MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 11 (139)/2005

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Original sender: Edivers Buletin <edivers_buletin-admin@mediafax.ro>



Divers Bulletin no. 11 (139) / March 28, 2005
News

INTERETHNIC RIOT IN MARCH 1990 - RECOLLECTION OF UNSOLVED DRAMA 

NEW DOCTRINAIRE PLATFORM IN UDMR

HUNGARIAN CIVIC UNION ASKS PRESIDENT TO REJECT MINORITY LAW

EU MONEY FOR ETHNIC ROMA STUDENTS� 

� AS WELL AS GERMAN DONATION FOR ROMA CENTER


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News

INTERETHNIC RIOT IN MARCH 1990 - RECOLLECTION OF UNSOLVED DRAMA 

TIRGU MURES - On March 19 and March 20, 1990, at Tirgu Mures (Central
Romania), serious incidents happened in the street between Romanians and
ethnic Hungarians, following which various persons were seriousaly
injured. For long time, the events had a negative impact upon the
inter-ethnic relations in Romania and upon the international image of
the Balkan country. 
On Saturday, March 20, at House ''Bernady Gyorgy'' in Tirgu Mures, the
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) leadership organized a
commemorative meeting on the inter-ethnic conflict in March 1990. Among
the guests, we can mention the director of the Museum on the fascist and
communist errors in Hungary Maria Schmidt, the politologist Gabriel
Andreescu and several participants at the events back then.
The incidents in March 1990 had a negative impact upon the economic
development of Tirgu Mures, stated UDMR chairman Marko Bela, at the end
of commemorating event. "The impact feebled in time, but I say we are in
delay in Tirgu Mures because of that", said Marko Bela.
According to Marko, the conflict had a decisive negative impact upon
everything that subsequently took place in Romania within the relations
between the ethnics. "And if think of this area of Europe, in some
countries, the inter-ethnic relationships moved to violence, to a bloody
conflict, reason for which I must claim this was also attempted in
Romania in March 1990 through everything that happened in Tirgu Mures�,
said UDMR leader.
According to him, many people wanted to take such "actions" and
appreciated as being very important to have a dialogue, UDMR having a
major role in that respect. "I do not like to speculate all sorts of
scenarios, but some interests clearly existed behind the events at the
respective moment. The members of the former intelligence police for
example, the members of the former leadership of the Romanian Communist
Party who tried to maintain the power�, also said Marko Bela. 
In 1990, on the occasion of the 142nd anniversary of the burst of the
revolution from 1848 in Budapest, the Hungarian authorities addressed
the Romanian authorities and asked the Hungarian ambassador in Bucharest
to take part in various commemorative protests.
According to the authorities in Bucharest, on the occasion of this
anniversary moment, in many localities in Transilvania (including the
county seats Satu Mare and Tirgu Mures), citizens of Hungary
"ostentatiously hoisted Hungarians signs and flags, replaced notices in
Romanian language and instigated the Romanian population through slogans
and instigating songs, profaning Avram Iancu�s statue in Tirgu Mures and
Nicolae Balcescu�s in Sovata".
At Tirgu Mures, the situation went out of control when the Romanian
organized counter manifests ended with street conflicts between the
Romanians and ethnic Hungarians. These collisions also involved
Romanians brought by trucks and buses from the villages nearby.
The events in 1990 from Tirgu Mures have not been fully solved, though a
commission of CPUN (provisory department with parliamentary tasks) has
immediately started an investigation.
Following the violent events, the Romanian villager Mihaila Cofariu as
well as the Hungarian writer Suto Andras were seriously injured. Both
cases are no used by every party, as an argument to prove who was right
in the past.
Author: DIVERS


NEW DOCTRINAIRE PLATFORM IN UDMR

MIERCUREA-CIUC � A new platform called the National Liberal Department
was established within UDMR Covasna, being led by Csaszar Miklos. He
said the platform meets the interests of the civic organizations, of the
entrepreneurs, of all the people who have not managed to accomplish
various projects. "Some persons ran against UDMR candidates at the local
elections but they voted on the lists of the Union at the parliamentary
elections. We do not want to get these persons involved in our
organization", said Csaszar Miklos.
The National Liberal Department wants to take part in the internal
elections within UDMR Covasna, which are due for April and it will
designate its own candidate for the position of chairman of the
territorial organization, targeting the position currently filled in by
Albert Almos.
According to Csaszar Miklos, the demand to register the platform was
submitted on Wednesday at UDMR Covasna, but the chief executive chairman
of the territorial organization Tishler Ferencz said that for the
registration, it is required the agreement of the executive leadership
and that of the commission to checkup the organization and functioning
regulation.
The program of the new platform concerns the problem of the individual
in general, of the community, of the political and economy domain. In
that respect, CLN leadership supports the importance of the education
for the educative role, as well as for the business environment.
CLN members propose the drawing up of a strategy plan of regional
development through including those projects which until now have not
been included in any of the regional or local plan.
Author: DIVERS


HUNGARIAN CIVIC UNION ASKS PRESIDENT TO REJECT MINORITY LAW

COVASNA - Local organizations of the Hungarian Civic Union's Covasna
branch have agreed to ask for the support of several human rights
associations in the country and abroad to convince President Traian
Basescu not to pass the national minorities law developed by the
Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR). The law is due to be
submitted to Parliament next month.
The head of the Covasna Hungarian Civic Union, Gazda Zoltan said the law
developed by the Hungarian Democrats is discriminative and
unconstitutional. Furthermore, Hungarian civic organizations were not
consulted, which would be damaging, given that passing the national
minority law is a must for Romania's EU accession, added Gazda. 
Author: DIVERS


EU MONEY FOR ETHNIC ROMA STUDENTS� 

SUCEAVA � A number of ten schools in Suceava (northern Romania) where
over ethnic Roma 1,500 children attend to will benefit from program
''Acces la educatie pentru grupurile dezavantajate'' (Access to
education for the disadvantaged groups), which will be mostly financed
by the European Union.
The project has a value of EUR600,000, which the European forum will pay
EUR570,000 from and the County Council 30,000. The project authorized by
county councilors on Wednesday session concerns the improvement of the
education conditions, to enable the pupils� access to high education
conditions as well as to attend the classes in the compulsory education
to prevent and remove the effects of school abandonment.
Author: DIVERS


� AS WELL AS GERMAN DONATION FOR ROMA CENTER

BUCHAREST - The German Embassy has donated Euro 16,000 to the Roma
Center for Social Intervention and Studies Romani CRISS. The money come
from the Stability Agreement and is to be used for the social
integration of the Roma ethnics.
Romani CRISS manager Costel Bercus, said that the money will finance the
people fighting discrimination against Roma. According to a statement
from the German Embassy, the project is also to be supported by the Open
Society Institute from Budapest and the Catholic Committee Against
Hunger and for Development in Paris. The German Ambassador in Romania,
Wilfried Gruber, and Bercus attended the ceremony for the contract
signing.
The second phase of the Romani CRISS project will be for the upervision
of Roma minors and the organization of discussions regarding social
integration. The donation will also serve for the judicial expenses of
Romas involved in trials. At the end of the year the organization is to
present a report about the program and the Roma's situation in reference
to human rights.
Author: DIVERS


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