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Carolina (English) No 102
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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.cz
Fax: (+422) 24810987
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C A R O L I N A No 102, Monday, January 24, 1994.
NEWS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 12-19.)
Pavel Tigrid Named Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture Jindrich Kabat resigned January 17, after
criticism of his work by newspapers as well as culture officials
and art circles. Kabat justified his resignation by the situation
in the governing coalition, claiming that during the last year
cooperation within the coalition was replaced by tension.
Pvel Tigrid was proposed by Christian Democrtic Union-Czech
People's Party (KDU-CSL), which according to coalition agreements
has the right to name the minister of culture. Party Chairman
Josef Lux said the party respects Tigrid's party independence.
Tigrid was installed in office January 19 by President Vaclav
Havel. Tigrid, a journalist and author, was one of the main
representatives of the Czech exile. He first emigrated in 1939 to
Great Britain, where he worked for the BBC during World War II.
In 1949, he moved to West Germany to become program director of
Radio Free Europe. He lived in the United States from 1952 to
1960. Tigrid is a founder of "Evidence" magazine. After November
1989, Tigrid became a member of the Board of the Consulatnts to
Vaclav Havel.
Tigrid, who is 76, said that his activity as a Minister of
Culturee will be time-limited (he is 76 years old) but not
provisorious.
Agreement Reached by Ministers of Interior
Ministers of Interior of the Czech and Slovak republics, Jan
Ruml and Jozef Tuchyna, agreed on recomendations to their
goverments for the solution to three out of the four
controversial parts of the Czech and Slovak border. The agreement
was made in the Slovak spa town of Piestany on Jan. 14.
The fourth area, the Kasarna tourist resort, will be
discussed by the countries' prime ministers. Both sides agreed
that the solution reached by the governments will be binding on
citizens.
Ministers said they would recommend granting the petition of
residents of the Slovak village Sidonie to be annexed to the
Czech Republic, and of the residents of the Czech village
U Sabotu to become a part of Slovakia.
Slovakia should get the Vrbovce railway station and U Sabotu
village as compensation for 123 hectars of land Czech Republic
acquired after the regulation of Morava River, which creates the
natural border between both states, the ministers said..
Jewish Property Restitution Law Passed by the Czech Goverment
The Czech goverment has voted in favor of a bill proposed in
parliament concerning restitution of Jewish property seized
during World War II.
Under the bill, original owners should get back all property
now owned by the state. Of property now owned by municipalities,
former owners should get byck only synagogues, houses of prayer
and cemeteries.
According to Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, the goverment
recommended a preamble to the law that would clearly point out
the exceptionality of this law to prevent people from viewing it
as a precedent.
Current resitution laws cover seizures only after February,
1948, which excludes Jews who lost property during the Nazi era.
Minister of Interior Jan Ruml, a member of the Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) joined members of the other coalition
parties in the government to pass the bill. Klaus and ODS members
recommended against its passage. ODS holds a 10-9 lead over the
other coalition members in the goverment.
Foreign Tourists Bring 1.4 billion US dollars to Czech Republic
Revenue from tourism reached about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars
in the Czech Republic last year, a 24 percent increase over
1992. Last year, 71.2 million foreign visitors came to the Czech
Republic, a 5 percent increase from 1992.
Statistics of the Traffic Accidents Alarming
Czech police will get 400 million crowns more in the 1994
budget than last year, with 80 million going to the traffic
police. Traffic police will use the money for buying necessary
technical equipement, said Tomas Amler, deputy police president
of the Czech Republic.
The funding is needed, said Josef Tesarik, a Czech Police
spokesman, because 1993 saw 152,157 traffic accidents, 26,258
more than in 1992. Accidents killed 1,355, 40 fewer than in
1992. 5,629 persons were seriously heavily injured, an increase
of 200, and 26,821 people were slightly injured, an increase of
113.
The number of child fatalities dropped to 60 in comparison
with 76 dead children in 1992. The total financial damage was
2.99 billion crowns, 1.2 billion more than in 1992.
More than 90 percent of the traffic accidents were caused by
the passenger vehicle drivers, who killed more than 800. Eight
percent of the drivers who caused accidents were foreigners.
Alcohol was involved in 8,793 accidents which killed 212.
University Students at Prague's Budec Dorm Go On Strike
Students at the Budec Dorm in Prague launched an occupation
strike January. 19, and were supported by students from the
Arnost from Pardubice Dorm.
The strike comes after the Central Office of Dorms and
Canteens occupied a quarter of the capacity of the Arnost from
Pardubice Dorm for their offices last year and this year, telling
students to move out of the dorm in 14 days, according to the
strike comittee.
At the Budec Dorm, reconstruction of the central heating
system will take place from May 1 to September. The students
don't like the fact that the contract signed by the Central
Office of Dorms hadn't been negotiated with them before and also
other discrepancies.
"We know we'll have to move", said member of the strike
comittee Jaroslav Chronak, "but we reject doing so during the
time when most exams take place, and we suggest our own soulution
and our own terms for when we move. Let everyone move when he or
she needs".
Students also demanded an investigation of the circumstances
under which the contract has been signed, resignation of the
heads of the Central Office of Dorms, the office's eventual
liquidation, and expansion of the power of the Administrative
Board of the Dorms
Czech Budget Runs Surplus
The 1993 state budget of the Czech Republic ended up with
a surplus of 1.1 billion crowns, said Czech Finance Minister Ivan
Kocarnik at a press conference January 18. At the same time,
Kocarnik said that there might yet be some small differences in
the final numbers as some payments will be made January 21.
CULTURE
First night of "Angel Eyes" (source: Cinema Magazine)
The primiere of the new Czech film "Angel Eyes" took place in
Prague on Jan. 13. The film is an adaptation by Dusan Klein of
Bohumil Hrabal's book Bambini di Praga.
The movie about seasoned crooks - insurance agents who cheat
trusting tradesmen and finally become victims of such fraud one
day - has a star-studded cast, including Viktor Preiss, Josef
Abrham, Pavel Zednicek, Zlata Adamovska and Pavel Kriz,
a Czech-Canadian who is well-known from a succesful tetralogy
about the "Poets".
Books by Hrabal have been made into films several times,
including the Oscar-winning "Closely Watched Trains" and
"Nightengales on a String".
This project, which could be a pleasant refreshment in Czech
cinemas full of American action films, was financed by the Czech
TV, which even in the market economy tries to keep the high
standard of its production, having prepared Karel Polacek's book
"We Were Five", Zdenek Jirotka's "Saturnin" or Josef Skvorecky's
"Splendid Season".
SPORT
Esper Bredesen Wins the Second Contest of the World Cup in Ski
Jump
Another event of the World Cup Series in Ski Jump took place
in Liberec January 15.-16. and bore the name of "Bohemia Crystal
'94". The world elite, except for German Jens Weissflog and the
Japanese jumpers, took part in the contest. The event could only
be held after intensive work of the organizers because of a lack
of snow.
On Saturday, the leading World Cup competitor, Esper Bredesen
of Norway, won with 121.5 and 125.5 meter jumps. Czech Jaroslav
Sakala took second place.
On Sunday, Bredesen was again leading after the first round
but fell down in the second round after achieving 125.5 meters,
allowing Sakala to win the round with 117 and 113.5 meter jumps.
Bredesen took the second place. He was lightly injured after the
fall so he had to be hospitlized in Liberec with a twisted ankle.
Sakala took the second place total. Other Czechs in the
competition, Ladislav Dluhos and Jiri Parma were 8th and 9th.
Sparta Praha Goalkeeper Petr Kouba Footbal Player of the Year '93
Announcement of the official results of the Stadion weekly
poll for the best football players and trainers of '93 was part
of the second representative ball of the Czech Football
Association January 15 at Prague's Palace of Culture.
Order of the football players: 1. Petr Kouba, 2. Miroslav
Kadlec (Kaiserslauten), 3. Patrik Berger (Slavia Praha), 4. Pavel
Kuka (Slavia Praha, Kaiserslauten), 5. Vladimir Smitzer (Slavia
Praha), 6. Jiri Novotny (Sparta), 7. Jan Suchoparek (Slavia), 8.
Vaclav Nemecek (Toulouse).
Dusan Uhrin, trainer of the Czech National Team, was named
best trainer of the year for the third time in his career. Prize
of Vaclav Jira, a Czech football diplomat who died in 1992, was
awarded for the first time this year. Its holders are Frantisek
Planicka (famous Czech goalkeeper, hero of the 1934 World
Champonship in Italy), Josef Bican (the best Czech shot of all
times) and Vaclav Jezek (the most succesful Czech football
trainer).
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