MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Minority Briefs No. 52

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers_buletin-admin@mediafax.ro> 

---------------------------------------------------------------
No. 52 / April 21, 2003

DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY

1. NEW DISPUTES ON ECONOMIC REGIONS
2. FUNAR FINED FOR REFUSING TO REMOVE ANTONESCU-STATUE BLUEPRINTS�
3. ... AND HUNGARIAN MAYOR FOR REMOVING ROMANIAN FLAG
4. EXHIBITION ABOUT ETHNIC HUNGARIANS IN ROMANIA
5. ROMANI LANGUAGE NATIONAL OLYMPIAD
6. MOLDOVAN HISTORIANS CRITICIZE CABINET OVER HISTORY COURSES.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW DISPUTES ON ECONOMIC REGIONS
BUCHAREST �The idea of ethnic Hungarian community in Romania to
reconsider the economic growth regions, and inherently to establish one
in Tinutul Secuiesc (Szekler land), still brings disputes up. The
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania UDMR chairman Marko Bela
stated on April 10 that the matter of economic growth regions is
included in cooperation protocol signed by UDMR and ruling Social
Democratic party PSD. "In the protocol, it is stipulated a provision
indicating we deal with this matter and, by means of consultancies, we
draw some conclusions as regards the activity of these development
regions, including their change as well", underlined UDMR chairman.
Marko Bela also said the UDMR issued the opinion that reconsidering of
economic growth regions is not based on ethnicity criteria and does not
aim either at sharing the administrative-territory activities pursued in
the country. In turn, the Minister of Public Administration, Octav
Cozminca, stated on April 13 that Government definitely does not agree
with the establishment of a land based on ethnicity criteria, as it was
suggested by UDMR for Mures-Harghita-Covasna counties (Szekler land).
"The current territory split of Romania remains as it was enacted by the
law, namely with 41 counties and Bucharest municipal. The eighth regions
of economic growth, set up five years ago have no kind of attributions,
at administrative level. We can either strengthen these development
regions to turn them into serious partners before the European Union, or
to set up 20 administrative-territory units out of these eight regions",
said Cozminca. (DIVERS)


FUNAR FINED FOR REFUSING TO REMOVE ANTONESCU-STATUE BLUEPRINTS�
CLUJ-NAPOCA - A Cluj tribunal on 14 April fined Cluj Mayor and Greater
Romania Party Secretary-General Gheorghe Funar ROL 1 million ($30.18)
for refusing to remove from the City Hall several blueprints of statues
intended to be erected in Cluj in memory of wartime leader and Hitler
ally Marshal Ion Antonescu, RFE/RL reported. The court ruled that in so
doing, the mayor violated the provisions of last year's emergency
governmental ordinance No. 31. Funar said he will not appeal the
sentence and that he is "honored" to receive a fine because of
Antonescu.


...AND HUNGARIAN MAYOR FOR REMOVING ROMANIAN FLAG
COVASNA � Bacau County has recently sentenced UDMR chairman of Covasna,
Albert Almos, who also holds the mayor position of Sf. Gheorghe
municipal, to pay contravention fine amounting to ROL 100 m and to pay
the court expenses. The mayor was fined by the control Body of Covasna
Prefect�s Office, in June last year, as he took off the national flag
from the roof of mayor�s office�s building and because he used Hungarian
language in his letter exchange. The Romanian flag reappeared on the
building only after the intervention of UDMR chairman Marko Bela was
pursued, on the day before the local cooperation with PSD Covasna. Mayor
Albert Almos contested the decision of the control body, while at the
request of the prefect�s office the cause was moved to the court from
Onesti, that maintained the sentence. Albert Almos made appeal, but
Bucharest Court rejected it, thus the sentence issued by the court in
Onesti is an absolute decree. (DIVERS)


EXHIBITION ABOUT ETHNIC HUNGARIANS IN ROMANIA
BUCHAREST � The Museum of Romanian Peasant (MTR) on Friday, April 18,
opened, as part of "Laolalta" (Together) project, an exhibition called
"Ethnic Hungarians in Romania". The exhibition presents one of the
oldest ethnicities living in our country and brings back in the
spotlight both pieces of the museum�s fund as well as latest
acquisitions. "Over 250 objects improved the current collection",
announced the museum�s manager, Georgeta Rosu. Besides the objects
dating from 18th � 20th centuries, it is to be exhibited indoor
decorations belonging to Nagy family from Chendu village, Mures county,
acquired in 2002, wherein the owners used to live by the time the
objects were placed under the museum�s property. Video and audiotapes
were provided to the organizers by the Hungarian Cultural Center,
Bucharest. The "Ethnic Hungarians in Romania" exhibition is to be viewed
on April 2003 - April 2004 period, when the project is further carried
out by the next hall, dedicated to German ethnicity. (DIVERS)


ROMANI LANGUAGE NATIONAL OLYMPIAD
TIRGU MURES - Over 70 students aged from 7 to 16, on Tuesday, April 15,
attended the fourth edition of Romani language National Olympiad, which
was deployed at Tirgu Mures. Most the attendants stated they started
training since the beginning of the year in order to participate to the
Olympiad. The topics were drawn up by a commission made up of 13
members, while the pupils had three hours time to prove their skills at
literature, grammar, dictation or phonetics, mostly many of them dream
to become teachers or police officers. Anghel Nastase, school inspector
in Bacau, stated the students prove to be more and more trained as it
can be seen from an edition to another. Over 12,000 persons in Romania
study Romani language, while the number of teachers teaching this
subject reaches about 200. (DIVERS)


MOLDOVAN HISTORIANS CRITICIZE CABINET OVER HISTORY COURSES
CHISINAU - Some 250 delegates at the Second Moldovan Conference of
Historians on 12 April approved a resolution opposing the authorities'
intention to replace the teaching of the "History of Romanians" with the
"History of Moldovans" or with "General History," RFE/RL reported.
Anatol Petrenco, president of the Association of Moldovan Historians,
said the intended change is void of any scientific justification. His
deputy, Gheorghe Paladi, was cited by Romanian Radio as saying that the
ruling PCM's motivation is determined by its drive to reorient Moldova
toward the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Russia-Belarus
Union and to isolate the country spiritually and economically from
Romania. Paladi also said President Vladimir Voronin has no
justification in backing the setting up of a Russian-language university
in Moldova and that Voronin is seeking to establish a "Russian monopoly"
over the "information space" in Moldova. The conference approved a
resolution accusing the communist authorities of attempting to liquidate
the "sovereign Moldovan unitary state" and replacing it with a "Russian
protectorate," Romanian Radio reported.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

DIVERS is a weekly news bulletin edited by the Mediafax News Agency
with financial support from
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center (EDRC) in Cluj.
For now, the full version of the bulletin is only available in
Romanian and can be found at www.divers.ro
e-mail: divers@mediafax.ro