Press Review
The situation in Iraq, the Hungarian referendum on the country's accession to the European Union and the tragic fate of a two year old boy who had gone missing for three days - those are the main stories on today's front pages.
News coverage of the situation in Iraq is complemented by eyewitness reports and commentaries from the papers' own correspondents. Hospodarske noviny has a lengthy report on the situation in Baghdad, citing mixed reactions to the US presence from the city's inhabitants and describing the chaos that reigns in the Iraqi capital today.
The paper slams the US government for trying to whitewash the picture and expecting the media to do likewise. It is obvious why the US leadership needs to focus on a picture of the Iraqi people celebrating their newly found freedom, says Hospodarske noviny. For now there is no sign of the weapons of mass destruction that would have justified this war, so freedom for the Iraqis has become its major justification.
But at this point it is important to face reality: the looting, the anarchy, the lack of medical care and basic necessities, says Hospodarske noviny. It is important to face these problems in order to resolve them and give the Iraqis proper reason to celebrate. There is no doubt at all that the allies have won this war, the paper says, but now the Iraqis and the world at large expect them to win the peace.
Closer to home, the papers comment on the Hungarian referendum on the country's accession to the EU. The low turn out is surprising and should serve as a warning to us Czechs, says Lidove noviny. It is possible that, like us, the Hungarians were too certain of the outcome and some of them did not bother to cast a vote.
This is a luxury that we Czechs cannot afford, the paper says. The communist party has an estimated 750,000 supporters and its leadership has advised them to vote against EU membership. Given the current EU support rate of around sixty percent, the Czech Republic will need disciplined voters if it is to join the EU. And we know from experience that the Communist Party's voters are very disciplined, the paper concludes.
Every single paper reports on the fate of two year old Vitek Kalousek, whom a search party found frozen to death three days after he wandered off from his parent's home with the family dog. After a three day search, in which more than five hundred professionals and volunteers took part, the little boy's dead body was finally discovered in a field. His dog, a dachshund named Terka, was covering his body in an obvious attempt to keep the little boy warm.
Lidove noviny, which has a lengthy report on the tragic accident, has interviewed a child psychiatrist in an attempt to throw more light on the toddler's fate and his last hours. Surprisingly, the child must have walked some twelve kilometres before dropping down exhausted in the field. He apparently took off his winter jacket to lie down on it, which decreased his chances of survival. The psychologist expresses surprise that a child that age had been allowed to wonder off on his own, but there is no word in the papers as to whether his parents will be charged with negligence.
And finally, on a lighter note, the papers carry plenty of Easter related stories - ranging from recipes to regional traditions and ideas for house decorating. And, of course, there are plenty of snapshots of this year's Miss Czech Republic - eighteen year old Lucie Vachova, who was crowned in a gala show on Sunday night.
