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Carolina (English) No 184
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STUDENT'S 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: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 184, Thursday, December 21, 1995.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (December 13-20)
President Decides Coalition Conflict over 1996 Parliamentary Election
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies should take place May 31 and
June 1 and for the Senate November 15 and 16. President Vaclav Havel
gave the proposal for separate parliamentary elections to Prime Minister
Vaclav Klaus December 19. According to presidential spokesman Ladislav
Spacek, this decision forestalls a government crisis, considering the
governing coalition's inability to agree on election dates.
Klaus later announced to the media that his Civic Democratic Party
(ODS) will support the president's proposal at the December 20 Cabinet
meeting to prevent a constitutional crisis and destabilization
throughout the country (post-deadline addendum - the proposal was
approved at the meeting). The election date must be signed by the
president and prime minister.
Klaus also said he has serious objections to Havel's move also
because the president repeatedly said he would respect the government
decision expected from the December 20 meeting. "The president's
approach has practically closed off any possibilities of further
discussion," said Klaus, whose ODS, together with the Christian
Democratic Party (KDS), encouraged and continue to back same-day
elections for both parliamentary chambers. Klaus claims to be disturbed
foremost by the fact that election campaigning will cover almost all of
next year will be almost entirely dedicated to the election campaign,
which will have negative consequences for political life.
The other coalition parties, the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA)
and Christian Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL),
which had backed separate elections (the two parties are in the minority
of the governing coalition and would have been outvoted), fully support
the president's proposal. Milos Zeman, leader of the strongest
oppposition party, the Social Democrats, expressed satisfaction with
president's and ODS' approach.
Petra Rubesova/Katerina Zachovalova
Constitutional Court Cancels Residency Condition for Property
Restitution
People with Czech or Slovak citizenship living outside the Czech
Republic will have the possibility of getting back their farming
property. This was the decision of the Costitutional Court December 13,
when the portion of law allowing restitution of farming property only to
citizens permanently living in the Czech Republic was repealed. The
judges also agreed to cancel the deadline for making property claims,
which had originally run out at the end of 1992.
According to press reports, the Court thus acceded to 60 mainly
coalition Parliamentary deputies and two unsuccessful restituents, who
claimed the residency condition was in conflict with the Czech Bill of
Rights and Freedoms.
Parliamentary Deputy Marek Benda (KDS) said this decision will
concerns about 1,000 pepole, who will be able to lay their property
claims after the decision takes effect. Benda will present Parliament at
the beginning of the year with a proposal for setting new deadlines for
property claims.
Zora Kasikova/Alice Ticha
Government Approves Bill Making State Security Files Available
The government approved December 13 a law proposed to make
documents created by the former State Security Service (StB) accessible.
The government suggested that every citizen of the Czech Republic should
be allowed to make inquiries at the Ministry of the Interior if the
former State Security kept notes about him between 1948 and 1990 and, if
necessary, to see the materials. This law should also be valid for
former citizens of the communist-era Czechoslovakia. The law would take
effect six months after passage in Parliament.
The government also decided the names of members and those who
co-operated with State Security, and also the names of "third persons"
- relations and friends - who gave information, will be made available.
Data will be inked out about citizens' private life, religion, financial
circumstances and similar matters covered by the privacy law.
According to a public opinion poll released in MF DNES, 6 per cent
of respondents are very interested in this possibility, while 23 per
cent of people asked expressed an average interest.
Petra Rubesova, Natasa Hajkova/Alice Ticha
President not to Study His Secret Police Records
Czech daily Lidove Noviny quoted President Vaclav Havel December 18
from Conversations from Lany, the weekly Sunday radio program where the
president airs his views, as saying "I consider it important and good
that the government passed the law giving access to the former State
security Service (StB) records. These records really confess the StB's
work - they show all the tricks, plots, they are about manipulation,
about who gave in and who didn't, about how the StB managed to
manipulate and twist statements and such. They say endlessly more than
any official documents, which have been the main and rather questionable
sources of all lustration (screening) procedures. I would also like to
add that I'm not going to go study my records, should they exist at all,
if nobody threw them out long ago. I'll admit one thing, which maybe
I shouldn't say in public. Shortly after the revolution, and after I was
elected President, someone brought me a list, that he had obtained in
some wild way from the Ministry of the Interior, of my friends who had
informed on me. And imagine what happened - I just ran my eyes over that
list, immediately I lost it, and at the same time I forgot whose names
had been written there."
Jaromir Vicari/Andrea Snyder
Influenza on the Rise
An epidemic of influenza similar to the one which now troubles the
Czech Republic last appeared in 1992, when it was also a case of the "A"
virus. The constantly rising number of the sick (600,000 cases as of
December 14) has caused problems for many pharmacies. People want mainly
remedies against cough and fever, but Czech Pharmaceutical Chamber
spokesman Jan Horacek said there is no danger of an acute shortage of
such medicines.
The most endangered group of people are babies, the elderly and
seriously ill people. In Prague, there were 18,509 cases of influenza
recorded last week, mainly children. The further spread of influenza
among students should be stopped by the unplanned school holidays (see
Carolina 183), which please most children as much as it causes their
working parents problems. Day care centers present the same danger as
schools, and thus youth centers will be closed during the holidays.
Jitka Hejtmanova/Alice Ticha
Court Decision: Murder of Gypsy Had No Racial Motive
The Regional Court in Brno decided Decemebr 13 that the murder of
Tibor Berki was not a racially motivated crime. Because of the decision,
the court sentenced 21-year-old Zdenek Podrazsky to 12 years in prison.
The May murder upset the public and led to the introduction of
longer sentences for racially motivated crimes (a life sentence for
murder). Podrazsky and three other young men attacked Berki's house and
with a baseball bat beat to death the 24-year-old father of five. Berki,
who had no criminal record, allegedly defended himself with an axe. The
court agreed with prosecution only that Podrazsky and his companions
attacked Berki's dwelling with racist motives.
"It was not proved that Podrazsky would have attacked with
a baseball bat with the intention of killing Berki as a Romany (Gypsy),"
quotes Czech daily MF DNES from the verdict. According to the verdict,
Podrazsky acted instinctively, because Berki held an axe in his hand.
"He shouted no derogatory words, from which a racist motive would be
eveident."
The court's decision exasperated not only the relatives and friends
of the victim, but also representatives of the Romany Civic Initiative.
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus expressed his doubts about the verdict, as
did the attorney general attorney and the case's police investigator.
Two of the accomplices received suspended sentences, while the
third, who proposed the attack, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The prosecution as well as the defense have appealed the verdict.
Jitka Motejzikova/Jitka Motejzikova
Miroslav Sladek Sentenced
Chairman of the far-right Association For The Republic - Republican
Party of Czechoslovakia Miroslav Sladek was found guilty of disturbing
the peace and assaulting a public official, and was sentenced to 10
months in prison, which was reduced to 18 months of probation. The
Prague 1 District Court made the decision December 15 in spite of
Sladek's repeated absence during the trial.
According to the verdict, during an October 28, 1994 demonstration
for which no permit was given, Sladek orated from the base of the St.
Wenceslas monument on Prague's Wenceslas Square. Because he ignored
police orders to to desist, he was forcibly removed, to which he reacted
by verbally and physically attacking the policemen. According to the
judge, police intervention was in agreement with the law. Videotapes
from the demonstration were used, which showed that no one blocked
Sladek from laying flowers at the monument.
The senate fined Sladek 6,000 crowns (225 USD) for his repeated
absence in court and contemptuous behavior toward the court.
The case is not over: the state prosecutor and Sladek's counsel
still have time to appeal.
Radim Wolak/Jitka Motejzikova
Study In Prague Next Summer
From July 13 to August 3, 1996, the Faculty of Social Sciences,
together with Georgetown University and The Fund for American Studies,
will sponsor The American Institute on Comparative Political and
Economic Systems for the fourth consecutive year.
The Institute will take place at the Faculty of Social Sciences in
Prague, and will include lectures by professors from both Georgetown
University and Charles University, as well as guest appearances by
notable political and cultural figures. All lectures and site briefings
will be held in English.
In 1995, 101 students from 18 different countries attended the
Institute. In 1996 the School hopes to maintain the same number of
students. The institute offers an equally diverse and interesting
program by combining lectures with site briefings around Prague and an
exciting program of social activities.
Scholarships are available for students from Central and Eastern
Europe. For further details and an application form, contact either Ann
Erker at The Fund for American Studies or Cyril Simsa at the Faculty of
Social Sciences at the following e-mail addresses:
Ann Erker: 75604.3347@compuserve.com
Cyril Simsa: SVOZ@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz
Please remember to include your full postal address, as well as
your e-mail address, since the applications will have to be sent by
post.
Cyril Simsa/Cyril Simsa
ECONOMY
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from Dec. 21)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 19.810
Belgium 100 BEF 90.152
Great Britain 1 GBP 41.145
Denmark 1 DKK 4.781
Finland 1 FIM 6.121
France 1 FRF 5.394
Ireland 1 IEP 42.491
Italie 1000 ITL 16.734
Japan 100 JPY 26.175
Canada 1 CAD 19.437
Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.152
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.542
Norway 1 NOK 4.195
New Zealand 1 NZD 17.418
Portugal 100 PTE 17.675
Austria 1 ATS 2.634
Greece 100 GRD 11.203
Slovakia 100 SKK 89.924
Germany 1 DEM 18.534
Spain 100 ESP 21.820
Sweden 1 SEK 4.022
Switzerland 1 CH 23.08
USA 1 USD 26.699
ECU 1 XEU 33.974
IMF 1 XDR 39.71
CULTURE
Actor Martin Ruzek Dies
Martin Ruzek, a leading personality in Czech theater, died December
18 after a long illness. He was born September 23, 1918 in Cerveny
Kostelec as Martin Erhart. He started out in amateur companies, and
after the war worked as an actor and director in Mlada Boleslav, Ceske
Budejovice and Brno. In 1956 he started performing at Prague's Vinohrady
Theater, and then joined the troupe at the National Theater in 1963.
During his career, Ruzek played a wide spectrum of character roles,
including Shakespeare's Othello, Moliere's Tartuffe, and in Czech
classics he reprised Lizal in Marysa, Roskot in The Moon over the River
and Valenta in Palic's Daughter. Actor Frantisek Filipovsky was quoted
in the Czech press as saying, "I don't remember Martin Ruzek ever
ruining a character. What he presents is beautiful, modern acting."
Barbora Spevakova/Andrea Snyder
Bohuslav Martinu 95
"Bohuslav Martinu is a sunny apparition in the heavens of Czech
music.... However his music...carries the fragrance of Czech and
Moravian national songs, we can find in his most important compositions
something more. It is his cosmopolitan perspective, which allowed him
not to submit to Slavic patriotism," characterized the works of Bohuslav
Martinu (b.1890 in Policka, d. 1959 in Liestal) composer and President
of the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation Viktor Kalabis.
The foundation existed between 1975 and 1992 under the Czech
Musical Fund, though since 1992 it is an independent legal body. This
year the Martinu Foundation can, in addition to its other works
promoting Martinu, count to its credit the establishment of a study
center and the first annual of music festival in Prague. In two concerts
in Zofin Dance Hall on Slavonic Island on the Moldau River in Prague
(December 8 and 10) and during two concerts in the Rudolfinum (December
14 and 17), Martinu's compositions were rendered by the Martinu Quartet,
the Bohuslav Martinu Piano Quartet, the Prague Chamber Philharmonic, the
Prague Men's Chorus or young interpreters - winners of prestigious music
contests. Although the Rudolfinum's Dvorak Hall was noticeably affected
by the nationwide flu epidemic, the applause after last notes of
Nipponari (seven songs for the female voice), performed by Dagmar
Peckova, and Concert for Piano and Orchestra, interpreted by virtuoso
Emil Leichner, did not quiet down for several minutes.
Katerina Zachovalova/Katerina Zachovalova
Veletrzni Palace Finally Open
After undergoing a complete reconstruction costing more than 1
billion crowns, Prague's Veletrzni Palace had its grand opening December
13. Martin Zlatohlavek, the director of the National Gallery in Prague,
called it the greatest cultural event of the past several years. The
National Gallery displays its collections of modern art in the Veletrzni
Palace.
The Veletrzni Palace is open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m., and on Thursdays until 9 p.m. Tour prices range from 30 crowns to
300 crowns. On the first Friday of every month, the entry to all
National Gallery exhibits, including the Veletrzni Palace, is free.
David Vozdecky/Andrea Snyder
Middle Ages Come to Life Under Charles Bridge
A jarmark(festival) from the Middle Ages, full of fencing, music and
dance performances, began in Prague December 14 on Kampa Island. Kampa
Island has been the site of pottery markets since the 17th century.
Until December 22, visitors can see people being tortured in stocks, an
old healing parlor or the arrival of the king's entourage. Marketeers
dressed in period costumes are selling Christmas gifts, honey products,
baked meat and wine.
Klara Schirova/Andrea Snyder
Week of Musical Evenings in Emauzy
The Musical celebration Nobis est natus (He is born to us) premiered
December 14 in Emauzy, the Na Slovanech monastary with performances by
the musical groups Krless, Chorosch and Chorus Angelus, as well as
a Middle Age theater troupe. According to Angel, the agency arranging
the program, the evenings of Middle Age and Renaissance music should
acquaint visitors with the liturgical and pagan customs of the past.
Klara Schirova/Andrea Snyder
SPORT
Czech Soccer Players in Most Difficult Group
The Czech national soccer team will meet the representatives of
Germany, Italy and Russia in Group C at the 1996 European Soccer
Championship in England, according to a December 17 drawing in
Birmingham, England. The Czech players are considered outsiders in
a group regarded as the toughest at the Championship. Czech Coach Dusan
Uhrin commented on the draw: "The hardest group, you could hardly find
a harder group. On the other hand, each match begins 0-0 and lasts at
least 90 minutes."
Other groups:
A - England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Scotland
B - Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, France
D - Denmark, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia.
Rudolf Cernik/Milan Smid
CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT
What to Do for Christmas?
This is not a question that clients of the charity and missionary
organization Hope (Nadeje) have to ask themslves. Hope is
a non-denominal organization that has been putting the wheels of
evangelism in motion. Hope is probably the largest Czech organization
aiding and integrating refugees, the homeless, the handicapped, and the
elderly.
A Christmas atmosphere prevails through all of Hope's branches, its
hostels, nursing homes and others. Practical gifts donated by sponsors
will be handed out after a Christmas dinner. The homeless on Prague's
Bolzan street will receive socks, handkerchiefs, gloves, underwear,
writing materials and sweets. A video will be shown at the end of the
celebration. Hope prepares a teetotaling Christmas program every year
- for example, in 1993 Prague's homeless said their toasts over glasses
of sponsor's milk.
Katerina Zachovalova/Andrea Snyder
Christmas Markets in Prague
Salesmen on Prague's Old Town Square have been pushing their wares
since November 24, when the market was christened in the presence of
Mayor Jan Koukal (ODS). Like last year, the market was organized by the
Association for the Renewal and Development of Arts and Crafts
Traditions. The square overflows with 80 wooden stands, which, together
with a huge, decorated Christmas tree, a performance stage and the
statue of 15th-century Czech religious reformer Jan Hus create something
shaped like a ring. Cultural activities go on in the central space and
on the stage every day. Praguers and tourists have had the chance to
hear a number of concerts there, see the slaughter of a pig or the
"record" show organized by the Dobry Den (Good Day) agency. Among the
records were the visit of a nearly nine-foot-tall (2.74 m) St.Nicholas
on stilts, a four-foot (120 cm) tall teapot or a kilometer-long (.6
mile-long) Christmas chain.
Klara Schirova/Katerina Zachovalova
Dear Readers,
Christmas is here again, once more with mud and no snow (at least in
Prague); we hope that at least a few centimeters will fall on New
Year's (so that the drunkards won't have to fall into slush).
You've probably managed to bake all your cookies, catch your carp,
sneak into the woods under the cover of night and chop down your
Christmas tree, buy all the gifts you need, and now you're just
impatiently waiting for Christmas Eve. But everything costs money, and
Christmas has most likely made your wallet light, but don't worry
- it's going to be a whole year before it comes again. And, after all,
what is a little less money in comparison to the joy of your loved ones?
We wish you much success in the new year, and may your fingers be nimble
when lighting New Year's fireworks. Carolina hopes to see you again
January 12. The entire staff of Carolina wishes you Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year 1996!
Matej Husek and Michaela Vysoudilova/Andrea Snyder
Edited by Michael Bluhm
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