Czech town sparks uproar over gypsy 'deportations'

By Eric Johnson Nov 2, 2006, 15:31 GMT

Prague - A mayor's decision to evict dozens of families from his eastern Czech Republic town has fuelled a national debate over minority rights in the Czech Republic.

Mayor Jiri Cunek of Vsetin, a mountain town of 28,000 in the country's east, defended the decision to relocate more than 100 members of the Roma minority, or gypsies, to villages up to 70 kilometres away.

'There is clear evidence that what we're doing is not due to differences in skin colour but because of the rules that apply to everyone,' said Cunek.

Yet other government officials including a parliament leader and a regional vice-governor have joined human-rights groups in criticizing Cunek for what some call 'deportations.'

The controversy began when the town hall recently sent eviction notices to Roma residents of public flats, some of which are dilapidated and slated for demolition. At the same time, the town offered mortgage loans for houses in villages.

Most Roma accepted the loans, and some told local newspapers that they're happy in their new homes. Many non-Roma residents of Vsetin saw Cunek's decision as a good solution to social problems tied to poverty and unemployment in the Roma community.

Since communism ended in 1989, many Czech communities have struggled with Roma-related housing issues.

As in other eastern European countries, Czech Romas were forced by communist governments to abandon their traditional travelling lifestyle in the 1950s. Most settled in public apartment blocks, many of which have now decayed into slums.

Non-Romas frequently blame Romas for the slum conditions, while many Romas say they're victims of discrimination.

Vsetin was apparently the first Czech community to address the issue by moving Romas far beyond the town's boundaries.

The popularity of Cunek's decision was cited as a key factor in his successful campaign for a seat in parliament's upper house, the senate. He won last week's election on the Christian Democrat (KDU) ticket.

But after Roma activists and even village leaders complained, Cunek came under fire from KDU leaders such as regional Vice Governor Jitka Chalankova and the senate's Deputy Chairman Petr Pithart.

'I am appalled,' Chalankova told the Mlada fronta Dnes newspaper. 'This kind of moving reminds me of deportation.'

'This is an unacceptable practice for Mayor Cunek, as a senator and candidate for KDU chairman,' she said.

Pithart expressed his opposition in an interview with the Roma newsletter Romano Vodi.

'Not very many Christian Democrats share the position and views of our colleague Cunek with regard to the solution of Roma social problems,' he said.

This week's reports about former Vsetin resident Roman Tulej brought national attention to what had been a local debate.

Tulej and his 10 relatives were evicted and moved to a run-down cottage in a village 70 kilometres from Vsetin. They bought the cottage with a town loan.

But the former owner later complained that the cottage is too small for 11 people, and that she was tricked into selling it by an agent working with the Vsetin government.

Town hall spokeswoman Eva Stejskalova said the decision to clear out public flats was partly connected to the behaviour of residents who engaged in 'noisy activity, shouting, fighting and banging on walls all through the night.'

'Not only Romas but also members of majority groups must adhere to the conventions of decent cohabitation if they want to live in town housing,' Stejskalova said.