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 THE CZECH REPUBLIC Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 316, Friday, January 22, 1999. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 13 - January 20) Czech Republic Commemorates Death of Jan Palach The deed of Jan Palach, who burned himself alive 30 years ago to protest the Warsaw Pact invasion of August 1968 and the following period of normalization, was commemorated January 16 in his birthplace of Vsetaty in the Melnik region. The commemorative ceremony was attended by President Vaclav Havel and Senate Chairwoman Libuse Benesova. Havel unveiled a bust of Palach in the local grade school and gave a speech during the ceremony in the cemetery, joined by about 1,000 people. He branded Palach's deed a mirror raised for men of every era. "Today that mirror shows us our selfishness, opportunism and everything that was called creeping collaboration in Palach's times." Another commemorative ceremony took place on Prague's Wenceslas Square and Olsany Cemetery, where Palach was first buried. The Chamber of Deputies January 15 held a minute of silence to honor his memory. While a student of Charles University's College of Humanities (Filozoficka fakulta), Palach 30 years ago (January 16, 1969) doused himself in gasoline and set himself alight at the top of Wenceslas Square. He did not die on the spot and spent three days in the hospital before finally succumbing to the burns. He left a letter, where he demanded the abolition of censorship and a ban on the Soviet-occupation newspaper The News (Zpravy). Palach's funeral was the largest mass gathering in Czechoslovakia since the Warsaw Pact invasion five months before, Prague students began a hunger strike for the fulfillment of Palach's demands. Other self-immolations followed: student Jan Zajic in Prague and worker Emil Plocek in Jihlava. The secret police (StB) secretly exhumed Palach's remains in 1973 and he was re-interred in his native village of Vsetaty. In January 1989 on the 30th anniversary of Palach's deed, unprecedented anti-government demonstrations came together. Six demonstrations, each of thousands of people, were later named Palach's Week. Riot police used brutal force to suppress the protests, arrested dozens of people, including Havel, and at night dumped them at different places throughout central Bohemia. Nobody has been charged in connection with the repression, although it was more violent than in November 1989. Other commemorative ceremonies took place on the day of Palach's death - January 19. Havel, Prime Minister Milos Zeman and many others laid flowers at the statue of Saint Wenceslas on Wenceslas Square. Palach's university arranged a meeting of teachers and students. The Palach Prize, for the best master's thesis, was received by graduate of Romantic Studies Jana Gruberova. Czech Television broadcast a document from the series Our Czech Character (Ta nase povaha ceska) about Palach. The authors showed that many young people do not know who he was. Journalist Premysl Vachalovsky said Czechs like to forget their heroes and need symbols only in bad times. Sculptor Olbram Zoubek, who created Palach's death mask 30 years ago, said it is easier to perceive the world in gray and to belong to the gray average; Palach showed the border between light and dark and that is, for many Czechs, subconsciously unpleasant. Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec Parliament Approves Deficit Budget For the first time in the Czech Republic's history, Parliament deputies January 15 approved a deficit budget. The governing Social Democrats (CSSD, 74 seats in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies) managed to push through a budget deficit of 31 billion crowns with 114 votes, thanks to support from the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Communists (KSCM). The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Freedom Union (US) did not vote for the expenditures of 605.1 billion crowns and revenues of 574.1 billion crowns. The Social Democrats said they were very satisfied, especially with the Christian Democrats' cooperation. KDU-CSL acting Chairman Jan Kasal said he is already counting on his party's participation in preparing the state budget for 2000. Because of the common vote of the Christian Democrats, Communists and Social Democrats, the Freedom Union parliamentary club asked the party's National Committee to consider the party's withdrawal from the Four-Party Coalition with the Christian Democrats, the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and the Democratic Union (DEU), but the request was rejected. The Communists managed to pass amendments dedicating 350 million crowns for creating new jobs in the Ostrava-Karvina Mines (OKD) and 250 million crowns for developing northwestern Bohemia, which suffers the country's highest unemployment rate. The Christian Democrats managed to passed amendments dedicating funds for housing, transportation, environmental care and 100 million crowns for clients of the Morava Insurance Company affected by the 1997 floods. Forty million crowns were moved from the Office of the Government's budget to the Security Information Service (BIS). Deputies did not approve 150 million crowns for the plans of the Prague - European Culture Metropolis exhibit, or 290 million crowns for completing Prague's metro or the reduction of Senate expenses by 80 million crowns. Robin Rohrich/Sofia Karakeva After Vacation, Havel Meets with Klaus, Benesova and Zeman Czech President Vaclav Havel and Parliament Chairman Vaclav Klaus discussed common political problems during their meeting January 18. Both said they were pleased, though they admitted some of their opinions differ. The Czech daily Hospodarske noviny commented on the meeting with the headline Just a Polite Meeting. After the meeting, Klaus said that the most important thing for the Czech Republic is political stability and thus it is important to respect the political scene arising from the last elections and not to doubt the president's office. Havel spoke about the next presidential election. "...in four years my presidency will come to an end, I cannot run again, and so the road is open, and the sooner new candidates will be discussed the better. At least the election will not be improvised, will not be unsuccessful, will not be another embarrassment." He was reacting to speculation on Klaus' possible candidacy in 2002. One day later Havel met the remaining highest-ranking Constitutional officials. While the reason for the afternoon meeting with the Senate Chairwoman Libuse Benesova was described as the "informative and acquainting" one, the evening dinner with Prime Minister Milos Zeman and his wife at the newly reconstructed Kramar Villa, where the Zemans will reside, was a private affair. Pavel Novotny/Sofia Karakeva IN BRIEF * British Deputy Home Minister Mike O'Brien, who was on a two-day visit in the Czech Republic January 12-13, strongly criticized the situation of the Romany (Gypsy) minority. He described Romany conditions as unacceptable and pointed out that this problem may jeopardize Czech membership in the EU. * Parliament decided January 13 to establish an investigatory committee to deal with the suspicion that SPT Telecom's privatization involved the corruption of state officials (see Carolina 314, 315). It should be a 10-member committee, with two members from each party represented in Parliament: committee Chairman Dusan Tesnar and Jaromir Schling from the Social Democrats (CSSD), Jan Vidim and Tomas Teplik from the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Vaclav Exner and Dalibor Matulka from the Communists (KSCM), Cyril Svoboda and Vlasta Parkanova from the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and Marie Machata and Vladimir Mlynar from the Freedom Union (US). * Parliament January 14 rejected for the third time a change in the Election Act which would allow Czech citizens abroad to vote. Against the Freedom Union's (US) motion stood the Communists (KSCM), the Social Democrats (CSSD) and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) representatives. CSSD explained its standpoint by saying its minority government will change the act completely, so there is no reason to amend it. ODS said it is not against the change but would welcome a different form. * Parliament January 14 rejected during the first reading a Communist (KSCM) proposal to abolish the Screening Act. The law that forbids certain former high-ranking Communists from holding certain state offices will remain valid until 2000. * Almost 500 young people demonstrated January 16 in Prague's Old Town Square. With slogans like There Are More than a Small Amount of Us or Prevention, Not Repression, they stated their disagreement with the new anti-drug law, according to which the police can prosecute from January 1 anyone possessing "greater than small amount" of drugs. Pavel Novotny/Sofia Karakeva FROM SLOVAKIA Slovak National Assembly Decides on Direct Presidential Election The Slovak National Assembly January 14 adopted an amendment to the constitutional law on the election of the president, according to which the Slovak president shall be elected by a direct vote of the electorate and not by a voting of the legislature. Of 150 deputies, 108 voted, but the 93 deputies from government coalition parties voted for the amendment and the necessary two-thirds majority (90 votes) was reached. The vote demonstrated the unity of coalition parties, which was later praised by the Premier Mikolas Dzurinda as exemplary. The presidential election date has not been set, but it is said that the end of May or the beginning of June will probably be chosen. Slovakia is without a president since March, after Michal Kovac's term expired and the National Assembly was unable to agree on a successor. In the meantime some presidential powers were divided between the premier and and the Slovak National Assembly chairman. Direct presidential election was an important part of the election campaign of the government coalition. A presidential candidate must be older than 40 and his candidacy has to be proposed either by a petition signed by 15,000 Slovak citizens or by a proposal from at least 15 legislators. The amendment is more specific about the powers of the president. The right to dissolve the Assembly has been strengthened. The president can be recalled only by a public vote, which can be initiated by the Assembly if the motion is passed by 90 deputies (a two-thirds majority). Amnesty declared by the president must also be signed by the premier. The Czech daily Pravo published results of poll conducted by the Markant Agency. According to the poll, the best chance for election belongs to Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) Chairman and Kosice Mayor Rudolf Schuster, who was supported by 45 per cent of poll respondents. Kovac's candidacy has also been announced. According to the daily, a petition for the candidacy of actress and former Czechoslovak ambassador to Austria Magda Vasaryova has been started. Vasaryova is being very careful about her candidacy, but she did not say no. Another possible candidate is Jan Svec from the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK), but this would contradict the governing coalition's support promised to Schuster. Schuster is not very popular among members of SDK because of his Communist past. This problem will be discussed at the next coalition meeting. Lenka Ludvikova/Katerina Kolarova Meciar Violently Attacks Journalist From the first time after leaving public office, former Premier Vladimir Meciar appeared in public on the occasion of the funeral of former Minister Jan Ducky (see Carolina 315) at the Sport House in Bratislava January 15. Meciar attracted the attention of the media with his profane attack on the Czech station TV Prima's photographer Vladimir Misauer, who had been taking Meciar's picture. Other reports said Meciar also physically attacked the journalist. Lenka Ludvikova/Katerina Kolarova ECONOMY 1998 Budget Deficit Increased to 29.3 Billion Crowns Revenues of 537.4 billion crowns were not enough to cover state expenditures of 566.7 billion crowns in 1998, producing a final budget deficit of 29.3 billion crowns. The January 15 information from the Finance Ministry was published in the media one day later. According to the daily MF DNES, the state debt has reached about 11 per cent of the Czech gross domestic product. Lida Truneckova/Milan Smid And Then There Were Four: CSOB Suitors Advance to Final Round Banque National de Paris, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank and Belgium's KBC Bank were chosen as finalists for the purchase of the state's 66-per-cent share (worth an estimated 20 billion crowns to 25 billion crowns) in the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka). The selection was made January 19 by a committee comprised of representatives from the Finance Ministry, Czech National Bank and the National Property Fund. The sale should take place by the end of June, according to the daily Hospodarske noviny. The privatization process was begun by the government of former Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky, who has since returned to his chair as governor of the Czech National Bank, while the current government approved the list of suitors in November (see Carolina 309). Lida Truneckova/Milan Smid Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid January 22) ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 EUR = 36.040 CZK country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 19.846 Great Britain 1 GBP 51.246 Denmark 1 DKK 4.845 Japan 100 JPY 27.628 Canada 1 CAD 20.502 IMF 1 XDR 43.686 Hungary 100 HUF 14.404 Norway 1 NOK 4.182 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.797 Poland 1 PLN 8.790 Greece 100 GRD 11.172 Slovakia 100 SKK 84.227 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.113 Sweden 1 SEK 4.024 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.483 USA 1 USD 31.158 Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 18.427 Belgium 100 BEF 89.341 Finland 1 FIM 6.061 France 1 FRF 5.494 Ireland 1 IEP 45.761 Italy 1000 ITL 18.613 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.341 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.354 Portugal 100 PTE 17.977 Austria 1 ATS 2.619 Spain 100 ESP 21.660 CULTURE Europalia '98 a Partial Success Europalia '98, which presented Czech culture, said good-bye to its host city of Brussels after three months. Czech culture was presented through 160 projects. Musical and theater productions were a great success. The Czech pop group Laura and Her Tigers and Forman brothers' puppet theater Shack (Bouda) garnered great applause. On the other hand, the central exhibit Prague in the Metamorphosis of Styles was rather embarrassing, if only for the reason that Prague's Art Nouveau seems poor in comparison to Brussels. The Czech Republic was the first post-Communist country to be presented in Brussels. Europalia '99 will be devoted to Hungarian culture. Zuzana Janeckova/Zuzana Janeckova CULTURE IN BRIEF: * The exhibit of painter Jakub Schikaneder's work was extended. The curators of the exhibit acknowledged the response of the people standing in front of the exhibition hall every day. Schikaneder's exhibit is quite unique, Schikaneder didn't identify himself with any school, he remained a painter of Prague, light and the tragedy of human destiny. * Sir Tim Rice, the author of Evita's libretto, came to see Prague and Prague's version of Evita. It was splendid and different from other versions, and it sounds very good, said Rice in an interview with the daily Lidove noviny. * American punk group The Offspring, which brought out the album Americana last year, is coming back to Prague to play at the Krizik Pavilion. Zuzana Janeckova, Pavel Sladky/Zuzana Janeckova SPORTS Loprais Wins Rally to Dakar for the Fifth Time Karel Loprais, with Radomir Stachura and navigator Josef Kalina, his teammates from the Fisher Tatra Marathon Team, secured his fifth win in the Granada-Dakar Rally on the coast of Rose Lake near the capital city of Senegal. Three Czech motorcycle riders did not finish the rally. Vladimir Vorechovsky/Mirek Langer Australian Open: Czech Men Advance, among Women only Novotna Moves on This year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne is strangely inconsistent for Czech fans. Four of seven Czech men advanced to the third round (Petr Korda, Martin Damm, Jiri Novak and Bohdan Ulihrach). On the contrary, Czech women's tennis is represented in the third round only by Jana Novotna. Korda's doping case (see Carolina 314 and 315) is a story of its own. Although Korda is under great pressure from the media, he keeps winning. The reigning champion defeated Spain's Galo Blanco in the first round after a five-set battle. Vladimir Vorechovsky/Mirek Langer Hockey Extraleague: 27,000 Fans Watch Three Games in Pardubice The ice-hockey Staropramen Extraleague continued with three rounds during last week. The teams' struggle to fit in first eight places in the standings, which will earn them berths in the playoffs, has suddenly becomes the main topic. Pardubice played beautiful hockey. The schedule prepared them three games on its own ice and the players prepared great experiences for three sell-outs (each game was visited by some 9,000 spectators). Pardubice defeated Zlin and tied Sparta and Trinec. Opava's fans did not enjoy too much hockey as 12 Opava players fell ill with the flu. Two games (against Kladno and Jihlava) were postponed. Exhausted from illness, Opava then lost on Slavia's ice. The Prague team improved its position after a debacle in Litvinov, where it lost 10-1. The game between two top Moravian teams, Vsetin and Zlin, was the most exciting game of the 36th round. Zlin proved again it can play very well in Vsetin. Karlovy Vary's winless streak reached nine games. Results of the 34th round: Vsetin - Litvinov 5-0, Vitkovice - Ceske Budejovice 5-2, Kladno - Sparta Prague 3-3, Karlovy Vary - Trinec 0-3, Slavia Prague - Plzen 3-4, Pardubice - Zlin 8-5, Opava - Jihlava postponed. Results of the 35th round: Zlin - Jihlava 7-1, Trinec - Kladno 7-3, Pardubice - Sparta Prague 3-3, Plzen - Vitkovice 3-6, Ceske Budejovice - Karlovy Vary 6-4, Litvinov - Slavia Prague 10-1, Opava - Vsetin postponed. Results of the 36th round: Vsetin - Zlin 1-3, Karlovy Vary - Kladno 1-5, Ceske Budejovice - Plzen 6-4, Slavia Prague - Opava 6-2, Vitkovice - Litvinov 3-1, Jihlava - Sparta Prague 2-5, Pardubice - Trinec 1-1. Standings: 1. Vsetin 50, 2. Zlin 49, 3. Trinec 48, 4. Sparta Prague 43, 5. Plzen 38, 6. Ceske Budejovice 37, 7. Slavia Prague 35, 8. Vitkovice 35, 9. Pardubice 34, 10. Litvinov 32, 11. Karlovy Vary 30, 12. Opava 27, 13. Kladno 26, 14. Jihlava 16. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Alexander Rezes, AC Sparta Prague soccer club owner, sold key player Martin Cizek for 1.2 million deutschmarks (21.6 million crowns). The transfer of the national team member to Munich 1860, the German league's fourth-place team, was made by Rezes without the knowledge of Sparta management. * Goalkeeper Tomas Vokoun, a 22-year-old rookie on the NHL club in Nashville, overshadowed the weekend performances of his compatriot Dominik Hasek, as he recorded his first career shutout. * Katerina Neumannova won both classic and freestyle events in the Czech Republic Championships in Nove Mesto na Morave, while the men have two champions: Vaclav Korunka (classics) and Martin Koukal (freestyle). Robin Rohrich/Mirek Langer WEATHER Winter presented us its warm and cold faces. This week temperatures fluctuated around the freezing point as if they were on a swing. However, the maximum highs did not far exceed 5 degrees Celsius/41 degrees Fahrenheit, and the maximum lows did not reach minus 5 degrees Celsius/22 degrees Fahrenheit. A holiday in the mountains could be recommended. Despite some local temporary thawing, snow has been plentiful throughout the mountains, and the pollution inversion brought the sun above the clouds. On the other hand, foggy, chilly and raw weather has made a life in the city unpleasant. Jirka Wazik English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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