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 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 220, Friday, October 25, 1996. FROM THE NEWS OF THE PAST WEEK (OCTOBER 16 - 23) Senate Campaign Gets Going The campaign for the November 15-6 Senate election is picking up speed. The majority election system is forcing candidates to campaign in an electoral system they have never experienced (the Czech Republic uses proportional elections, and the Senate of the 1918-38 First Czechoslovak Republic was also elected proportionally according to party tallies) and the public is thus often witness to some original campaigning. The Social Democrats were the first to start the campaign, with their experienced bus, the Zemak, which was immediately renamed the Senate Tour. The mobile propaganda center travels with the candidates and makes contact for inhabitants of the smallest villages with their representatives possible. Communist candidate for Litomerice Jirina Svorcova is going to remind voters of her former acting career - she will talk to them standing behind a shop counter (her most famous part was in Jaroslav Dietl's Woman behind the Shop Counter). Pavel Tigrid (journalist and former culture minister running as an independent on the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party ballot) has been visiting downtown Prague cafes for some time and visiting with patrons. He said he pays no bills for them. Prague Mayor Jan Koukal (Civic Democratic Party candidate in Prague 6) is giving voters telephone cards with six units and his portrait on it. Those who receive it can call him on a special election telephone where Koukal is available. The question remains, whether the variegated election campaign and its accompanying acts will have any effect. According to sociologist Petr Mateju, most voters have decided whom they will give their votes to, and thus original election campaigns might only be a waste of money. digest from MF DNES made by Jaroslav Schovanec/Magda Vanova Constitutional Court: Senate Candidates to Be Registered after Deadline "The time-limit of 30 days before the election, set by law as the last moment for registration, does not apply to the Constitutional Court," said Constitutional Court Judge Pavel Hollander October 23 to daily MF DNES. Thanks to this decision, those candidates whose appeals of Central Election Committee and Supreme Court decisions were not ruled upon by October 16 will still have the possibility to register. The Constitutional Court thusly finished week-long discussions about changing the term of the election or declaring legislative emergency to enable immediate legal changes. Michal Schindler, Karolina Cebrovska/Magda Vanova Zeman Threatens Resignation of Social Democratic Chairmanship The biggest internal crisis of the most powerful opposition party reached its peak October 18, when Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Chairman Milos Zeman stated he would resign from his function in case of the re-election of Karel Machovec as party vice-chairman during the March party convention. The direct reason of the threat the vote of four Social Democratic deputies (one of which being Machovec), who supported the government's state budget proposal against the CSSD parliamentary club decision to oppose it. The CSSD political department later decided not to punish the four party members. Another internal problem, the Josef Wagner and Michal Kraus conflict, also continued. Deputy Kraus said his colleagues were bought by the coalition (see Carolina 219). Wagner, chairman of the parliament budget committee, asked Kraus to leave the committee and give up his membership in Parliament's Kreditni Banka Plzen investigative commission because of his unproven accusations. If Kraus does not do so, Wagner and his colleagues are prepared to leave the CSSD parliamentary club, which would cause the overturning of Parliament power distribution - the coalition's minority situation would be solved easily. David Smolik/Katerina Zachovalova Farmers' Critique of Government Agricultural Policies More than 2,000 participants of the farmers' and food-producers' meeting in Litomysl expressed their negative attitude towards government agricultural policies October 22. Agriculture Chamber President Jiri Netik said to the daily Pravo that it is possible to find agreement on subsidy programs with Minister of Agriculture Josef Lux but there is no possibility to do so with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus. According to meeting participants, the government is not fulfilling its program, which promised support to Czech food production, comparable foreign trade conditions and help in resolving transformation and restitution obligations. Agricultural entities are not able to pay their debts because of small profits or frequent losses. Unfair foreign trade conditions cause a negative agricultural trade balance, which could represent one-fifth of the overall deficit (expected to be around 160 billion crowns) according to chamber analyses. Jiri Fremuth/Katerina Zachovalova Interior Ministry Accused of Alleged Police War In relation to the arrest of two highly-positioned Anti-Organized Crime Unit officers and the forced resignation of one of the most remarkable ministerial functionariess - Central Bohemian Investigation Office boss Josef Doucha - the Czech press has begun talking about a war between police and Interior Ministry management. Allegedly, there is also a list of unsuitable persons coming from police Deputy President Jan Zatorsky, though no evidence has been found. Both arrested officers were accused of damaging the ministry by obtaining a police conspiracy apartment, which caused the loss of tens of thousands of crowns. One of the officers, Jiri Gregor, is known for his conflicts with Deputy Minister Martin Fendrych. Gregor's lawyer, Jiri Teryngel, accused the ministry of attempting to get rid of uncomfortable personnel. Doucha, the only high functionary to criticize Zatorsky publicly, is leaving office now, although he was planning to leave because of personal reasons at the end of December. He refuses to comment on his resignation. Ministry headquarters deny there is any war with police, and Minister Jan Ruml declared he would like to speed up Doucha's resignation. Ruml will not recall Fendrych or Zatorsky, though Ruml said Zatorsky will lose some of his rights. After deadline: both detained officers were released October 23 and the case was dismissed. Lucie Vackova/Katerina Zachovalova Pentagon Has Interest in Czech Anti-Chemical Instruments The Pentagon showed a special interest in producing and developing instruments used by the Czech antichemical unit during the Gulf War, according to representative of the Pentagon deputy for chemical and biological matters Theodor Prociv October 22. Czechoslovak instruments were the only ones that could monitor the the presence of certain poisonous gases. American commanders did not respect such investigation because information about the data was not ratified by any other sources. While Czechs were putting on gas masks and special rubber clothing, American soldiers in tainted area remained unprotected, said Czech soldier Vaclav Hlavac to AP. Vit Bartek/Petra Sevcikova Communist Leader's Father Charged with Torturing in 50's Alois Grebenicek was accused of beating and torturing anti-communist representatives by electric current during the 50's. The Office for Documentation and Investigation of Communist Crimes, led by Vaclav Benda (Civic Democratic Party), made the accusations, though Grebenicek's son Miroslav, chairman of the Czech-Moravian Communist Party, claimed his father's innocence October 17. At the press conference, Miroslav Grebenicek presented a book containing testimonies of political prisoners, where Alois Grebenicek is mentioned as one of the more humane investigators, one who did not practice torture. Miroslav Grebenicek also read a 1994 statement from his father, where the elder Grebenicek emphasized that such accusations are made just to discredit his son. Benda denied all speculation about the political motives of the accusation, saying the evidence unambiguously support the charges. According to Benda, the accusation could be sent to court in a few weeks. Bohdana Rambouskova/Petra Sevcikova Research Institute in Roztoky Short of Efedrin Another problem came up at the Research Institute of Antibiotics and Biotransformation in Roztoky u Prahy, thanks to two of its workers, who were stealing efedrin from the institute. Police recently captured them and stated this was not the first case of efedrin theft. This drug is used in the preparation of the most commonly used drug in the Czech Republic, pervitin. Police discovered the two workers were using the stolen efedrin partly for the preparation of pervitin and partly for other distribution. "At this time, when we have no money because of lengthy privatization, we have done our best," said institute Director Stanislav Ruzicka. Although we do select people who work here, it happened a few times in the past that we employed people who were condemned of doing businesses with drugs. Lenka Javurkova/Petra Sevcikova Second Fire in Subway in One Week A cable connecting tracks began to burn in the early morning of October 18 in the Prague metro station Zelivskeho (the October 14 fire was covered in Carolina 219). According to the fire brigade, the fire was extinguished easily and was considered very small. Nobody was harmed, although fumes were inhaled by two subway workers, who were immediately released after hospital examination. A subway spokeswoman said the two fires were not connected. Prague Mayor Jan Koukal is not alarmed by these fires and said they result from the exhaustion of the 22-year-old metro's materials. Lucie Podesvova/Petra Sevcikova FROM SLOVAKIA Dvorsky Leaves Slovak National Theater Famous opera singer Peter Dvorsky gave notice after 20 years' service in the Slovak National Theater October 16. He resigned because of disagreement with the policies of Culture Minister Ivan Hudec and with changes in management. Dvorak, like many others, thought removing Dusan Jamrich from the top position of the Slovak state stage was unfair. "Politics has no business looking around art. Art has to be free, this is what we were fighting for in 1989, after all," said Dvorsky to Slovak daily SME. Dvorsky also resigned from his posts of chairman of the Slovak Music Union and president of the Slovak Music Council. He explained his abdication with the practical non-functioning of these institutions because of financial shortcomings. Although Dvorsky receives offers from all over the world, he is not considering leaving Slovakia. He will become a free-lance artist. Ondrej Slavik\Zuzana Kawaciukova Slovak Government Lacks Trust outside Culture, Too Slovaks gave the government a vote of no-confidence in matters regarding culture (53 per cent of respondents in a survey conducted by the FOCUS agency from September 18-24), and in matters of media (52 per cent). Areas in which the government more markedly lacks the trust of its citizens include crime, social policy and privatization. In each of these areas respondent distrust exceeded 70 per cent, as reported in the October 19 edition of Slovak daily SME. Jan Potucek\Zuzana Kawaciukova American Ambassador Criticizes Slovak Politics American Ambassador to Slovakia Ralph Johnson subjected the Slovak government to criticism, saying to AP that if Slovakia wishes to join NATO or another western structure, it would have to be democratic not only in elections but also in law and the legal right to criticism without fearing accusation of being an enemy of the state. Jan Potucek\Zuzana Kawaciukova ECONOMY Further Rise in Gas and Oil Prices The Czech Refinery Corporation - the country's only gas producer - will raise fuel prices for the fourth time this month. The corporation announced October 17 a rise in the price of gas of 22 hellers (1 crown=100 hellers) per liter and a rise in oil prices of 26 hellers per liter. Gas-station operators estimate real prices at around 20.10 crowns to 20.90 crowns per liter of special gas; 20.90 crowns to 21.60 crowns per liter of super gas, and 20.40 crowns to 21.20 crowns per liter of natural gas. The same amount of oil will cost 17.50 crowns to 18.40 crowns. Since the beginning of the year, the Czech market has noted a rise in oil prices of almost three crowns, and prices of all types of gas have risen more than two crowns per liter. However, experts do not venture to guess when the increases will stop. According to transportation representatives, the rise in fuel prices will cause the cancellation of some bus lines, possibly as soon as November, especially in Prague's outlying areas and in the western part of the Czech Republic. Bohumil Kraus, the director of CSAD Praha Vrsovice, said "the rise in oil prices must be paid by customers or cities." Magdalena Vanova/Denisa Vitkova Czech National Bank Introduces Plan For Assisting Small Banks According to an October 17 Czech National Bank (CNB) announcement, the state is willing to take over the probably uncollectible loans of small banks, through the mediation of Czech Finance, a new entity of the Consolidation Bank. This assistance would be available to any of the 13 banking institutions with balance sums under 30 billion crowns. If these institutions fell in with the CNB's offer, they would get cash for almost worthless assets. Banks would be allowed to get rid of assets representing up to 110 per cent of their share capital. Although small banks have to make themselves subordinate to strict control of the CNB, possibly including management changes, this offer is obviously very advantageous for such banks. If small banks will not be able to honor their commitments or CNB controllers will not agree with their economic policies, Czech Finance will capitalize outstanding debts and thus become the bank's major owner. Matej Cerny/Denisa Vitkova Invex Computer Trade Fair in Brno The 6th international trade fair of information technology, Invex 96, opened in Brno October 22. The first day of the trade was reserved for experts; the public can view the expositions from October 23-6. Visitors will get to know 784 exhibitors from 13 countries, including corporations like IBM, Digital, Panasonic, Minolta and Microsoft. In connection with the fair, many complementary programs are to take place, among them an international seminar on prevention of computer piracy. Michaela Klevisova/Denisa Vitkova Government Cannot Agree on Privatizing Aero Vodochody The government heatedly discussed October 16 the method for privatizing Aero Vodochody, the country's most important aircraft maker. The main point of dispute seemed to be whether to sell a part of Aero stock directly to the Chemapol company or to arrange the usual public bid competition. Some ministers strongly decried the possibility of the direct sale of Aero Vodochody, because they do not entirely trust Chemapol - the Interior Ministry, for example, fears Chemapol's alleged ties to the East. Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy was assigned the task of presenting the cabinet a plan for the tender. Despite opinion differences, the cabinet approved a 3-billion-crown bailout. Aero Vodochody is the world's largest training-aircraft maker, and if the state did not help its desperate financial situation, the corporation would be doomed to liquidation. Lucie Podesvova/Denisa Vitkova Stehlik Transfers Property of Poldi Kladno to New Firm Vladimir Stehlik, who owes the state 750 million crowns for the operation of the Poldi Kladno Steelworks, established a new firm with the English name Poldi Steel last week and transfered almost all the property of Poldi Kladno to Poldi Steel. State Holding Kladno, which is a minority owner of Poldi Kladno, did not know about the transaction. According to the words of holding representative Martin Hron, the holding will take Stehlik to court. Experts agree that if Stehlik has not made any legal missteps, he has eliminated state interference in a most elegant way. Marketa Kropacova/Zuzana Kawaciukova MARKETS AND COMPANIES * Prices on the Prague Stock Exchange started to recover from their long fall last week. Prices were on rise this week, so the PX 50 index ended at 537.2 points October 23. Trade volume still remains, however, still unsatisfactorily low. * The Prague Stock Exchange Chamber announced the setting of more strict preconditions for companies who want to trade their shares on the quoted market. The stricter rules will apply namely to the enlarged information duty of the issuers, which should contribute to greater credibility for the capital market in the Czech Republic. * Renowned Japanese firm Nomura became a serious candidate for ownership entry into the Investment and Postal Bank. Responses are mostly positive ones - bank share prices rocketed up, and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus is smiling. * British brewery giant Bass declared its interest to enlarge its share in Prague Breweries (Prazske pivovary) to a majority 51 per cent. Until now the Brits have held 46 per cent, but they have an option contract for another 5 per cent of shares. Simultaneously, Bass-controlled Ostravar and Vratislavice breweries could be merged with Prague Breweries, and Bass also intends to get a controlling share in Nosovice's Radegast Brewery. * The rise of CKD Tatra shares is said to be caused by the company's victory in the tender for supplying parts to Philippine capital Manila's transport system. The contract is worth of about 200 million USD. Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from October 25) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.320 Belgium 100 BEF 86.019 Great Britain 1 GBP 42.910 Denmark 1 DKK 4.619 Finland 1 FIM 5.895 France 1 FRF 5.239 Ireland 1 IEP 43.360 Italy 1000 ITL 17.596 Japan 100 JPY 23.868 Canada 1 CAD 20.012 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.019 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.789 Norway 1 NOK 4.176 New Zealand 1 NZD 18.876 Portugal 100 PTE 17.546 Austria 1 ATS 2.518 Greece 100 GRD 11.293 Slovakia 100 SKK 86.858 Germany 1 DEM 17.716 Spain 100 ESP 21.011 Sweden 1 SEK 4.087 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.482 USA 1 USD 26.907 ECU 1 XEU 33.944 SDR 1 XDR 38.760 CULTURE Svankmajer Presents New Film Czech surrealist-film legend Jan Svankmajer presented his new lightly erotic film, Conspirators of Pleasure, to the Czech public. As usual, Svankmajer combined feature and animated film techniques in creating a film about ordinary people and their private, bizarre autosexual practics, partly black comedy and partly psychoanalysis. The film excels thanks to outstanding performances by prominent Czech actors and irreplicable visual effects made by Svankmajer and his wife Eva. The film was previously presented at the Locarno Film Festival in August and was given the festival's young-audience award. Martin Hradecky/Jan Majer Music Without Barriers without Audience The charity concert Music Without Barriers did not attract a satisfactory number of spectators October 19. The concert was organized by the Czechoslovak Foundation Charter 77 and the BBK/TIME advertising agency in order to support the Bariera account, which helps handicapped people. Although many popular Czech folk and rock musicians appeared on the stage, the auditorium of Prague's Sport Hall was filled only to one-quarter of its capacity. Concert profits was lower than the organizators expected. The unique, eight-hour benefit concert was recorded and the best parts will appear on an album. CDs and cassettes of unusual groupings of folk and rock musicians cooperating for the occasion will be sold for the benefit of the Bariera account. Organizers hope it will earn more money than the concert. Ondra Provaznik/Jan Majer Fictitious Czech Genius on CD-ROM The greatest Czech inventor, globetrotter and patriot living in the second half of 19th and the beginning of 20th century, Jara Cimrman, also invented CD-ROM. In fact, CD is here thought to mean Cimrman's Disc. This shocking information was announced by fanatic Cimrmanologists Zdenek Sverak and Ladislav Smoljak, two great mystificators and humorists, on the occasion of publishing a CD-ROM concerning the fictitious life and revolutionary inventions of Jara Cimrman. Cimrman came into existence in the 60's as the subject matter of Jara Cimrman's Theater, which has represented intelligent Czech humor until the present. Its authors, Sverak and Smoljak, are respected playwrights, and Sverak is also known abroad thanks to the great success of the films Elementary School (nominated for an Oscar) and Kolya, both based on his scripts. The CD-ROM was produced in collaboration with Microsoft and its profits will be donated to foundations for the handicapped. David Vlk/Jan Majer SPORT Prinosil Wins Ostrava Tennis Tournament German David Prinosil, a 23-year-old born in the Czech Republic's Olomouc, won the IPB Czech Indoor in Ostrava, a tennis tournament with the most impressive roster yet to play in the Czech Republic. In the final match, Prinosil easily defeated Czech Petr Korda (6:1, 6:2) in 41 minutes. Korda, who earlier defeated Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, met Czech Martin Damm in the semifinals, after Damm had bested German Michael Stich. Tournament organizers assured the participation of several top stars, such as Boris Becker, who, as a wild-card entry, drew a record 7,000 spectators to his first-round match, though he had to withdraw because of the wrist injury. Zdenek Janda/Mirek Langer Czech Soccer League - Liberec Leads Standings Results of the 10th round (October 20-2): Petra Drnovice - FK Jablonec 2-1, Viktoria Plzen - Slavia Praha 0-1, Sigma Olomouc - FK Teplice 1-1, FC Karvina - SK Ceske Budejovice 1-2, Slovan Liberec - Kaucuk Opava 2-2, Bohemians - Banik Ostrava 0-1, Boby Brno - SK Hradec Kralove 1-1, Sparta Praha - Viktoria Zizkov 1:0. Standings after the 10th round: 1. Liberec 19, 2. Brno 18, 3. Drnovice 17, 4. Opava 17, 5. Slavia 16, 6. Teplice 15, 7. Olomouc 14, 8. Jablonec 14, 9. Ostrava 14, 10. Sparta 13, 11. Budejovice 13, 12. Plzen 10, 13. Karvina 9, 14. Zizkov 8, 15. Bohemians 8, 16 Hradec Kralove 7. Sparta Praha Hockey Team Defeated by Dysentery The second match in the European League, played in Moscow October 15, brought a very unpleasant consequence for the Sparta team. Sparta Praha not only lost to the CSKA team 1-4, but players returned home also with digestive problems. Almost the entire team was probably infected by eating fruit in the Moscow lockerroom before the match . The Professional Teams Association has postponed two Sparta matches until November 1 in the Czech Extraleague, and Sparta management is considering resigning from the European League. Pavel Novak/Mirek Langer WEATHER During the last week, the warming sun in the blue sky changed to an inscrutable autumn weather. Those who don't like surprise had to take their umbrellas everywhere, all the time. Lovers of the comfortable warm pulled their winter-coats and wraps out of wardrobe depths, because temperatures were slowly rising to only 8 degrees to 13 degrees Celsius/46 degrees to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. And let's see some good news at the end: This weekend, sleepers will have their feast. All clocks and wrist-watch hands, as well as the Prague Town Hall calendar-clock hand, are going to be moved one hour back October 27 at 3 a.m. GOOD NIGHT AND SWEET DREAMS! Simona Malkovska and Bohdana Rambouskova\Mirek Langer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ANNOUNCING: The International Study Program of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Beginning in February 1997, a one-semester English-language program will be offered twice a year in Central and eastern European Studies, with a selection of courses in modern history and recent political and economic developments in the region. Some courses are also available in German. For further information contact Cyril Simsa at: E-mail-- svoz@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz Phone-- 42/2/2481 0804 Fax-- 42/2/2481 0987 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx English version edited by Michael Bluhm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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@cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz The text of message for subscription of the English version must be: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name or for the Czech version SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers you send the following message to the address LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. 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