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: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 291, Friday, May 29, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (May 20-27) IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC ODS-Freedom Union Tension Becoming Open Conflict Jan Ruml, chairman of the Freedom Union, verbally attacked May 24 former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, from whose Civic Democratic Party (ODS) the founders of the Freedom Union fled after revelations about illegal ODS financing. ODS Senator Vaclav Benda immediately denied Ruml's accusations that Benda was in charge of luring back Union members. The incident occurred as polls show ODS' preferences increasing to nearly 15 per cent, while Freedom Union support has decreased almost by half. Former Labor and Interior Minister Jindrich Vodicka, who left ODS for the Freedom Union and is now independent, wants to return to ODS, the Czech press reported. The Freedom Union called it an attempt to regain a position in a future government and accused ODS of promising positions for party membership. One deputy minister who rejected ODS' overtures confirmed the approach on Czech Television, while another, who had joined, said Benda had explained that "it's always good to belong somewhere." The conflict took place after ODS members said they would not leave their party for Freedom Union. Among them are Hana Marvanova and others, who authored a document criticizing Freedom Union party leadership for using the ODS' financial scandal as a chance to enhance their personal careers without acknowledging their responsibility for the problems. The Freedom Union calls their criticism the sour grapes of old politicians who were given poor positions on the new ODS ballot. Freedom Union Vice Chairman and sociologist Petr Mateju, who is one of the new faces on the political scene, asked deputy Milan Uhde to leave the party, because Uhde wrote communist poems in the 1950's, after the fall of Communism became chairman of Parliament from 1992-96 and said he would always go for Klaus' beers, then joined the Freedom Union and became its vice chairman, and now criticizes the party. Ruml rebuked Mateju, and said that his nerves must have frayed. Ruml then accused Vodicka of excessive alcohol consumption. After Vodicka criticized the Union's close ties with President Vaclav Havel and former Foreign Minister Josef Zielienec, Ruml said, "Was Mr. Vodicka sober when he said that? There are some times when he doesn't know what he's saying." Ondrej Drabek, Lida Truneckova/Andrea Snyder ODS Rising in Polls Sofres-Factum, a public opinion polling agency, released results May 26 showing the Social Democrats would win parliamentary elections with 26.3 per cent of the vote. According to the 1,973-person poll, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) would come in second with 14.8 per cent. Czech daily MF DNES reported ODS had gained 5 per cent in voter preferences over the past three months. The Retirees for Life Security are in third place with 10.8 per cent of the vote, and might join the Social Democrats in a coalition. The Communists follow with 8 per cent, the Freedom Union with 7.2 per cent, the neo-Fascist Republicans with 6.4 per cent and the Christian Democrats with 5.4 per cent. Gabriela Pecicova/Andrea Snyder Social Democrats Make Empty Gesture against Finance Minister Ivan Pilip An undermanned Parliament May 22 approved a proposal to ask Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky to propose the recall of the Freedom Union's Ivan Pilip, Finance Minister and National Property Fund presidium chairman, to President Vaclav Havel. Parliament approved the proposal during discussion on privatization and deregulation. The step was seen as mere posturing, with elections in three weeks, on June 19-20, and Tosovsky rejected the proposal May 27. Social Democrat deputy Stanislav Gross authored the proposal, said Libor Roucek, spokesman for the Czech Social Democrat Party (CSSD). Of the 130 deputies present, 68 voted for the proposal. Many of the 70 who were missing were at election rallies. Members of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), to which Pilip belonged before he helped found the Freedom Union last winter, supported the finance minister. "All of our deputies were against (the recall proposal). The proposal passed because many deputies from the former government coalition were absent, especially those from the Freedom Union," said leading ODS deputy Vlastimil Tlusty. Pilip called Parliament's decision a meaningless pre-election gesture. He said the step lessons confidence in the Czech Republic abroad. Investors may lose faith that economic transformation will continue after the elections, he said. Ajla Zinhasovic/Andrea Snyder Former Finance Minister Kocarnik Not to Be Investigated Parliament did not approve stripping former Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik of his parliamentary immunity after a City of Prague investigation team requested an investigation. Police evidence shows that Kocarnik broke the law when he signed a 4.1 billion crown state guarantee for the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna). Kocarnik will never be forced to appear in court over the issue. Kocarnik's party, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), was against stripping Kocarnik's immunity. The party said Kocarnik saved millions of depositors' savings and protected the state's property. Most Freedom Union deputies were against releasing Kocarnik. The Social Democrats, Communists and Christian Democrats pushed for the removal of his immunity. The neo-fascist Republicans did not vote on the measure. Ludvik Pospisil/Andrea Snyder Parliament Approves New Laws, Including Freedom of Information Act The Chamber of Deputies adopted amendments to the Inheritance, Donation and Property Sales Tax Act May 21. The amendments abolish paying inheritance taxes for direct descendants. Deputies also approved a Freedom of Information Act. According to the law, everyone has the right to request information from public and other offices which "deal with the rights and responsibilities of citizens and corporations," as long the information released does not violate regulations on personal data, intellectual property, confidential information or trade secrets. The law also requires certain institutions to publish annual reports about their activities. Deputies agreed on amendments to the Penal Code and the Bill of Rights which double the time of detention possible before charges are filed to 48 hours. According to amendments to the Banking Act, bank regulators will have the right to prevent banks' shareholders from exercising their shareholder rights if they acquired their shares without the approval of the Czech National Bank or if they are seriously endangering the bank's status. The Chamber of Deputies also raised compensation from insured deposits from 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the deposit. Deputies adopted a Protection of Classified Information Act which outlines how to deal with confidential information and is extremely important for the Czech Republic's integration into NATO. Ludvik Pospisil/Matej Cerny NEWS IN BRIEF * About 5,500 farmers demonstrated May 21 on Prague's Old Town Square, demanding a better standard of living, lower taxes and changes in the activities of the Market Regulation Fund, which provides subsidies. * The anti-drug operation Canal, launched in 1991 with the aim of paralyzing the Czech branch of the British-Turkish gang of heroin dealers, was successfully completed May 26. During the operation foreign and domestic investigators seized 470 kilos of heroin and arrested 12 people, including the leader of Czech organization. * Head of Czech Television's (CT) news department Ivan Kytka resigned May 20. CT's public-affairs programming and political news were, after the April 1 arrival of Kytka and new CT General Director Jakub Puchalsky, criticized "for a lack of creativity and the inability to compete with private TV channels," according to the Czech daily Pravo May 22. The new head of the news department is 31-year-old Zdenek Samal, who used to work as a CT's correspondent in Moscow. All three men graduated from Charles University's School of Journalism in Prague. Gabriela Pecic/Gabriela Pecic FROM SLOVAKIA New Election Act Weakens Opposition The Slovak government coalition pushed through a law nearly four months before the elections which forces all parties, even those in an election coalition, to gain at least 5 per cent of the vote in order for the coalition or the party to earn seats in the National Assembly. This law seriously curtails the chances of the united opposition block of the Slovak Democratic Coalition to win the elections. Of the five parties in the coalition, two of them realistically actually have the chance to pass the five-per-cent barrier: the Christian Democratic Movement and the Democratic Union. The Social Democrats, the Greens and the Democratic Party do not have the same prospects. According to analysts, the election favorite has again become the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. Ales Bartl/Ajla Zinhasovic Slovak Embassy in Vienna Occupied by Environmental Activists The reason for the protest by the environmental movement Global 2000 was the planned activation of the first reactor at the Mochovce nuclear power station May 23. Six of the activists who got inside the embassy building were arrested by police and taken into custody. While the Austrian side continues to protest against the launch of Mochovce, Slovak political representatives are in rare union - they say Mochovce must be activated. Ales Bartl/Ajla Zinhasovic After deadline: Slovak Premier Vladimir Meicar arrived in Moscow May 27 for a two-day visit, during which he was to meet with President Boris Yeltsin to discuss foremost Russian oil shipments to Slovakia, and also about a Slovak astronaut. ECONOMY IN BRIEF * Finance Minister Ivan Pilip said he blames Parliament's Chamber of Deputies for the budget deficit, which is estimated to be 4.5 billion crowns. Pilip said the deficit stems from the deputies' vote to raise health insurance payments by the state May 20. * The Czech crown strenghten to its annual maximum against German mark (18.1 CZK for a deutschmark) and American dollar (31.91 CZK for a dollar) May 22. * According to the Czech Statistics Office, the trade deficit increased from 8.6 billion crowns in March to 9.4 billion crowns for April. Experts explain the rise by the the strength of the crown. * The Czech beer Budweiser (Budvar) is the only Czech drink listed in the 120 most popular alcoholic drinks in Britain, compiled by Publican magazine. Budweiser ended up 82nd. * As many as 3,000 employees will leave the Chemapol holding company in the next 12 months. The company plans to merge its manufacturing holdings and to cut activities outside the chemical and engineering sectors. This is part of the recovery program Chemapol adopted because of financial problems resulting from bad investments. * Police charged Chairwoman of the Board of Skloexport Regina Razlova of embezzeling from the firm. Razlova, who used to be a popular actress, allegedly transfered 400 million crowns of Skloexport's money to her family's company. Razlova is now outside the Czech Republic. Ludvik Pospisil/Matej Cerny Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid May 29) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 20.739 Belgium 100 BEF 90.719 Great Britain 1 GBP 54.426 Denmark 1 DKK 4.913 ECU 1 XEU 36.872 Finland 1 FIM 6.157 France 1 FRF 5.581 Ireland 1 IEP 47.147 Italy 1000 ITL 18.984 Japan 100 JPY 24.196 Canada 1 CAD 22.925 Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.719 IMF 1 XDR 44.764 Hungary 100 HUF 15.475 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.601 Poland 1 PLN 9.488 Portugal 100 PTE 18.279 Austria 1 ATS 2.659 Greece 100 GRD 10.921 Germany 1 DEM 18.715 Slovakia 100 SKK 96.724 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.604 Spain 100 ESP 22.038 Sweden 1 SEK 4.268 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.612 USA 1 USD 33.345 CULTURE Fourth Book World Fair Held in Prague The fourth-annual book trade fair Book World '98, the most important and most extensive domestic exhibit for publishers, took place at Prague's Fairgrounds May 21-24. This year's festival hosted more than 650 publishers from 22 countries and, even though the size of the Czech fair cannot be compared to fairs in Warsaw or Leipzig, it holds a prestigious place on the international map of such feasts. During discussions and readings, visitors could meet authors like Israeli poet Yehuda Amichaie, American detective writer Ed McBain, former Norwegian teacher Jostein Gaarder, author of Sophie's World, and also with Czech writer living in Israel Viktor Fischl. The main theme of this year's fair was Israel and its literature, presented to readers because of the 50th anniversary of Israel's founding. Petr Bilek Jr./Sofia Karakeva Contemporary Japanese Cinematography Presented in Prague In order to bring viewers closer to contemporary Japanese culture a film festival called Japon.film@prague.cz took place in Prague. Festival organizers managed to bring to the Czech Republic 13 films, shown in the Lucerna theater May 21-24. "This event is unique because it offers Europe the best of Japan's new wave. In normal film distribution Japanese films do not appear, and it would be pity not to experience them," said to Carolina festival coordinator Jana Semeradova. Producer Masazuki Suo opened the festival and introduced his last film Shall We Dance? (Smim prosit?). This delicate comedy is the most successful Japanese film in years. Masao Kawano, chairman of the Tokyo's Sundance Film Festival, an Asian offshoot of the famous American independent film festival established in the mid-80's by actor and producer Robert Redford, also visited Prague. The golden years of Japanese cinematography are considered to be the 50's and 60's, represented by Akira Kurosawa and Ozi Mizoguchi. Film experts describe the following years as dark, but the 90's have brought a new generation of filmmakers focusing on pop-culture and technical innovations. So in films from the land of the rising sun we can see themes like alienation and trauma connected with life in a society subject to rapid technological advances. Petr Bilek Jr./Sofia Karakeva Chance for Unique Brno Cultural Center, If Money Found Vankovka, a turn-of-the-century complex of factory buildings a few steps from the Brno main train station, has been abandoned and in disrepair for years. It was, however, saved by local preservationists, who prevented its planned demolition. The case took a turn for the better last year when Vankovka fell into the city's custody. The Vankovka civic association, made up mainly of theater aficionados, was formed with goal of reconstructing the major parts of the complex and devote it to artists. With projected clubs, galeries, theaters, stores and practice areas, Vankovka could become one of the biggest centers of its kind in Central Europe. Vankovka hosted a theater and music festival last weekend, where the high quality and number of visitors surprised many. There were some problems, such as the only entrance via an auto dealership and no permanent bar, but the main problem is money - the whole reconstruction could reach 1 billion crowns. The city does not have the money and there are only a few sponsors. Brno, suffering from a lack of venues for young artists, could use Vankovka. Last weekend's festival showed there are good amateur theater troupes deserving of better conditions. Ales Bartl/Ivona Pulkrabkova SPORTS Czech Soccer Players Win Kirin Cup After a 1-0 win against Paraguay (goal by Smicer) and a 0-0 tie against Japan, the Czech soccer players won the Kirin Cup in Yokohama, Japan. They won the one-meter-tall trophy and a check for 100,000 USD. The match against Japan was not too dramatic, as the Japanese players chose a defensive style. About 70,000 people attended the game. The Czech Republic team then met South Korea, another team which will participate in the World Cup '98, and tied 2-2 (halftime 2-0, goals by Nemec, Lokvenc) in Seoul. National team captain Jiri Nemec scored his first goal for the national team, and it was the 100th goal for the independent Czech Republic's national team. Liberec Loses Battle for Nordic Skiing Championships The FIS international ski federation congress in Prague May 21 decided that the 2003 nordic skiing World Championships will take place in Val di Fiemme, Italy. The four-year struggle of the Czech cities Liberec and Jablonec and their SKI 2003 association came to naught. Czech Republic Dallies away Possibility of Winning Tennis World Cup Czech tennis players did not win a point in the World Cup final match against Germany in Dusseldorf. The injured Ctislav Dosedel lost to Haas 1-6, 4-6, while Petr Korda, sick with a cold, lost to Kiefer 5-7, 3-6. German captain Boris Becker, playing doubles with David Prinosil, then added a third point, defeating Cyril Suk and Daniel Vacek 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. After Deadline: Czech tennis player Petr Korda lost in the first round of the French Open to Argentinian Zabaleta 0-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6. Prague International Marathon Winner Comes from Kenya, Again The 4th Prague International Marathon drew 2,512 participated, one of the top Czech track and field events. Kenya's Elijah Lagat, who once ran the third-fastest marathon in history, won and broke the one-year-old record of John Kagwe, finishing in 2:08:52. The former official of the Kenyan Education Ministry, who began to run as a 26-year-old to lose weight, managed to speak with his opponents during the race. Elena Vinickaya from Belarus was the top female finisher. Pavel Kryska was the top Czech finisher, coming in 10th. About 28,000 people participated in the entire event, including the fun runs. Jan Ruml and Vaclav Klaus Went to Prcice - Separately Chairmen of the Freedom Union (US) and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) proved their abilities in the Prague-Prcice hike May 23. Jan Ruml (US) took part for the first time and went 22 kilometers, Vaclav Klaus (ODS) chose the most frequent route, 25 kilometers long. He handed out autographs to passersby, let them photograph him and spoke with journalists. It was the 33th year of the hike and about 10,000 people participated. Sports news by Ivona Pulkrabkova/Mirek Langer WEATHER Last week showed us mainly clouds, occasionally with showers and in the mountains even with snow. Nighttime temperatures were about 5 degrees Celsius/41 degrees Fahrenheit, while daytime temperatures topped out at 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun finally visited us at the beginning of the week and the temperature reached 24 degrees Celsius/65 degrees Fahrenheit by Wednesday's deadline. It looks like studying for exams will only get tougher. Gabriela Pecic/Ivona Pulkrabkova 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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