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 173, Friday, October 6, 1995. EVENTS FOR SEPT. 20 - OCT. 4, 1995 Koruna Fully Convertible as of October 1st Sunday, Oct. 1, the Czech crown (koruna) became a "hard currency," as a new law on foreign currency took effect, making the crown fully convertible. Under the legislation, adopted by Czech Parliament Sept. 26, goods and services from other countries can now be paid for directly from bank accounts in Czech crowns, and there will be no more statutory restrictions on foreign currency purchases for Czech citizens. In addition, the Czechs and Slovaks are abandoning the clearing system of payment for bilateral trade as the Slovak crown also became convertible on Sunday. Still, Parliament's decision does not mean that all foreign banks will accept the Czech currency. Said Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik: "With the new foreign currency law and the convertibility of the Czech crown, the Czech Republic will become a full-fledged partner of the industrially developed countries." Marketa Hudkova/M. Smid Czech Republic on the Way into the EU The Czech Republic will apply for membership in the European Union next January (the last country from post-communist Eastern Europe to do so), Premier Vaclav Klaus said Sept. 22 after a meeting of the government committee for European integration. He said the government hoped the country would be an EU member by the end of the decade. Klaus also voiced his support for the idea of a nationwide referendum on EU membership, as called for by opposition parties, even though Parliament rejected the draft of a referendum law Sept. 27. Petra Rubesova/M. Smid Ruml Lays Off Chief Inspector at Interior Ministry Czech Interior Minister Jan Ruml discharged his head of inspection, Vladimir Nechanicky, along with deputy inspector Petr Faltus and another four employees, based on suspicions that they leaked classified information from the file on the investigation of May's police raid at the "U Holubu" restaurant (see Carolina no. 163). According to recent reports, the main impetus for the operation was an anonymous letter allegedly written by the wife of the head of the squad that carried out the raid. Deputy Interior Minister Martin Fendrych maintains the raid was legal and officially approved beforehand. Besides Fendrych, the Inspection Department had charged three police officials with violating laws during the operation. Natasa Hajkova, Barbora Spevakova/M.Smid Lustrace Extension Now Awaits Havel's Signature Czech Parliament voted Sept. 27 to extend the country's internationally criticized "lustrace" (screening) law until the year 2000. The lustrace law, adopted in October 1991, bans former high-ranking Communists, secret police agents and members of the People's Militia from holding posts in state administration and enterprises for a period of five years. Also Czech legislators approved an amendment to the law, making it also applicable to anyone who served in the police or prison administration. President Havel is expected to sign the amendment despite his reservations about the original law, though Havel's spokesman, Ladislav Spacek, refused to give any hints. "The president will make his position clear by either signing or not signing the law. Any statement in advance is out of the question," said Spacek. A few months ago, when he first heard of Parliament's plans to extend the law, Havel said he thought the lustrace process should end. Many members of the Council of Europe's Human Rights Committee, who subjected the legislation to heavy criticism, share his feelings. Voting in favor of the amendment, submitted by the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), were 99 of Parliament's 200 deputies: all of the government coalition representatives (ODS, ODA, KDU-CSL and KDS), Miroslav Sladek's Republicans, the Liberal National Socialist Party (LSNS) and most of the Bohemian and Moravian Union of the Center (CMUS) deputies. The entire Left Bloc, the Communists and individual members of CMUS and the Social Democrats voted against it. Matej Husek/Klara Schirova Czech Parliament Finally Gets Second Chamber After more than three years of debate on the need for a second chamber of Parliament, the members of the Chamber of Deputies - currently known simply as Czech Parliament - voted Sept. 27 to establish a Senate. The new legislation foresees a 200-seat Chamber of Deputies with proportional representation and an 81-seat Senate using the majority system. Senators, who must be at least 40 years of age, will be elected for a term of six years, with one-third of the body changing on a biannual basis. Anyone who wishes to run for the Senate must put up a deposit of 20,000 crowns, which will be returned provided the candidate wins at least 6 percent of the votes in his or her district. In addition, every party or coalition fielding candidates for the Senate must come up with 200,000 crowns, which is also returnable. While the Czech Constitution - adopted in 1992, just prior to the breakup of the Czechoslovak federation - assumed a bicameral legislature, until now the country has functioned with just the Chamber of Deputies. As the only legislative body, it cannot be dissolved, therefore making it impossible to break a deadlock in times of crisis. The Senate will take over some of the responsibilities that have been handled by the Chamber of Deputies up until now and also serve to correct any mistakes the other house of Parliament may make. The president has the power to set the date for elections to the Senate, though the prime minister has to approve, a provision that is expected to stir up debate within the current government coalition. The last formality that remains to be decided is the home of the new body, which could also be a sensitive issue given the concentration of administrative power in Prague. The Czech Republic is now one of 17 European states with a bicameral parliament. Radim Wolak/Katerina Zachovalova Deputies Fail to Agree on Restricting Immunity Czech Parliament voted Sept. 28 not to adopt an amendment to the Misdemeanors Act that would have restricted immunity for legislators. The only deputies who voted in favor of the change were 24 government coalition members. In other business, the legislators voted to restrict access to the Parliament building, allowing only TV crews and two journalists from each newspaper. Katerina Zachovalova/K. Zachovalova New Salaries for Government Officials Czech Parliament adopted a new law on salaries for government officials Sept. 26. The law presents a new system for determining wages, using coefficients based on the responsibilities and demands of each job. It will not take effect until after the next elections, scheduled for 1996. Until then members of Parliament will have access to 29,000 crowns a month, tax-free, on top of their salaries, as opposed to the 9,000 to 11,000 crowns they are currently allowed. The monthly salaries of the prime minister and the chair of Parliament will be hiked from the current 38,500 crowns to 46,600 crowns, while the president's wage will go up from 85,000 to 107,000 crowns. Petr Mrzena/A. Snyder New System for Parliamentary Interpellations Czechs watching CT2 last Thursday got their first taste of parliamentary interpellation, a move intended to satisfy the public's curiosity about the positions of government ministers on the hot topics of the day. In an interpellation ministers are required to answer any question posed to them by members of Parliament. The ministers generally answer off the cuff and there is no time limit on their responses. Thursday's show drew criticism from some corners when the first hour of questions, which was supposed to feature Premier Vaclav Klaus, found Deputy Premier Jan Kalvoda in the hot seat instead as Klaus was out of the country. Questions focused on the environment, education and social policies. The opposition Social Democrats called it "a farce" and refused to take part. Many deputies - including Anna Votavova of the Left Bloc, who said she would not deliver her interpellation on the handicapped in a "cabaret atmosphere" - submitted their questions in writing for Klaus to answer within 30 days. Katerina Zachovalova/K. Zachovalova People's Party Votes in Leaders and New Platform The Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) once again elected Minister of Agriculture Josef Lux as chairman at their September congress in Brno. KDU-CSL members declared their support for the current government coalition, but decided to run in next year's parliamentary elections on their own. Jan Kasal was voted first vice chairman, with the other three chairmen as follows: Deputy Miroslav Vyborny, Minister for Economic Competition Stanislav Belehradek, and Defense Minister Vilem Holan. Both former Defense Minister Antonin Baudys and Deputy Pavel Tollner failed in their bids for party leadership positions. Tollner joined KDU-CSL just 12 days befor the congress after he left the Christian Democratic Party (KDS) to demonstrate his disapproval of KDS's merger with Vaclav Klaus' Civic Democratic Party (ODS). Said KDU-CSL member Josef Vacek: "We aim to orient ourselves towards a social market economy, and of course that means taking responsibility for the weaker members of society." Marketa Skodova/A. Snyder Doctors Call Strike for November 1 The Czech physicians' union LOK decided at its Sept. 21 national meeting to go on strike for higher wages, as 300 delegates representing nearly 6,000 members voted to stay home Nov. 1 unless the government raises salaries. LOK is calling for wages of 150 crowns per hour, as opposed to the current 27 to 55 crowns per hour, along with a 100 percent increase in wage schedules. Shifts will be covered in hospitals and clinics, while physicians with private practices will hang signs at their offices supporting the strike. Doctors from all over the country are to gather in the capital Nov. 1 wearing their white coats, LOK announced. Throughout the month of November, then, strikers will do their best to throw administrative obstacles in the way of the Ministry of Health, for instance sending death certificates and other documents to the ministry instead of filling them out themselves. LOK President David Rath said the strike will last until physicians get sufficient guarantees. Most reactions to the idea of a doctors' walkout have been negative. In an interview for Czech TV Premier Vaclav Klaus said the physicians had committed a foul against themselves, and that he would be surprised if the strike was supported by doctors nationwide. Health Ludek Rubas said a strike that harmed patients was unacceptable and a violation of ethics, and that he refused to negotiate wages under pressure of a strike. Rubas said he had no plans to meet with LOK officials, though he is willing to talk with members of the Chamber of Medicine (LK) and other organizations representing members of the medical profession. The LK has sworn to use all the means at its disposal to stop the strike. Meanwhile doctors at university clinics in Bern and Zurich, Switzerland, anounced that in the event of a strike they would be willing to volunteer their services in the Czech Republic Nov. 1. In a poll of Prague residents by Dema, 60 percent of the respondents said they believed the doctors' demands were justified, though only 29 percent agreed with a strike. Eighty-six percent of those polled said they were afraid the strike would harm patients, and nearly half predicted the strike would have negative consequences for the doctors themselves. Zora Kasikova and Lucie Chytrackova/A. Snyder Partnership for Peace Maneuvers in Vyskov "Cooperative Challenge '95," a military exercise involving 600 soldiers from NATO and the Partnership for Peace, began Sunday on the grounds of the Czech Army Academy in Vyskov, Moravia. Besides troops from the six member countries of NATO and the 10 countries participating in the Partnership for Peace program (Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden), four other countries sent observers, namely Belorussia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania. Russia refused to take part, citing the recent NATO bombings of the Serbs in Bosnia. The Czechs are footing nearly one-third of the cost of the six-day exercise, expected to reach 21 million crowns. Jitka Hejtmanova/K. Schirova 800 Students Homeless in Czech Capital Nearly 800 Charles University students found themselves without housing at the start of the school year as university officials reacted to increased enrollment and a lack of dorm rooms by asking all those within a 100-km radius of Prague to commute. Many will eventually get the housing they applied for, but at least 100 of them will be forced to choose between a daily commute from their hometown and renting an apartment on the high-priced Prague market. Still other students have been given housing in towns nearby the city. Some have gone so far as to change their home address to increase their chances of getting a university room. Charles University Vice Rector Petr Blahus said in an radio interview that some students had been offered a place to live in Brandys nad Labem but turned it down. The School of Economics is even worse off, as 2,000 students are lacking a place to sleep, and anyone who lives within 170 km of Prague has to commute. The total number of homeless students will not be known until Oct. 6, the final deadline for housing applications. David Vozdecky/A. Snyder Baby Carried to Term in Abdominal Cavity Nikola, who spent the full nine months of pregnancy in her mother's abdominal cavity, was born Sept. 26 in Brno, weighing in at a healthy 2.6 kilograms and measuring 49 cm. FROM SLOVAKIA State Police Versus Secret Police Slovak intelligence chief Ivan Lexa has been making things difficult for investigators in the case of the kidnapping of Michal Kovac Jr., son of Slovak President Michal Kovac. On Sept. 21 investigator Peter Vacok demanded that Lexa strip Milan Lovich, an employee of the Slovak Information Service (SIS), of his right to silence. Lovich was sighted near the border on the day of the kidnapping. In addition Vacok has accused another man of smuggling Kovac out of the country, and has officially asked Lexa if the man is an SIS employee. Lexa has refused to answer questions, instead accusing Vacok of "organized crime" by forcing SIS members to give false testimony. Vacok has denied the charges and said he will turn to Parliament and OKO, the body for monitoring the secret police, unless Lexa complies with his demands. Investigator Jaroslav Simunic, who was pulled from the case after calling for Lexa himself to be stripped of his right of silence, is continuing the investigation on his own. He says a decision is being made in the Kovac case as to "whether state terrorism will continue or not." Meanwhile, an unnamed Austrian politician put up the 1 million schilling bail to free Kovac Jr. from jail Monday after 32 days. Kovac's passport is being held by the Austrians until German officials question him on charges of involvement in financial fraud at the Bratislava company Technopol. Petr Pabian and Lucie Dvorakova/A. Snyder Slovak Unions Gather to Protest For the first time since November 1989, Slovak trade union members gathered at SNP square in Bratislava to protest the government's social policies. Alojz Englis, president of the Trade Union Confederation, said the demonstration had no political subtext, and that it was mainly to protest increasing public transportation costs and the termination of discounts in fare. Before a crowd of 15,000, union leaders proposed increases in the minimum wage and tax deductions. Also the demonstrators voiced dissatisfaction with the government's privatization policies, especially with the fact that the National Property Fund is selling businesses for low prices to a small, select group of people, and not including employees in privatization. Darina Coufalova/A. Snyder BUSINESS/ECONOMICS Gas and Electricity Prices to Remain Steady for Now Minister of Industry and Trade Vladimir Dlouhy announced last Friday that the price of energy - in particular gas and electricity for households - would not change more than the government planned until mid-1996. The current government plan assumes a price increase of 12 to 15 percent starting June 1, 1996. The price of heat, which was raised in September, should remain unchanged. Dlouhy said the government would decide if further price increases were necessary before elections next year. Power companies and environmentalists are calling for more rapid rises to bring the price of gas and electricity for individual consumers closer to the wholesale price, which they say would reduce waste and excessive consumption. "When determining new rates we have to take into account the social acceptability of price increases, and (that includes) special prices for certain groups of the population," said Dlouhy. "Still everyone has to realize that the transition to ecological energy sources will not come for free." Alice Ticha/A. Ticha Businessmen Establish Regional Coop Loan Company A group of 34 businessmen from the Pribram region established last week the Entrepreneurial Regional Cooperative Savings and Loan Association with basic assets of 1,020,000 crowns - 35,000 crowns from each member. This association, based on legislation adopted in April of this year, harks back to similar companies that existed in Czechoslovakia between World War I and World War II. Marketa Skodova/A. Ticha Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from Oct.6) Checks Cash country buy sell middle buy sell middle Australia 1 AUD 20.092 20.294 20.193 19.12 21.26 20.19 Belgium 100 BEF 89.568 90.468 90.018 87.32 92.72 90.02 Great Britain 1 GBP 41.876 42.296 42.086 40.67 43.51 42.09 Danemark 1 DKK 4.747 4.795 4.771 4.57 4.97 4.77 Finland 1 FIM 6.133 6.195 6.164 5.96 6.36 6.16 France 1 FRF 5.321 5.375 5.348 5.15 5.55 5.35 Ireland 1 IEP 42.693 43.123 42.908 40.91 44.91 42.91 Italy 1000 ITL 16.388 16.552 16.470 15.70 17.24 16.47 Japan 100 JPY 26.209 26.473 26.341 25.04 27.64 26.34 Canada 1 CAD 19.799 19.997 19.898 19.01 20.79 19.90 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.568 90.468 90.018 87.02 93.02 90.02 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.449 16.615 16.532 16.05 17.01 16.53 Norway 1 NOK 4.193 4.235 4.214 4.06 4.36 4.21 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.444 17.620 17.532 16.78 18.28 17.53 Portugal 100 PTE 17.582 17.758 17.670 16.49 18.85 17.67 Austria 1 ATS 2.617 2.643 2.630 2.57 2.69 2.63 Greece 100 GRD 11.280 11.394 11.337 10.63 12.05 11.34 Germany 1 DEM 18.417 18.603 18.510 18.05 18.97 18.51 Spain 100 ESP 21.346 21.560 21.453 20.45 22.45 21.45 Sweden 1 SEK 3.804 3.842 3.823 3.66 3.98 3.82 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.898 23.128 23.013 22.51 23.51 23.01 USA 1 USD 26.458 26.724 26.591 25.89 27.29 26.59 EMS-ECU 1 XEU 34.065 34.407 34.236 -- -- -- MMF-ZPC-SDR 1 XDR 39.478 39.874 39.676 -- -- -- CULTURE Jazzman Dies Gustav Brom died of a heart attack in Brno Sept. 25. He was one of the greatest jazz musicians in the Czech lands, and thanks to his passion for music Brno became a renowned jazz center, visited by artists from many countries. In his 55 years as bandleader Brom's biggest hits were "Sneni ve dvou" ("Dreaming in Pairs"), "Matinee," "Adela" and the "Vitamin Charleston." He was also known for the television series "Kapela na cestach" ("Band on the Road"), a collaboration between Brom and his longtime friend Vladimir Skutina. "Muj zivot s kapelou" ("My Life With the Band"), Brom's autobiography, was published last year. Jitka Motejzikova/A. Snyder Cimrman Takes the Stage for the 7,000th Time The Theater of Jara Cimrman, the fictious turn-of-the-century Czech genius, staged its 7,000th performance in Prague on Friday, Oct. 29. It was exactly 29 years ago that Czechs first heard the name of Jara Cimrman on Radio Prague. Since then tens of thousands of Czechs have laughed at the adventures of this persecuted inventor. This year probably would have been Cimrman's 100th birthday, although the Cimrmanology community is divided on this issue. Marking the anniversary was the premiere of the ensemble's latest play, "Zaskok" ("The Stand-in"). While director Ladislav Smoljak, one of the most famous researchers on Cimrman's works, declined to say how many more thousands of performances there will be to celebrate, we can only hope this millennium is not the last. If things should not go well, however, keep in mind one of Cimrman's favorite sayings: "It doesn't have to rain, just a drip is enough." Zbynek Vicar/Petr Kadlec SPORTS Litvinov Leads in Extraleague Ice Hockey The North Bohemian skaters of Litvinov haved seized the no. 1 spot in the Czech hockey Extraleague with 16 points. At this point the league appears to be dominated by four squads: besides Litvinov, Vsetin, Sparta and, to the surprise of some, Ceske Budejovice. Meanwhile, after an impressive start Slavia has slipped to ninth place, league newcomers Trinec are holding their own, and Kladno is turning in a disappointing performance after last season's showing. David Sprincl/A. Zucker Last Year's Champions Sparta Out Front Again in Soccer Nine matches into the season Praha Sparta is sitting atop the first league in soccer, ahead of Liberec and Cheb. Praha Slavia and Hradec Kralove, representing the Czechs in European cup competition, are having a hard go of it in league play. Slavia is wallowing in the bottom half of the standings, while Hradec is bringing up the rear along with Zlin and the two first-league additions this year, Opava and Uherske Hradiste. David Sprincl/A. Zucker Czech Squads Advance in Second Round of Cup Action Sparta, Slavia and Hradec Kralove all emerged victorious from the first round of cup competition in European soccer. After losing 1-0 at home, Sparta came back to defeat Sikeborg of Norway 2-1 on foreign turf, advancing to round two of the UEFA Cup. Also in UEFA Cup play, Slavia beat Freiburg 2-1 away from home, then came back to Prague and played to a 0-0 tie. And in the Cup Winners' Cup, Hradec Kralove trounced Copenhagen 5-0 at home, then traveled to Denmark, where they played to a 2-2 tie. Second-round match-ups are as follows: Sparta Praha vs. Zimbrau Kishinev; Slavia Praha vs. FC Lugano; and Hradec Kralove vs. Dynamo Moscow. Karel Bartek/A. Zucker Sports in Brief * In soccer, the Czechs advanced in European Championship play, defeating Norway 2-0. Next they face Belarus. * In Davis Cup action, Korda, Ulihrach, Vacek and Suk kept the Czech squad alive with a win over Zimbabwe, 4-1. * In the second qualification match for the European championships in team handball, the Czechs - minus three starters who play in the German league - tied Macedonia 27-27, after trouncing them by 17 goals Sept. 27. Michal Kubal, Adam Kotalik/A. Zucker WEATHER While a little inconsistent, the weather has improved in the last two weeks, temperatures rising as high as 18 to 22 degrees Celsius, tempting the residents to take walks on Petrin Hill and stroll the beautiful streets of downtown. Mushroom hunters especially are happy, as a jam-packed basket is virtually guaranteed these days. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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