Fresh controversy over Czech Expo pavilion
For those of you who thought the controversy surrounding the Czech pavilion at the Expo 2000 World Exhibition was over, think again. Long before the pavilion even opened organisers were struggling with a barrage of negative publicity - the pavilion wouldn't be ready on time, it would be too expensive, it wouldn't be any good etc. It has now opened, and is actually doing rather well, but the organisers of the Czech pavilion have had to contend with a new publicity disaster - created by the organisers of Expo 2000 themselves. Rob Cameron reports.
The Expo 2000 world fair is huge - 170 pavilions spread out over an area the size of Monaco. Exploring Expo without one of the smart colour-coded official plans is like trying to walk across the Sahara without a map. During a recent visit I frequently found myself wandering round the pavilion of the United Arab Emirates when I was actually looking for a toilet. It was clear from the befuddled look on people's faces that I wasn't the only one. But even the map itself is causing problems. The German version I had was fine, but the English version contains a rather embarrassing mistake. In it, the Czech Republic has been transformed into the war-torn, rebel republic of Chechnya. Josefine Wallatova is the spokeswoman for the Czech pavilion.
