News Sunday, MAY 31st, 1998

Hello and welcome to Radio Prague. I'm Vladimir Tax and here's the news. First the headlines.

Right-wing political leaders have commemorated the victims of communism.

The Pensioners party has refused to publish the names of the authors of the party's political programme.

and Sudeten Germans have repeatedly called on the Czech government to abolish the so-called Benes decrees and to recognize the right to a homeland for Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II.

These are the main points and now the news in more detail.

Klaus & Ruml in Jachymov

Leaders of the Civic Democratic Party, the Freedom Union, and the Democratic Union, Vaclav Klaus, Jan Ruml and Ratibor Majzlik on Saturday paid tribute to former political prisoners and laid wreaths at the memorial of those who died in communist labour camps in the town of Jachymov.

Although the camps no longer exist, the Confederation of political prisoners want to maintain the commemoration as a warning to future generations. At a meeting in Jachymov, many former political prisoners complained that many of the crimes of communism remain unpunished.

The former communist regime forced about 50 thousand political prisoners to work in uranium mines in the town of Jachymov. About two thousand of them did not survive the harsh conditions there.

Pensioners hide their experts

The Pensioners party have refused to publish the names of the authors of the party's election manifesto, even though its leader Eduard Kremlicka had promised that they would. Kremlicka said the party would not name anyone who participated in compiling the party's programme because the pensioners party had been termed extremist and the authors feared attacks from the media.

Sudeten Germans again

Sudeten Germans on Saturday repeated their calls for the Czech government to abolish the so-called Benes decrees, start dialogue with the Sudeten Germans and recognize the right of a homeland for those Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II. The Sudeten Germans view the meeting of these three demands as a pre- condition for the Czech Republic's entry into the European union.

Havel about elections

Czech president Vaclav Havel admitted that it will be difficult choice for voters in the upcoming parliamentary elections. He advised the voting public to carefully read the manifestos of individual political parties, attend political rallies and pay close attention to the politicians' names on the ballot slip. The proportional representation system, which is used for elections to the chamber of deputies, makes it possible for untrustworthy people to be elected. That is why Havel would like to change the electoral system.

Republicans/incident

Police are investigating an incident which happened at a public meeting of the far-right Republican party on Friday in the town of Karlovy Vary. According to the CTK news agency, republican leader Miroslav Sladek's assistant Lubomir Votava and another man beat one of the visitors of the meeting, Marian Jelinek, who asked Sladek awkward questions. Although police were present at the meeting, they did not prevent the Republicans from dragging Jelinek away and beating him.

Czech weather report

And finally, the weather forecast. We are expecting a mostly cloudy day with scattered showers, afternoon highs should range from 22 to 26 degrees Celsius. And a brief outlook for Monday and Tuesday: it should be much the same as on Sunday, cloudy or partially cloudy with showers, with temperatures between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius.

And that's the end of the news.