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 294, Friday, June 19, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (June 10 - 17) Campaign Ends, Social Democrats Still in Lead The campaign for the June 19-20 early Parliament elections officially ended June 17 at 2 p.m.. According to the last voter-preference poll taken by the STEM agency, released by TV NOVA June 12, the strongest opposition party, the Czech Social Democrat Party (CSSD), should win the elections with 23.2 per cent of the vote. Second place should belong to former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus' Civic Democratic Party (ODS) with 20.7 per cent and in third place is the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) with 10.3 per cent. Next is the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) with 8.8 per cent and the Freedom Union (US) with 8.4 per cent. Other parties that have a change to get into the Parliament are the Retirees for Life Security (DZJ) with 7 per cent and the neo-Fascist Association for the Republic-Republican Party of Czechoslovakia (SPR-RSC) with 5.1 per cent. In the last days of the campaign, which experts said was not very well done (because of the lack of themes, ideas and the predominance of personal affairs), some strange and unpleasant events took place. ODS Chairman Klaus was the target of an egg during a June 12 rally in Prague-Modrany. On Radio Alfa Klaus later blamed Social Democrat Chairman Milos Zeman as being indirectly responsible for the incident. "The Social Democrats ... talk about a scorched and tunneled country and that is a perfect underpinning so that here in this country things like today's will happen," said Klaus. Singer Marta Kubisova got into a controversy over her song A Prayer for Marta (Modlitba pro Martu), which became a symbol of defiance after the Soviet army occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, was being used in commercials for the Democratic Union (DEU), which Kubisova supports. Lyricist Petr Rada and composer Jindrich Brabec turned to the Author's Protection Union (OSA) with a complaint that the song was being used without their permission. The Prague City Court ordered the spot to be pulled, and June 15 Czech Radio discontinued its use. Czech Television did not receive the court's decision in time and broadcast the spot also on the last day of the campaign. Nora Novakova/Sofia Karakeva Havel: Return of Communism Not a Threat President Vaclav Havel gave an exclusive interview to Czech Television June 13 and also appeared on the private TV NOVA June 16. In his last public statements before the early elections this weekend, Havel urged citizens to vote. He also said this election is not a question of right or left, but of the future direction of the country. "It is being decided whether we are going to be a cultured, civilized European democracy or a state of isolationists, of neutral, selfish, small-town and strangely bitter people, who are blown about by reciprocal jealousies and hatreds," is how Havel described the central theme of the election for TV NOVA. Havel said to Czech Television that he does not fear the return of Communism. Havel complimented the government of Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky, and said it improved the political culture of the country and found the courage to take certain reform steps not taken by the government of former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus. Havel indirectly criticized Klaus on Czech Television, saying the previous government had lacked "a move toward the goal and a spark in its eye." Havel said he sees hope for the Czech Republic in the changing of the political garniture. "I dream of a government with a vision, of a government of younger people and a government which thinks in the long term ... and which does what politics should - serve the public. "It seems to me that our best prospects are in some natural, non-violent velvet exchange of generations," said Havel. As examples of the younger generation Havel mentioned Minister Vladimir Mlynar (Freedom Union), Interior Minister Cyril Svoboda (Christian Democrat), Defense Minister Michal Lobkowicz (Freedom Union), Environment Minister Martin Bursik (running for office on the Christian Democrats' ballot) and Social Democrat parliamentary club Chairman Stanislav Gross. Havel did not avoid the subject of his own abdication, saying he is not planning such a step. "I can imagine abdicating, if my battles with death, illness and operation continue ceaselessly and over and over again," said Havel. Ondrej Drabek/Michael Bluhm The Senate House Refuses the Bill for Right to Information The Senate June 11 refused the proposed Freedom of Information Act. The upper house of Parliament returned the bill to the Chamber of Deputies with changes. The bill was to change the ongoing situation where many public servants refuse to provide information to citizens. Thirty-three members of the Senate were in favor of the bill, two shy of a majority in the one-third empty Senate. The bill was opposed by almost all the Christian Democrat senators and most of the Social Democrat and Civic Democratic Party senators. According to Christian Democrat Senator Stodulka, there is no need for a law to ensure access to information. "Giving information is more decency than an obligation, and no law will legislate decency," said Stodulka in Czech daily Lidove Noviny June 12. Minister Vladimir Mlynar (Freedom Union), who initiated the proposal, called the Senate's decision a very unfortunate step. Mlynar said he will propose the law to the new Parliament formed after the weekend's elections. Michal Cerny/Sofia Karakeva Black Passenger in MiG? The cause of the crash of two Mig-21s into the Vltava residential neighborhood in Ceske Budejovice was discussed in an emergency meeting of Army pilots June 15, after which Chief of the General Staff Jiri Sedivy confirmed that a technician, who was not supposed to be in the plane, was riding in the cockpit of the plane that crashed into the other MiG. Sedivy said the stowaway had nothing to do with the cause of the accident. There were no casualties or serious injuries as a result of the accident (see Carolina 293). Tomas Mls/Sofia Karakeva NEWS IN BRIEF * A memorial ceremony took place in Lidice June 13 to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the burning of the village. The memorial was attended by Administrative Board Chairwoman of the Czech-German Fund of the Future Dagmar Buresova and Culture Minister Martin Stropnicky. Lidice was wiped of the face of the earth by the Nazis in retaliation for the assassination of Protectorate leader Reinhard Heydrich by the Czechoslovak resistance. * First lady Dagmar Havlova's daughter from her earlier marriage, Nina Novakova, married Israeli musician Shalev Ad-El June 14 at the Lany Chateau. * TV NOVA June 12 apologized to former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and his wife Livia for a false report from November 1997, in which news of Klaus owning a villa in Switzerland was based only on an unverified statement by a former Police Director for Northern Moravia Jiri Sprusil. * Fehim Hanusa and his son shot a 23-year-old policeman near Pilsen (Plzen) June 13. The two, Yugoslavian citizens permanently living in the Czech Republic, pulled a gun on people who wanted to make a phone call from a pay phone on a street in Pilsen. The policemen, after arriving on the scene, asked them for their papers, but, instead of documentation, a car chase with a tragic end occurred. According to the Police Presidium, this was the 26th death of a policeman in the line of duty since January 1992. * Before the dawn of June 10 several kilograms of chloral hydrate escaped from the Farmak chemical factory in Olomouc, according to a company spokesperson. The accident was caused by a breach in production procedure. Two years ago a large amount of concentrated sulphuric acid escaped from Farmak, and two people died of the consequences. * The National Anti-Drug Headquarters June 11 arrested one of the leaders of a gang engaged in smuggling cocaine from Brazil to Germany. Some 4,000 doses of cocaine were found in a room at a boarding house in Prague 3 where the 42-year-old German J.G. was staying. The international operation, in cooperation with the German police, had been planned for six months. Pavel Turek/Denisa Vitkova ECONOMY Budget Deficit Might Reach 20 Billion Crowns This Year Finance Minister Ivan Pilip admitted June 12 that this year's state budget deficit could reach 20 billion crowns. According to Finance Ministry information, the deficit had reached almost 7 billion crowns by the end of May. In addition, the state treasury will have to reimburse the 10-billion-crown loss of the Consolidation Bank (Konsolidacni banka) this year. Tomas Mls/Denisa Vitkova Skoda Sells Can Factory Skoda Pilsen (Plzen) General Director Lubomir Soudek continued the company's financial recovery by selling one of its worst investments, a factory producing tin cans for drinks. The buyer is a German company, Schmalbach-Lubeca, which controls approximately 30 per cent of the market. According to unofficial information, Skoda will get less than 800 million crowns for the factory, less than Skoda paid for it to be built two years ago. Tomas Mls/Denisa Vitkova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 19) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 20.305 Belgium 100 BEF 90.318 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.529 Denmark 1 DKK 4.894 ECU 1 XEU 36.848 Finland 1 FIM 6.129 France 1 FRF 5.559 Ireland 1 IEP 46.957 Italy 1000 ITL 18.909 Japan 100 JPY 24.258 Canada 1 CAD 22.713 Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.318 IMF 1 XDR 44.245 Hungary 100 HUF 15.392 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.533 Norway 1 NOK 4.406 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.300 Poland 1 PLN 9.646 Portugal 100 PTE 18.196 Austria 1 ATS 2.648 Greece 100 GRD 10.971 Germany 1 DEM 18.630 Slovakia 100 SKK 95.158 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.778 Spain 100 ESP 21.958 Sweden 1 SEK 4.222 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.301 USA 1 USD 33.246 CULTURE Jam in the Jar The third JAM music festival took place at the Jar (Dzban) summer camp on the edge of Prague June 13. Eight differently styled bands, ranging from the classic rock of Ivan Kral to the Finnish string quartet Apocalyptica playing the repertoire of Metallica and Sepultura, performed at the main outdoor stage. Senser, which had played in the capital a month ago, returned with its mixture of metal and electronics. The purest reggae was presented by Jamaician Bim Sherman. The trip-pop songs of British trio Morcheeba, which has released the albums Who Can You Trust? and Big Calm, was in tune with the setting sun. Icelandic singer Bjork was the headline act and the sophisticated peak of the festival. She performed in Prague for the second time, this time dressed like a ballerina and accompanied by a small string orchestra incorporated in her magical sound chemistry. Her performance culled material from all three of her solo albums: Debut, Post and Homogenic. The festival's second stage was situated in a circus tent, which saw performances by the Czech band Bullerbyne, inspired by the repertoire of the Underworld, the Slovak hip-hop duo Trosky from Zlate Moravce, and Supercharger, which returned to the Czech Republic and is to perform at the Summer of Love festival June 27 in the Svojsice summer camp near the eastern Bohemian town of Pardubice. Pavel Turek/Milan Smid Twilight of Memory in Belvedere Jiri Beranek, a member of the 12/15 Free Association, is exhibiting his work in the Summer Castle of Queen Anne, the Belvedere, (Belveder, Letohradek kralovny Anny) until July 7. His installation composed of blocks of sod, old roots and hay, which visitors can also see from the inside, are situated in the Renaissance halls of the summer chateau. The effects of the installed works are not restriced to visual perception, the work also attacks the sense of smell and reminds visitors that turf is an ancient material closely connected with the history of mankind. Tomas Mls/Milan Smid Director Evzen Sokolovsky Dies Theater and television director Evzen Sokolovsky, 73, died in Prague June 14. Sokolovsky worked in theaters in Jihlava and Brno, and in Prague served in the National Theater and in the E. F. Burian Theater. In the 60's he directed many Czech dramas, written by contemporary playwrights like Milan Uhde, Ludvik Kundera and Jan Grossman. During the post-Soviet-occupation normalization period of the early 70's, he left the theater to work for television. He directed several television miniseries by Jaroslav Dietl, including The Youngest of the Hamr Family (Nejmladsi z rodiny Hamru), The Man in the Town Hall (Muz na radnici), The Engineers' Odyssey (Inzenyrska odysea), and County in the North (Okres na severu). In the 90's Sokolovsky returned to theater work. Tomas Mls/Milan Smid SPORT Coach Ivan Hlinka to Continue Coaching National Team Ivan Hlinka accepted the offer of the Czech Ice Hockey Union to extend his contract to coach the national team for another two years. Union President Karel Gut introduced Hlinka June 10 as head coach, saying that Hlinka will choose his assistant. Hlinka wants Slavomir Lener, but Lener is now considering an offer from the NHL's Florida Panthers. He has to decide before June 21, when the new duo of assistants will be named. Hlinka and Lener came to the national team shortly before the 1997 World Championships, after the resignation of Ludek Bukac. They led the team to the Olympic gold in Nagano and two bronzes in the World Championships in 1997 and 1998. Michal Cerny/Mirek Langer Jiri Zidek Organizes Basketball Training Camp in Prague The lone Czech basketball player in the NBA, Jiri Zidek, organized a training camp for young talents from Prague's sport schools in the Prague-Vinohrady gymnasium. The program also included an exhibition match and an auction of basketball souvenirs Zidek collected in America from NBA stars, like balls, jerseys and also shoes from players like Shawn Kemp and Shaquille O'Neal. Money from the auction will go to the HAIMA Foundation, which takes care of children with blood disorders. David Kozohorsky/Mirek Langer P.S. The sports news are very brief today because all sports news, with the exception of the United States, are playing second fiddle to soccer's World Cup. The Czech Republic did not advance from its qualification group, staying behind Spain and Yugoslavia. Referee Evzen Amler is then the lone Czech representative in France. Soccer fans can enjoy the tournament thanks to public broadcaster Czech Television. Michal Cerny/Mirek Langer WEATHER Last week's weather was rich in storms, rains and showers. The Czech highlands even experienced the shock of snow last weekend. In Ostrava the rain was so violent that a state of flood emergency was declared. Fortunately, in vain. It looks like the weather has been rehearsing its performance for the election days of June 19-20, to make people to go to the ballot-box and not escape to their summer cottages in the countryside. Making weather forecasts for the coming days is a risky proposition, just like making election forecasts. Whether negotiations on the new government will be accompanied by mild climate or by stormy and violent atmosphere will be decided by the Czech electorate.... and by the weather? Nora Novakova/Milan Smid 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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