is no longer available and some photos are in bad shape technically, so the exhibit was improvised. But thanks to Marta Chadimova's archives, the archives of the Czech Photographers' Union, the employees of the Jan Amos Komensky museum and the Union of Anti-Fascist Warriors, we managed to arrange it. It was hard work. I'm happy that it was a success in this sense at least, because there will never be another exhibition like this one again." * You yourself took part in the uprising. What kind of impact do the photos have on you personally? "We have to free ourselves of what came afterwards. At that time freedom came, freedom in the true sense of the word. I repeat that I deeply disagree with what came afterward and I was also imprisoned for it. But May 1945 - that was truly the arrival of the Red Army, our liberators." Andrea Rihova/Martina Vojtechovska Slade Takes the Stage in Western Bohemia Sunday's celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Plzen's liberation included a rock concert featuring the British band Slade. Though guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powel are the only band members remaining from the original lineup, Slade played not only songs from their latest album "Keep on Rockin!" but also old hits such as "Gudbuy t'Jane", "Far Far Away" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now". While the Czech fans joined in to sing along on the hits, the British rockers disappointed them by not playing any longer than the Czech warmup bands - Redwine, Ksichties (an all-women band), Xantipa, Katapult and Zluty pes. Lukas Zentel/Alex Zucker SPORTS Hockey Team Leaves World Championships Without Medals In Friday's semifinals at the world ice hockey championships in Sweden, the Czech Republic squared off against Finland, which it had defeated in the first round. This time around, though, Finland came out on top by the same score, 3-0, with the winning goal scored by Helminen 14 seconds before the end of the first period. Next Peltonen, the hero of the final on Sunday, scored in the third period, then Nieminen closed out the match with a goal on the Czechs' empty net after they pulled their goalie. In the battle for the bronze medal with Canada, Geffert opened the scoring for the Czechs, but again they fell. After goals from Intranuovo and Fraser moved Canada into the lead, Husko and Jomphe added two more for a 4-1 victory that confirmed the Czech's powerless power plays. In an old-timers' match featuring the best of the world versus Sweden, the "old guard" line - Richter-Hlinka-Hrdina in front, with Pospisil and Kaberle behind them - gave their younger counterparts a few lessons in offense, as each of the forwards scored once in a 5-3 victory for the World team over the Swedes. In the nets for the World team was Dzurilla of Slovakia. Mirek Langer/M.L. Slavia Praha Maintains Two-Point Lead Over Sparta First-place Slavia Praha coasted to an easy 5-1 win at home over Benesov in the 24th round of first-league soccer season. Also, Sparta Praha, Slavia's opponent in the battle for the title, triumphed 3-1 over Brno, ranked no. 3, leaving no change in the top of the standings. Banik Ostrava is in the midst of a crisis, losing to Viktoria Zizkov in Ostrava 3-1. Results: Svarc Benesov - Slavia Praha 1:5, Sparta Praha - Boby Brno 3:1, Banik Ostrava - Viktoria Zizkov 1:3, Bohemians Praha - Hradec Kralove 1:1, Petra Drnovice - Slovan Liberec 2:1, Ceske Budejovice - Svit Zlin 1:0, FK Jablonec - Viktoria Plzen 1:1, Sigma Olomouc - Union Cheb 2:1. Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer Czechs and Slovaks Tie in Soccer For the first team since the January 1993 breakup of Czechoslovakia, Czechs and Slovaks faced each other on the soccer field on Monday in Bratislava. While the Czech side was a collection of players from its domestic league, the Slovak team included its best players from abroad. The Czechs controlled the first half, moving into the lead in the 32nd minute on a goal by Smejkal. The second half went better for the Slovaks, whose pressure tactics paid off with a goal from Timko in the 57th minute. Slovakia: Molnar - Zeman (Stupala), Glonek, Tomaschek - Kinder, Balis, Weiss (Kozak), Moravcik, Prazenica - Timko (Maixner), Dubovsky. Czech Republic: Kouba - Repka, Suchoparek, Kotulek - Hornak, Lerch, Bejbl, Necas (Vavra), Smejkal - Drulak (Samec), Siegl. Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer German Lehmann Leads Czech Duo at Head of Peace Race The Joko 95 Race for Peace cycling event started Friday in Ceske Budejovice, with Germany's Lutz Lehmann picking up the yellow jersey as the leader from the very first leg. Lehman's lifelong dream to ride in the event came true, as he outsprinted Czech heavyweights Trkal and Padrnos in both of the first two legs. In Oberwiesenthal, Germany, Padrnos won over Trkal. In the fourth lap, Rittsel of Sweden was the winner, but Lehmann still leads overall by 11 seconds over Trkal and 13 seconds over Padrnos. The Peace Race was founded in 1946. After the first few years, the Prague, Warsaw and Berlin legs became the most well-known race of its type for amateurs. Twice the race went to Moscow and Kiev too. After communism fell in Eastern Europe, the initial idea of a replacement Peace Race from Paris to Moscow for amateurs and professionals never took place, while Poland and Germany one after the other pulled out from the event. After three years the Peace Race returned to Germany, and next year it will go back to being an "open" event for both professionals and amateurs. (After Carolina's Wednesday deadline, Padrnos won the Krkonose Mountains leg to take over the yellow jersey.) Mirek Langer/M.L. Czech Men's Table Tennis Remains Among World's Best The Czech Republic's men's table tennis players finished 11th in the world championships in Tian-xin, China, but held their own with the world's best, playing evenly with Japan and France, and defeating the always strong teams of Romania, Russia, Holland and Poland. The Czech women lost their chance to advance after a loss to Belgium and placed 29th, 10 notches down from Slovakia. Mirek Langer/M. L. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Martin Koloc won one of two European championship truck races last weekend in Italy to maintain his lead in the overall standings. * Summer Night, ridden by Fiala and trained by Silhavy, won the first classic horse race of the Czech summer season, the Spring Mare Prize. * Czech weightlifting fans could only look back with nostalgia on last year's results at the European championships in Sokolov, as the best finish this year by a Czech was ninth - Krol and Zubricky, in the top weight class. * Jaroslav Hules failed to finish at the European 125 cc motorcycle championships in Jerez, Spain, taking a fall while he was in second. * After a good start, the Czechs were knocked out of the European boxing championships before reaching the quarterfinals (Tibor Rafael, the Czech Republic's best boxer, did not even make the trip to Warsaw for fear of failing). * Results from the world handball championships in Iceland: Czech Rep. - Morocco 25:16, - Cuba 29:26, - Croatia 27:25. * Among 16 countries the Czech men's volleyball team won the Spring Tournament in Portugal, losing just two sets in six matches. * Both Skoda Felicias withdrew on the first day of the Corsica Rally. Mirek Langer/M.L. WEATHER Cold in May fills the barn months away. Roughly translated, this is what the Czechs say about May, and the first part of the proverb has certainly been fulfilled, with morning temperatures hovering at around 5 degrees Celsius, climbing to 15-18 in the afternoon. And rain. Rain. Rain. Lida Truneckova/Alex Zucker ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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