Government afraid of wreaths from opposition.



On April 24-25 leaders of United Democratic Forces and Gomel regional coalition of UDF visited Gomel region and places which suffered from Chernobyl NPS catastrophe.

The chairman of United Public Party Anatol Liebiedzko, the forst secretary of Communist Party Belarusskaya Sergey Kaliakin and also the leader of Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Gramada) Valery Lievkovich took part in the trip over the “Chernobyl zone”. On April 24 political leaders visited Korma, Cherikov and Vietka where together with the local representatives of united democratic forces laid wreaths to the memorials of nine villages which ceased to exist after April 1986.

There was an unpleasant moment in the first point of the trip – in town Korma. The members of delegation had no sooner leave the regional center after laying the wreaths and flowers than in several minutes according to the order of local authorities the wreaths and flowers were taken away. Gomel activists of United Democratic Forces went to the local militia station and wrote a plaint about the authorities’ actions. This made a proper effect and in several minutes a truck came to the memorial and the wreaths and flowers were taken out of it and laid to the memorial again. But this time it was done by the workers of town’s public utilities.

After the accident in Korma, the wreaths and flowers were laid to the memorials in other towns, but nothing happened. One should mention that the car in which the leaders of opposition parties drove was constantly fallowed by cars with undercover men.

Gennady LOGINOV