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: (+420 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+420 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 254, Thursday, July 17, 1997. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (July 2 - July 16) Catastrophic Floods Paralyze One-Third of Czech Republic As of July 16, there were 43 people dead, 50,000 evacuated and tens of millions of crowns of damages - the tragic results of floods which, during the second week of July, touched 32 counties of the Czech Republic, with the worst damage in Moravia and Silesia and some in eastern Bohemia. Extremely strong storms led to the biggest natural disaster in modern Czech history. A chronicle of July's tragic events: Friday, July 4 Powerful rains, nothing unusual locally in the beginning of summer. Some recall hoary sayings about strong rains welcoming July, but no one could know the catastrophy awaiting. Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6 The first weekend of July has two holidays. July 5 is the day of Slavic evangelists St. Cyril and St. Methodius, who arrived in Moravia in 863, while July 6 belongs to Catholic reformer Master John Huss (Jan Hus), burned at the stake on this day in 1415 in Kostnice. Some 15,000 believers attend a pilgrimmage in Velehrad, but the traditional church holidays are accompanied by foul weather. It rains. Persistent rains chase off Moravian, Slovak and Hungarian folk groups performing in Zlin from their outdoor stage into the vestibule of a local theater. On the highest peak of the Beskydy Mountains, a 100-year-old record for rain is eclipsed, with 234 liters of water measured per square meter. Waves of storms fill rivers in northern Moravia, Silesia and in the Svit region of eastern Bohemia, and a state of flood readiness is announced. Monday, July 7 The floods take their greatest toll. The first deaths are announced. The worst damage is recorded in the Bruntal area. Hundreds of people wait to be rescued on roofs and in trees. Opava and one-third of Ostrava are under water. It continues to rain, hard. A state of warning is announced for the Sumperk and Jeseniky regions. Near Novy Jicin an international express train on the Vienna-Warsaw line goes off the trcaks, injuring some 60 passengers (during the week more than 700 kilometers of rail went under water). The management of all rescue work is taken over by the Central Anti-Flood Commission, led by Vice Premier and Environment Minister Jiri Skalicky. On the commission are also Interior Minister Jan Ruml and Defense Minister Miloslav Vyborny. The crisis team is working in Olomouc. Tuesday, July 8 The destructive wave of floods moves from northern Moravia to central Moravia. Sumperk and Prerov are cut off from the surrounding world. The flooded areas are visited by Premier Vaclav Klaus and opposition leader Milos Zeman, the chairman of Parliament. In Ostrava, Klaus promises an immediate governemnt guarantee of 30,000 crowns for each affected family. Fellow citizens do not remain indifferent - in addition to the Czech Red Cross, humanitarian aid is orgainzed through collections of clothes, blankets, food and drinking water. Banks open accounts for aid to the victims. At the Commerce Bank (Komercni banka), an account in the name of the Czech Red Cross - Humanity Fund has opened, account number 10030-7334-011/0100, a variable symbol of 300, a constant symbol of 379 for cash payments and 558 for transfers from other banks. Wednesday, July 9 "It is now certain that this is the largest flooding in the century not only in terms of territory, but also in water force and damages caused," said hydrologist Jan Kubat for daily MF DNES. The Moravia River gradually floods Olomouc (the city is without electricity and gas), Kromeriz and Blansko. Kromeriz normally records 150 centimeters of rainfall in July, television reports place the rainfall at 719 centimeters. After a dam burst in Orlice, water came into Hradec Kralove and threatens the central Bohemian regions around Nymburk and Kolin. Damages are less severe than in Moravia. In the village of Troubky, near Prerov, the ruined houses appear to have been bombed. People lose all their belongings. Psychologists compare the stress of the victims to the stress of a war. Floods halt or slow industrial prduction. Automaker Skoda Mlada Boleslav stopped production today, because the factories and warehouses of some suppliers were flooded. About 12,000 firefighters and 2,000 soldiers are helping in rescue work, while the number of soldiers working later grows to 7,500. The first cases of looting are reported. The government and Parliament make 2 billion crowns available. First word arrives of help from abroad, from Canada and Great Britain. Thursday, July 10 Waters begin to recede in northern Moravia anmd eastern Bohemia. President Vaclav Havel visits central Moravia. "Despite the general expectations he did not however visit any flooded villages and the affected areas he observed only from a helicopter," wrote one day later the daily MF DNES, and recalls how the public was used to symbolic visits among the people by the presdient in the past. Havel thanks all rescuers, prefessional and voluntary. He gives appreciation for the wave of solidarity, which he said proves that the better characteristics of Czech people awaken when the going gets tough. Havel dedicates 1 million crowns to the victims. He said the Czech Republic is one of a few countries lacking a constitutional law about states of emergency, which could deal with similar crisis situations and spell out institutional responsibilities. Attorney General Vit Vesely orders an uncomprimising stance against those whose take part in looting. Friday, July 11 The situation in Uherske Hradiste is critical, the Moravia floods the downtown. Parliament's Chamber of Deputies approves the use of 5 billion crowns from small privatization and they also approve the government's proposal of a state bond issue in the amount of 5 billion crowns. The government will also be able to use 1 billion crowns from the Property Fund. Reports from areas where the water has receded bring horrible pictures of destroyed homes, ruined gardens anfd fields, broken highways, railways and bridges. Saturday, July 12 In northen Moravia and Silesia the situation stabilizes, the floods are most active in southeastern Moravia. The number of those evacuated from Uherske Hradiste climbs to 14,500. Sunday, July 13 Southern Moravia is expecting the water. In the evening, about 10,000 residents of Hodonin are evacuated. Monday, July 14 The police begins to issue new identity documents to flood victims - identity cards and passports - free of charge. Tuesday, July 15 The water breaks through the weir on the river Moravia above Hodonin, but emergency services succeed in repairing it. More than 300 million crowns have been donated to flood relief accounts. Wednesday, July 16 The flood wave on the lower reaches of the Moravia weakens and it seems likely that it will for the most part avoid Hodonin. Citizens of Tynec in the region of Breclav, perhaps the last village to be flooded, agree that the waiting was worse than the flood waters themselves. The government names Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Jiri Skalicky (ODA) as the government coordinator for renewal and development in the flooded regions. In an all-day meeting the government decides on a further package of financial aid (10 million crowns for each affected county, 150,000 crowns for each family whose home has been destroyed, and a subsidized loan of up 850,000 crowns for those who decide to build a new home from scratch). A new forecast of rain for the coming days awakens new fears. Meteorologists again expect heavy storms. Czech Republic Invited to Join NATO At the NATO summit in Madrid, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary were invited July 8 to join the Alliance. The three post-communist countries are to become full members of NATO in the spring of 1999. Czech Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec commented on the invitation for the Czech press by saying, "The Czech Republic was named among the invited countries. The Madrid summit thus erased the results of Munich and Jalta. We are becoming a part of the Alliance together with the most developed nations in the world, with whom we share the same lifestyle and same perspective on most international events." President Vaclav Havel said "a new chapter in the life of NATO is beginning. The Alliance will grow into a pan-European instrument for the defense of civilized values." Albright Makes First Official Visit to Czech Republic American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made her first official vist to the Czech Republic July 13-14. Born into the family of a Czech diplomat as Marie Jana Korbelova, Albright has returned to the land of her birth seven times since 1989, though this was the first time as secretary of state. In connection with the Madrid NATO summit, her business dealt with the Czech Republic's entry into NATO. Madeleine Albright, who was awarded the Order of the White Lion First Class, the highest state honour, by President Havel, expressed her sadness over the destruction caused by the floods. Klaus Delivers Government Activity Report to Parliament Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus July 7 delivered a 90-minute report in Parliament about the first year of his Cabinet's work. He admitted that in a number of areas the government has not been able to fulfill its resolutions. He called unfinished privatization the most serious problem, as well as insufficient possibilties for enforcing responsibilities and obligations and an insufficient legal framework for the capital market. In order to overcome economic problems, the prime minister asked for the cooperation of all citizens and the opposition, and workers and unions, according to the daily Pravo. "We do not wish for a Czech Republic enveloped in political or social instability, which burdens others with its internal problems. We wish for the Czech Republic to be a democratic country which is not the prisoner of one ideology or another, and where a change of government does not mean a change of regime," said Klaus. Physicians Stop Taking Patients' Money Czech Physicians Chamber President Bohuslav Svoboda ordered doctors July 4 to stop taking money from patients and to return money taken from patients since July 1 (see Carolina 253). In response to the inability of doctors and insurers to agree on compensation for medical treatment, some doctors had begun July 1 collecting fees from patients for treatmeat, a first in Czech Republic history. According to an agreement reached July 8, doctors can work a maximum of 10 hours daily and the volume of care given cannot exceed by more than 8 per cent care given during the same period last year. Havel to Run for President Again President Vaclav Havel announced July 12 at Prague Castle that he intends to run for office again next year. The Czech Constitution limits a president to two terms, and a candidate for the office must be nominated by a minimum of 10 senators or deputies. Havel should enjoy the support of the governing coalition in his bid for re-election, while the neo-Fascist Republicans and the Communists are not likely to give their support to the incumbent. The daily MF DNES, the country's largest, printed a commentary calliong on Havel not to run, saying a statesman should know when to step down, although Havel already has proved he does not know when - he said in 1992 that if he could not preserve the unity of Czechoslovakia, he would consider it his personal failure, but, after abdicating in July 1992, a few months later he then ran for the presidency of the Czech Republic. The commentary added that the country has come a long way in recent years, and the time for fiery, revolutionary talk of truth and love has passed, today calling for a statesman more down to earth. ODS Distances Itself from Words of Senator and Prague 4 Mayor Klausner Zdenek Klausner, a senator for the Civic Democrtatic Party (ODS) and the mayor of Prague 4, sparked a wave of disturbance on the Czech political scene with his comments encouraging the expulsion of problematic Romanies (Gypsies) from Prague. The local newspaper Penguin (Tucnak) published an article under the headline Some Security Problems from the Perspective of a Mayor and Senator. "The security situation in Nusle (an area in Prague 4) is constantly burdening us. It is caused by the particulars of the region, in which the former regime attempted to assimilate the Romany minority. Some ruined apartments are proof that it was not successful," wrote Klausner, adding, "Good news for all citizens from this region would be information about a state building which had been sold into private hands and where the owner placed several numerous, problematic families into replacement apartments not just outside Nusle, but outisde of Prague. This approach might be an inspiration for other building owners around the Synek Brothers Square who inherited after 1989 problem tenants." ODS Parliamentary Club Chairman Jiri Honzajer called Klausner's words "unfortunate and unforgivable." The sharpest criticism came from another party member, Interior Minister Jan Ruml: "It is utterly appalling that he would publish such racist comments. I think it is scandalous." With the exception of the neo-Fascist Republicans, the other political parties also expressed outrage over the comments. "In decent society such a comment disqualifies a politican," said Daniel Kroupa of the Civic Democratic Alliance. Chamber of Deputies Strips Republican Krejsa of Immunity The lower house of the Czech Republic's Parliament July 10 stripped Josef Krejsa, a deputy representing the neo-Fascist Republicans, of his parliamentary immunity. Krejsa, editor in chief of the newspaper Republic, is suspected of publishing anti-Romnay (Gypsy) articles and spreading racial hatred. FROM SLOVAKIA Five Opposition Parties Form Coalition An agreement on pre-election and post-election cooperation was signed July 3 in Bratislava by five opposition parties represented in Slovakia's National Assembly: the Christian Democratic Movement (chaired by Jan Carnogursky, one-time Slovak premier), the Democratic Union (Eduard Kukan), the Democratic Party (Jan Langos, former Czechoslovak interior minister), the Social Democrats (Jaroslav Wolf) and the Green Party (Zdenka Tothova). Because the main goal of the coalition is to win parliamentary elections in 1998, the chairmen agreed to come up with a unified ballot. The latest polls indicate the coalition would receive the support of 40 per cent of the voting population. The coalition will not have an independent name, though its working label is the Slovak Coalition and the media has dubbed it the Rainbow Coalition, as it includes parties from the entire political spectrum. A leader of the coalition should be named in the fall. In brief: * Slovak president Michal Kovac considers the failure of Slovakia to be invited to join the first wave of NATO expansion to be a defeat for his country. * According to official sources, the floods in western Slovakia have not as yet caused any deaths. Damage to property is estimated at 500 million Slovak crowns. Fear of flooding has continued for several days on the lower reaches of the river Moravia, and the threatened population has been evacuated. Saturated soil south of Hodonin is threatening the stability of flood defences. The depth of the river Moravia has stabilized at around 5 metres. ECONOMY Travela, Third-Largest Travel Agency, Follows Oasis Tours into Oblivion Clients of Oasis Tours and Travela aer gradually returning from abroad, some through other travel agencies, while others, like those returning from Crete on a special government aircraft, will have to come up with another 6,200 crowns for airfare. Clients in Tunisia were taken home at the expense of the Tunisian government. The Guarantee Fund, of which Travela was a member, has given 6 million crowns toward the repatriation of Czech tourists. The Tunisian Director of Oasis Tours, Kais Hanafi, was arrested July 3 at Prague's Ruzyne Airport while trying to leave the country. His company is in liquidation. Travela finished doing business July 5 and cancelled its remaining tours. Travela has asked the Prague 1 Commercial Court to declare bankruptcy. Experts fear the bankruptcies of Oasis and Travela may bring a chain reaction from related travel agencies. Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from July 17) country currency ----------------------------------------- Australia 1 AUD 25.118 Belgium 100 BEF 92.168 Great Britain 1 GBP 57.234 Denmark 1 DKK 4.993 Finland 1 FIM 6.435 France 1 FRF 5.633 Ireland 1 IEP 51.324 Italy 1000 ITL 19.567 Japan 100 JPY 29.459 Canada 1 CAD 24.847 Luxemburg 100 LUF 92.168 Hungary 100 HUF 17.768 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.903 Norway 1 NOK 4.562 New Zealand 1 NZD 22.499 Poland 1 PLN 9.674 Portugal 100 PTE 18.844 Austria 1 ATS 2.706 Greece 100 GRD 12.120 Slovakia 100 SKK 99.672 Germany 1 DEM 19.035 Spain 100 ESP 22.577 Sweden 1 SEK 4.351 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.106 USA 1 USD 34.102 ECU 1 XEU 37.565 CULTURE Film Paradise in Carlsbad The International Film Festival in Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary), one of the oldest film festivals in the world, presented 250 movies from July 4-12. Celebrities attending the festival included Czech emigre director Milos Forman and Russian director Nikita Michalkov, American actors Christopher Walken and Steve Buscemi, while Czech President Vaclav Havel gave a speech at the close of the festival. Belgian director Alain Berliner was awarded a Crystal Globe, the main prize of the festival, for his film My Life in Red. The festival jury, chaired by American director Robert Wise, awarded Boleslav Polivka the best actor trophy for his role in the Czech film Forgotten Light and the best actress award was given to Lena Andre for the Swedish film Christmas Oratorio. The best director was France's Martine Dugowson for her Shadow Game. Spanish director David Trueba was given a Special Award by the jury. The Audience Award was shared by two films - Forgotten Light, directed by Vladimir Michalek, and the American comedy Private Parts. Forman was given an award for his extraordinary contribution to cinematography. Besides the contest, the 32nd occasion of the festival offered many sections of films, such as the Independent Forum, Different View, Documentaries, East of the West and several retrospectives of cult authors. Compared to last year, attendance increased. During the nine days 130,000 tickets were sold. Organizers are considering lengthening the festival in the future. Reaction to the festival was however often negative, as the overall quality of the films left festivalgoers disappointed, their aggravation often increased by organizational snafus. Rudolf II in Telc An exhibit opened July 5 in the All Saints' Chapel of the Telc Chateau presents the town of Telc during the rule of Rudolf II and widens the series of summer Rudolf exhibits taking place, besides Prague, also in chateaux in Nelahozeves, Brandys nad Labem and Benatky nad Jizerou. Until September 14 visitors to Telc will have the chance to learn more about the public and private lives of people during the Renaissance - the aristocratic and the bourgeois world are documented with typical items, period printings and writings, while neither fashion nor entertainment are left out. Foglar Celebrates 90th Birthday Scouts from Ledec nad Sazavou July 5 unveiled a three-ton granite memorial with a bronze relief of writer Jaroslav Foglar, on the occasion of his 90th birthday the next day. Among about 200 well-wishers, the author made an appearance and signed autographs. Foglar's first book appeared in 1934 and the last one, so far, was issued last year. The total number of books printed under his name exceeds 1 million - the best-known ones include The Fast Arrows, The Puzzle Mystery, The Boys from Beaver River and The Hut in Lake Hollow. In the last two years, Foglar has spent much time in Prague's Thomayer Hospital, where he has undergone various intestinal operations. However, the writer so popular among children has not been idle - he has started writing the fourth part of The Fast Arrow. SPORTS Wimbledon: Family Victory in Doubles, Novotna Bows to Hingis in Final Jana Novotna lost in the women's singles final at Wimbledon July 5 to world number one, 16-year-old Swiss citizen Martina Hingis, who is of Czechoslovak descent. Novotna is now ranked number two in the world. In doubles, siblings Cyril Suk and Helena Sukova took the mixed doubles title over Olchovsky and Neilandova, 4:6, 6:3, 6:4. Soccer: Matches Announced for Sparta, Brno and Jablonec According to a draw made July 9 in Geneva, Prague's AC Sparta Praha will square off August 13 and 27 against Austria's Casino Salzburg in the pre-tournament rounds of the Cup Winners' Cup. In the pre-tournament rounds of the UEFA Cup, Jablonec will face the Azerbaijan team Karabach Agdam, while Boby Brno will play Inkaras Kaunas of Lithuania. Both matches will take place July 23, with the return match date one week later. Soccer: Nemecek to Return to Sparta After five years abroad, reports indicate 30-year-old Czech team captain Vaclav Nemecek will return to Prague's AC Sparta Praha club. In 1992 Nemecek signed a contract with Toulouse and three years later signed with Geneva. Nemecek said he intends to go into Sparta management after his playing days. WEATHER Usually we dedicate these few last lines in a light tone to the weather. Unfortunately, his caprices have earned a place at the top of this issue. Dear Readers, Carolina is published in summer every second week. The next issue, however, will be released during the first week in August. Thank you for your understanding. This issue was written by Lida and Ondra Trunecka, Denisa Vitkova and Stepanka Hlupa, and was translated into English by Denisa Vitkova, Jan Majer, Cyril Simsa and Michael Bluhm. 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