Archive of articles - January 1999, page 2

Anti-HZDS graffiti in Ducký's home town

Armed robbers steal more than 335,000 Sk

Gypsy gravesites vandalised

Slovak opposition MP's face kidnapping probe

Slovak police will charge two opposition deputies in connection with the notorious 1995 kidnapping of the son of former President Michal Kováč, Interior Minister Ladislav Pittner said on January 26.In August 1995, Kovac junior, whose father was a fierce critic of former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar, was seized by masked men, pumped full of whisky, given electric shocks, dumped in the boot of a car and whisked off to neighbouring Austria. A Viennese court said at the time that Slovak authorities might have been behind the kidnapping, and two senior Slovak police investigators were sacked after saying members of the Slovak secret service, the SIS, had orchestrated the abduction.

Rudolf Baláž, Chairman of the Slovak Bishops' Conference

Rudolf Baláž, the Catholic Bishop of the central Slovak diocese of Banská Bystrica and chairman of the Slovak Bishop's Conference, was an outspoken opponent of the former regime of Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar. From 1995 to 1998, he led the church to several important public stands - against racism towards Hungarians and Romanies, and against the infamous "Protection of the Republic" law approved in early 1996 by the Mečiar cabinet.

Schoolgirls blackmail schoolmate

Ministry to give GSM tender another try

The Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunications has offered a new tender for a third company to begin services in the Slovak mobile telephony market on the GSM-1800 frequency. This marks the second attempt by the Ministry to extend the tender.The first attempt was cancelled by then-Transport Minister Ján Jasovský who stated that neither of the applicants, Telenor GSM a.s nor Tatrytel a.s., had met the stated requirements for the bid. "Regarding the fact that it was impossible to announce a winner of the tender and grant the respective license, I decided to conclude it and prepare a new international tender," Jasovský stated.According to Stanislav Vanek, regulatory department director of the Ministry, the last tender had been ill-prepared and rushed. "These tenders must be approached seriously and enough time must be given for serious evaluation," said Vanek, "Acceleration of the process only leads to mistakes."

Control of VSŽ slips further from Rezeš into government hands

Still wary of the potential for collapse at the Košice metallurgic giant VSŽ Holding and the social and financial chaos that would result, the state took intrepid measures to gain greater control of the reeling company's future.On January 12, the state-owned savings bank Slovenská sporiteľňa (SLSP) acquired more than 1.6 million shares, representing just over 10% of all VSŽ Holding stock, thus giving the state control of more than a quarter of the company.The shares were withdrawn from an account of the company Eurotrade, a firm controlled by former VSŽ President Alexander Rezeš. Eurotrade had failed to repay money it owed to SLSP, and SLSP claimed its debt in the form of Eurotrade's shares in VSŽ.

Suspect glucose recalled

Quote of the Week

Medical crisis nourishes new crop of myths

A financial crisis which began in 1998 is wreaking havoc with the national health care system, reducing the services that doctors and hospitals provide and increasing the cost of many drugs and treatments.The crisis has added a whole new chapter to the country's rich lexicon of medical myths and folklore. Comprehensive medical care, the new wisdom has it, is provided only to those who pay a thumping bribe for it, while 'gifts' such as bottles of whisky and boxes of chocolate are required to secure even the most cursory attention of a physician.These new beliefs have clear roots in the current financial situation in the health care sector. As state employees, doctors are wretchedly paid - six years of university studies followed by a two year internship make young doctors eligible to earn a miserable 7,000 to 8,000 Slovak crowns ($200 to $230) a month, almost 25% less than the national average salary. Small wonder, then, that doctors are showered with presents by patients eager to secure the full attention of their harried and aggrieved physicians.

Mečiar loses temper in public

In his first public appearance since shortly after he lost the general elections last September, former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar physically and verbally attacked a journalist covering the funeral of his former Economy Minister, Ján Ducký.Mečiar, Slovakia's top political figure since 1989, showed up in public for the first time in three months at the funeral of Ducký, his HZDS party mate who was murdered on January 11 (see related story, this page). As he left the scene of the ceremony, Mečiar lashed out at Czech independent TV Prima reporter Vladimír Mišauer."You f---ing prick of a whore, get the f--- out of here or I'll hit you so f---ing hard..." Mečiar shouted at Mišauer and started insulting the reporter, who was taking pictures of Mečiar. Infuriated, Mečiar accused Mišauer of provoking the incident, while his bodyguards and party mates such as Ivan Gašparovič tried to calm his temper.

What would OECD membership mean?

To many people - Slovaks and non-Slovaks alike - the benefits of membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO are becoming increasingly clear. But the meaning of membership in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is less well-known among the public.

Slovakia not likely to join OECD in 1999

Among the priorities of Slovakia's new government was to join Euro-Atlantic structures. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was one of them. Although the OECD membership would still require many structural and legislative changes in the Slovak economy, the new government appears very optimistic about quick accession for Slovakia, suggesting that entry could be achieved during the first half of this year. But the facts and expert opinions seem to weigh against the government's forecast.When Finance Minister Brigita Schmögnerová presented Slovakia's case to representatives of the 29 OECD member countries on December 17, she said she expected to achieve OECD membership in the first half of 1999.

Armed doorman stopped

Ministry seizes planes from Slovak Airlines

The national air carrier Slovak Airlines (SA), which was operating without a license since January 1, ran into greater trouble when on January 15 the Transport Ministry seized its planes, which had come as part of a Russian debt settlement."One cannot speak of their confiscation since they were [already] state property," Transport Minister Gabriel Palacka said at a January 18 press conference. He added that experts will asses the aircrafts while the ministry holds a public tender for their best use either through leasing, sale, or the capitalization of state participation in a company. SA can also enter the competition, under the condition that it settles all its debts.

Mobile phone market exceeds all predictions

The penetration of the mobile telephone market today stands at approximately 10%, meaning that half a million Slovaks own wireless telephones. With the market only a little over two years old, these numbers have surprised many experts in the field and have exceeded all expectations.In January of 1997, a study conducted for the Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunications by Pyramid Research forecast that the 8% mark, let alone the current 10% mark, would not be achieved until the year 2001. Stanislav Vanek, director of the ministry's regulatory department, counted himself among those who had been taken aback by the industry's rapid growth and observed that the 10% penetration is, "an astonishing figure."

Now a joint stock company, Slovak Telecom for sale

After three years of delay, state-owned Slovak Telecom is now a joint stock company and the search is on for an investor - likely a foreign firm - to privatise the company within the next six months.Realising plans that had been delayed for almost three years, the Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunications was finally able to transform Slovak Telecommunications from a state enterprise to a joint stock company, effective as of January 1, 1999."What is happening now is the first step towards privatisation," said Peter Druga, the ministry's telecommunications policy department director. "We had planned on the transformation of Slovak Telecom in May '96 and December '98, but it was not accepted by the government."

Slovak-Czech dual citizenship law drags

Although a December 1998 decision by the Czech Interior Ministry secures that Slovaks with Czech roots may claim Czech citizenship since January 1, state bureaucrats in Czech district offices refuse to accept applications, saying the decree is not planted on firm legal grounds.After the January 1993 split of the Czechoslovak federation, the citizens had to choose either Slovak or Czech citizenship. Czechs who chose Slovak citizenship automatically lost their Czech one. So even though the Slovak citizenship law approved in 1993 allowed multiple citizenship for Slovaks, the Czech legislation amended the same year abandoned such a settlement.