Czechs mark Polish plane death crash

A minute’s silence was observed in the Czech Republic at noon on Saturday to mark the Polish air crash tragedy a week earlier. Flags also flew at half mast from government buildings to mark the death of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others when their government plane crashed in western Russia. Many members of the country’s elite had been on the plane which was transporting the Polish delegation to mark the 70th anniversary of the massacre at Katyn of more than 20,000 Polish officers and intellectuals on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Czech public television and Czech Radio observed the noon silence. Sporting and cultural activities were also either interrupted or cancelled. The main television channel was later due to screen the film ‘Katyn’ by Polish director Andrej Wajda which dealt with the original massacre and attempts to cover it up. The Czech government called for two day’s of mourning on Saturday and Sunday.