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Carolina (English) No 076
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
School of Social Sciences of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs
Fax: (+422) 231 7391
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C A R O L I N A No 76, Monday, May 24, 1993.
FROM LAST WEEK EVENTS (May 12-19)
Government Decision on Shares Issue
Shares from the first wave of coupon privatization will be issued
to Czech as well as Slovak shareholders, decided Czech government at its
session on May 12. According to Premier Klaus, "overwhelming majority"
of the cabinet voted for this decision. The Czech Republic will not
demand any compensation from the Slovak Republic for having issued the
securities to Slovak holders of the investition coupons. According to
Czech Premier, recent stoppage to the shares decided upon by the
government on March 17, did help to property negotiations, but today the
positive role of the measure evaporated. The shares will be issued as of
May 24 till the end of June 1993.
Varied opinions on shares issue
Slovak daily Narodna obroda published the day after the Czech
government decision about the shares issue to Slovaks, quotations of
Czech politicians, such as:
Czech Minister of Finance Ivan Kocarnik, before the cabinet
vote:"I personally agree with the issue of shares to Slovakia. But
I want it to be conditioned on keeping to agreements as settled between
premiers Klaus and Meciar."
Czech Minister for Privatization Jiri Skalicky, also before the
vote:
"I remained in my position of a practical skeptic... I prefer the
interest of the Czech state, therefore we cannot make any steps which
would deprive us of such a weapon as the shares is. Issuing the gold
would also be a fault."
Minister of Education Petr Pitha and Minister of the Environment
Frantisek Benda (both Christian Democratic Party) got according to daily
Narodna Obroda a strict order from their secretariat to vote against
issuing the shares to Slovak investors.
Czech daily Rude Pravo quotes in its Thursday issue Slovak Minister
of Finance Julius Toth, according to whom the shares issue to Czech
companies is one of the results from Friday's negotiations of the
Czech-Slovak property commission, and it is another precondition for
succesfull negotiations.
Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic for the
opposition Christian Democratic Movement, Mikolas Dzurinda said,
according to Rude Pravo, that the helpful attitude of the Czech
government deprived Slovak Premier Meciar of one of the weapons he could
use in future.
Czech Minister on Meciar's Statement on Contingent Gas Supply Stoppage
for the Czech Republic
"Czechs should not forget that all the energy they get comes
through Slovakia. If there was a break-down in gas supply, they would
not keep up more than 10 days," said Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar in
an interview for Der Spiegel weekly, as quoted in Tuesday's Czech press.
Czech Minister of Finance, Josef Zieleniec said on the same day in
TV programme Events, Commentaries that the Czech Republic could react to
Meciars's statements in usual diplomatic ways. He said that such a tone
should not sound in Czech-Slovak relations because it escalates mutual
discussion.
He said he was informed that Meciars's statement are not acceptable
abroad either.
World Believers Pilgrimage
On May 15 the catholic church celebrated 600th anniversary of
martyr death of Jan Nepomucky. Celebrations attendant on the anniversary
began with unveiling a statue of Jan Nepomucky on the square in west
Bohemian town Nepomuk which is these days the goal of pilgriming
believers from all the world.
The biggest event of the celebrations - mass celebrated for apr.
20 thousand believers on a meadow near Nepomuk by Pope legate,
archbishop from Koln above Rheine, cardinal Joachim Meisner, was
attended by Czech Prezident Vaclav Havel. Having a speech later, Havel
talked about the significance of St.Jan as a martyr for the truth and
fidelity, and about his legend. "The best would be not to have any more
martyrs for the truth in future," he said at the end. Celebration
followed in Prague at Charles bridge where a new copy of the statue of
St. Jan Nepomucky was established, then at St.Vitus Cathedral, and
several churches in Prague.
The myths about the catholic martyr from the 14th centry, St. Jan
Nepomucky alias Johanek from Pomuk say that this priest of Czech king
Vaclav IV rejected to give out the secret of king's wife, and therefore
was punished and thrown from Charles bridge.
New Mayor in Prague
The third Prague mayor of this election period was on May 13
elected 42 years old physicist RNDr. Jan Koukal, a member of city board
of representatives for Civic Democratic Party. His predecessor Milan
Kondr was removed on April 30.
Minister Zieleniec about Yugoslavia
The conception of Czech foreign policy, definition of new Europe
and its borders, and relations to European Communities were the main
points Minister of Foreign Affaires Josef Zieleniec talked about on May
18 at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Students were particularly
interested in the opinion of the members of the government about the
conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The minister said:
"This problem devides all states and nations. This is an encounter of
three cultures concentrated in one point. Each community is backed by
a metropolis of these cultures. This is a classical scheme which, as we
have already seen, can set the world on fire. When valuing this
conflict, we should use words which are in proportion to what we really
want to do as a state, and what we can do as a republic. It suprises me
how little representatives of intelligentsia talk about the war
participance of individual national minorities in the former Yugoslavia.
All around Europe people from universities and intelligentsia are
defending some attitudes, and we have but some commentaries which
appeared in our press. It is hard to expect a deep opinion from people
when intelectuals do not discuss such a difficult problem."
Railway strike
On Wednesday, May 19 from 5 till 6 six o'clock, 119 stations in
Bohemia participated in an alarm strike called by some basic
organizations of Railway Trades for wages increase. The management of
Czech Railways as well as Minister of Transport Jan Strasky declared
this strike as illegal. Member of the Railway Trades Jaromir Dusek
declined these statements. He said that Minister of Transport Jan
Strasky who is also in the management of the Czech railways had
acknowledged trades' demands.
A group for human rights at Czech Committee of Helsinki Civic Assembly,
Czech section of International Community for human rights, Sudan
organization for human rights, and Union of Sudan students in the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic put court decision in doubt
Sentence for one year in the first reformatory group, fine of 6750
Kc and a punishment of expelling from the Czech Republic was put by
Regional Court for Prague 1 on Sudan student Mohamed Hamed Mohamed
Elamin charged with an attack on a public body, and with a bodily harm.
We informe about the sentence pronounced on April 30 since we were
presented an opinion of the Czech group for human rights at Helsinki
Civic Assembly doubting the court verdict.
26-year old Mohamed Elamin, 4th year student of architecture in
Prague, had an ordinary residence permit and had not been charged with
any crime. He was supposed to commit the attack on a public body on
January 21 right after midnight in a conflict with non-uniformed cops in
the centre of Prague. When peacefully walking with his three Sudan
friends, the accused rejected to show his identity card to a group of
cops who were escorting a reporter and photographer from daily Expres.
The Sudan student defended himself saying that he had not trusted the
group of civilians and had been willing to show the identity card only
to an uniformed cop. At the corner of the Wencelas Square and Na
Prikopech street he wanted to go to a taxi stop where a group of
uniformed cops was standing. One of the cops in civil cloths tried to
prevent him from it, and there happened a physical encounter between the
four Sudan students and a group of apr. twelve cops.
The organizations mentioned in the head are pointing out a rising
racial and ethnical tension in the society. Moreover, they say, there
were a lot of racial attacks in the centre of Prague, and strangers,
mainly with dark complexion, have a reason to feel endangered. If the
accused defended himself saying he had had doubts about the identity of
the cops in civil cloths, than such an argument cannot be ommited. Since
the students did not give any reason for suspection of any crime, were
not disorderly, and the only reason for them being checked was their
complexion (as the cops admitted themselves at the court), the above
mentioned organizations consider the qualification of a crime as
unproved, and the sentence inappropriate. They also say that the
conflict might have been stirred due to the photographer and the
reporter who might have contributed to the tension. The also emphasize
a human side of the case when the father of the accused student came to
Prague to help him, and died here of heart-attack after vain attempts to
get his son out for bail. His son was not allowed to participate at his
father's funeral in Prague.
The sentence and mainly the expelling from the country unables
Mohamed Hamid to finish his education in the Czech Republic.
The organizations appeal to offices and the public, and demand that
the case be re-investigated, and given proper attention.
CULTURAL SERVICE
Prague Spring Began
On May 12 the 48th year of the international music festival Prague
Spring was opened. The festival started in the Carolinum Hall with
a composition by J.S. Bach and N. Paganini performed by American
violinist Marek Kaplan. In the evening a cycle of symphonic poems by
Bedrich Smetana - My Country was played in Smetana's hall by Liverpool
Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Libor Pesek. In the history of this
music festival, this was the first time that My Country was performed by
a foreign interpreter.
One of the expected tops of these music celebrations was the
performance of Liverpool Oratorium by Paul McCartney in the St. Vitus
Cathedral. The author did not come personally.
Marie Rosulkova died
Czech actress Marie Rosulkova died on Saturday at the age of 92
years in a Hospital for long-time patients in Prague-Motol.
Marie Rosukova was born on December 17, 1901 in Pilsen. She played
in theatres in Pilsen, Ceske Budejovice, in the theatre of Vlasta
Burian, in Prague Theatre na Vinohradech, and till 1982 she was a member
of City Prague Theatres. Viewers could see her in films for example in
Karosin Lamps or in a series Such a normal family.
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN
buy sell
USA 1USD 27.90 29.30
BRD 1DEM 17.36 18.28
GB 1GBP 42.69 45.53
CAN 1CAD 21.53 23.31
FRA 1FRF 5.08 5.48
AUT 1ATS 2.47 2.59
TURIST RATE OF SLOVAK CROWN (for 100 Sk)
buy sell
Komercni banka 83.00 87.00
Investicni banka 89.00 94.00
Ceska sporitelna 86.00 91.00
Agrobanka 88.00 93.00
The rates are valid as of May 18, 1993.
SPORT
Bicycle Course de la Paix
The 46th year of bicycle competition Course da la Paix Bohemia
Crystal finished on Sunday with the ninth stage. The popular Peace
Competition was not only renamed but for the first time led only on the
territory of the Czech Republic when Germany and Poland declined their
co-organization due to financial reasons. After excellent performances,
the first four places were taken by Czech competitors Bilek, Trkal,
Padrnos, and Tesar.
27th round of Football league
All three candidates for the title won. Sparta Praha (42 pts) beat
Vitkovice 2:0, Slavia Praha (40 pts) beat Bohemians Praha 3:1, and
Slovan Bratislava (39 pts) beat Trnava 4:1. The fight for the title
remains unresolved. Dukla Praha (15 pts) won at the turf of Nitra 1:0,
but remains the last.
WEATHER
Last week it was clear, sunny and without rains again. Nightly as
well as daily temperatures hovered in agreeable rates from 7 till 12 and
20 till 25 degrees Centigrade respectively. The ozone-layer above the
Czech Republic is thinner by 10-12 percent as against the long-term
normal state.
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