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Current AffairsPM Jiri Paroubek: Communists no threat to democracy
Views expressed by politicians and participants of the gatherings in the
streets of Prague on Thursday do not necessarily reflect the overall mood
in Czech society. The Communist Party is the third strongest party in the
Czech Republic, a cause for alarm for some. For his part, the Czech Prime
Minister, Jiri Paroubek, has said the Communists are not a threat at all.
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Current AffairsBush compares fall of communism to democratic elections in Iraq and sends his regards to Vaclav Havel
On Thursday, the US President, George Bush, visited Bratislava to hold one
of the most anticipated meetings during his five-day trip to Europe. Mr
Bush met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and with the backing of
his advisors and senior politicians back home and in Europe called on the
Russian president to reassert his commitment to democracy in Russia. Mr
Bush also met with Slovak politicians, addressed a crowd of several
thousand that had gathered on Hviezdoslav Square in Bratislava, and met
various other people, including former Czechoslovak dissidents.
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Current Affairs25 February 1948 - the Communists' "bloodless coup"
Exactly 57 years ago, on 25 February 1948 the Communists seized power in
post-war Czechoslovakia. This marked the beginning of more than four
decades of hard line communist rule, brought to an end by the Velvet
Revolution in 1989. Czechoslovak Communist leader Klement Gottwald on that
fateful day in 1948 announced on Prague's Old Town Square that the
resignation of several non-communist ministers had been accepted by the
president. Even though the change to a totalitarian system did not happen
just overnight, this event was symbolic of the start of one-party rule. I
met historian Jan Rychlik and asked him what happened on that cold
February day to make it so important in the Communists' rise to power.
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MailboxMailbox
In this week's edition: Responses to Radio Prague's programmes covering the
15th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Radio Prague's programme
structure. Listeners quoted: Janice Pacl Hare, USA; Gilles Letourneau,
Canada; Alisdair Cook, Canada; William Flynn, USA.
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One on OneNatasha Dudinska - A Slovak Jew who swapped Prague for Israel
My guest for One on One this week is Natasha Dudinska - a former Prague
resident who now lives in Israel, but who recently came back to the Czech
capital to do some research on an upcoming documentary on Prague's Jewish
cemetery by the academy award-winning filmmaker Allan Miller. Originally
from Slovakia with Jewish roots, Natasha first came to Prague in the late
1980s to study at Charles University. Like many students of that era she
ended up getting embroiled in the events of the Velvet Revolution. I
started by asking her what memories she had of those tumultuous events 15
years ago. More
MagazineMagazine
Bursting to share your views? Head for Palacky Square - the site of
Prague's newly inaugurated Speakers' Corner. Hockey star Jaromir Jagr may
be in far away Siberia but he can still enjoy Czech beer and dumplings at
a local Czech restaurant. And, the Czech Army is being accused of
discrimination after turning away a transsexual. Find out more in Magazine
with Daniela Lazarova.
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Current AffairsMixed emotions on the streets of Prague fifteen years after the fall of communism
In the Prague street Albertov a peaceful march began fifteen years ago on
17th November 1989. It was to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of
Jan Opletal, the Czech student killed by the Nazis in 1939. The event
marked the beginning of the Velvet Revolution, as the march was suppressed
brutally by police when it reached National Avenue in the heart of the
city. On Wednesday, exactly fifteen years later, another march took place.
This time it was staged by students to protest against the continued
influence of the Communist Party in the Czech Republic. Several thousand
young people took part carrying banners, lanterns and Czech flags. We
spoke to some of them.
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Current AffairsParliament session turns stormy over November 17th anniversary
Fifteen years after the fall of communism the Czech Republic still has
problems coming to terms with the past and many important issues remain
highly controversial. Should the communists have been outlawed immediately
after the revolution? Has the country made good use of the fifteen years of
freedom or have the ideals of the revolution been betrayed? Czech society
is still racked by conflict and a special parliament session devoted to
the anniversary clearly reflected this state of affairs.
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Current AffairsAdvancing the dream of November 17
There is much to be done. That was the unanimous verdict of academics,
politicians and former dissidents who met Wednesday to reflect on the
legacy of the Velvet Revolution. But precisely what work remains for the
Czech Republic's continuing democratization was a matter for debate.
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