MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Diversity Briefs, No.41

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers@mediafax.ro>


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No. 41 / February 3, 2003


DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY

1. UDMR TO NEGOCIATE NEW COOPERATION PROTOCOL WITH PSD
2. PRM PROVOKES INCIDENT IN TIRGU MURES
3. MAGYAR STUDENTS FACE OBSTACLES IN LEARNING ROMANIAN LANGUAGE
4. UDMR AGAINST SCOLARSHIP IN BUDAPEST FOR ETHNIC HUNGARIANS FROM
TRANSYLAVANIA
5. ILLEGAL MIGRATING ROMA IN FRANCE WOULD RATHER BEG THAN RETURN HOME

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UDMR TO NEGOCIATE NEW COOPERATION PROTOCOL WITH PSD
BUCHAREST - The leaders of Romanian ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD)
and Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) on January 24
declared as satisfied with the cooperation led by the two parties last
year and decided to negotiate new cooperation protocol for this year.
"We have appreciated UDMR's accuracy in observing the engagements, their
word promised and also how messages relating to NATO, EU, minorities
condition, had been sent in areas where the Union can reach more easily
than us", PSD chairman Adrian Nastase said. Besides, the UDMR leader
Marko Bela deems that, in 2002, a lot of progress was achieved in terms
of retrocession of lands, forests and church goods and stated they
should be carried out this year also. He mentioned there exist some
arrears in public high education system and it is necessary to be solved
as shortly as possible. (DIVERS)

PRM PROVOKES INCIDENT IN TIRGU MURES
TIRGU MURES - A group of supporters of the Greater Romania Party (PRM)
headed by its Mures County parliamentary representatives on 26 January
forced its way into the offices of the TIrgu-Mures-based County Council
and replaced a bust of former Mayor Gyorgy Bernady with a plaque in
memory of Romanians executed during the regime of Miklos Horthy,
Hungary's head of state from 1920-44, Radio Free Europe reported.
Bernady was mayor of Targu Mures in the 1930s. The plaque commemorates
35 Romanians who during the Hungarian rule of Transylvania (1940-44)
were executed in the cellar of the building that hosts the council. The
building was erected by Bernady. (DIVERS)

MAGYAR STUDENTS FACE OBSTACLES IN LEARNING ROMANIAN LANGUAGE
MIERCUREA CIUC - Thirty teachers for 5-8th grades, teaching Romanian
language for Magyar-major classes in Harghita and Covasna counties, met
last week in Miercurea Ciuc in order to debate on teaching methods for
Romanian language in regions with large ethnic minorities. The main
conclusion of the seminar is that Magyar students meet huge difficulties
in learning Romanian language. The education bodies pointed out that
such difficulties appear as the students do not hold enough knowledge
about Romanian language or relating to the structure of their mother
tongue, thus they cannot make differences when they are taught Romanian
language' s grammar, due to their lack of interest or because they do
not read books in Romanian language. Top it all, the teachers say, other
major causes lie in parents' indifference or in prolixity of the
textbooks. (DIVERS)

UDMR AGAINST SCOLARSHIP IN BUDAPEST FOR ETHNIC HUNGARIANS FROM
TRANSYLAVANIA
CLUJ-NAPOCA - The Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR) will
officially demand the Government of Hungary to give up to scholarships
granted to Magyar students and pupils from Romania in order to study in
the neighbor country, stated the executive chairman of the Union, Takacs
Csaba. According to Takacs, the leaders of Magyar community are worried
as such scholarships might encourage youth leaving abroad. (DIVERS)

ILLEGAL MIGRATING ROMA IN FRANCE WOULD RATHER BEG THAN RETURN HOME
BUCHAREST - Ethnic Roma with illegal migrating status in France refuse
coming back in Romania, though French authorities are willing to pay
Euro 153 and the plane ticket for each of them, according to Costel
Bercus, chairman of Romani Criss organization. Bercus admits Roma people
can get daily over Euro 150 sum by begging or other means and thus they
are not so keen on returning in Romania. Ethnic Roma present in France
told chairman of Romani Criss that in Romania they face discrimination
and their rights are not observed. Bercus states at present there is a
law fighting any kind of discrimination, yet, unfortunately, the law's
provisions are not implemented accordingly. (DIVERS)

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