Czech Romanies resettled from Vsetin must move out - press

The Tulej Romany family whom the town hall in Vsetin, north Moravia, moved to a dilapidated house in Cechy pod Kosirem, south Moravia, last year, will have to move from the house that is unhabitable, daily Pravo writes today.

The Tulejs were among the Romanies whom the Vsetin town hall, then headed by Jiri Cunek who has become senator, Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) chairman, deputy PM and local development minister in the meantime, moved from a dilapidated house in the centre of Vsetin.

Most of the Romanies were moved to container-like flats and a few families were resettled elsewhere in Moravia.
Marian Budinsky, owner of the house in Cechy pod Kosirem, gave the Tulejs until July 29 to move from the dilapidated house which they use on the basis of a letter of intent with which Budinsky agreed.

Budinsky says the family does not pay for energy. They have not, however, been able to sign up with the energy supplier because they do not yet own the house, and so they leave monthly instalments with the municipality’s mayor, Pravo writes.
"The money for this purpose is deposited in a safe," mayor Zdenek Mader (independent) told Pravo.

"We have tried to find housing for the Tulej family in several asylum houses, but they have rejected it," Vsetin town hall spokeswoman Eva Stejskalova is quoted as saying.

"They wanted to separate us, me from my wife, from children, which we will not agree with. We did not owe any money, so let them give us normal housing," Roman Tulej told the paper.

Mader said the situation is bad. It is "more than critical, they are repaying a mortgage for a house that they do not own because they have not, fortunately, signed the final purchase contract. Why should they do it in a situation where the construction office has ordered the house to be pulled down because it is in a state of dilapidation. They have not registered themselves with us, they have a permanent residence at the town office in Vsetin and the Vsetin town hall should take care of them who are its citizens."

Jitka Chalankova (KDU-CSL), deputy governor of Olomouc Region under which Cechy pod Kosirem falls, told Pravo she hopes that a solution will be found after a meeting with the Vsetin mayor on August 20.

"The Tulejs can by no means live in the house, it is not safe," she told Pravo.

The 12-member Tulej family have their things packed up to be ready to immediately leave the house if need be, the paper writes.

The house original owner got 320,000 crowns for it, but the Romanies are to pay 460,000 crowns for it over a period of 20 years.

Ombudsman Otakar Motejl has said the Vsetin town hall under Cunek made a number of mistakes when it moved the Romanies from the town centre.