Attacker on Armenian reporter arrested
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
26 Aug 04
The Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office has reported that Gagik
Stepanyan, 33, a resident of Yerevan, has been arrested.
The Prosecutor’s Office reported that it was Stepanyan who had
attacked Mkhitar Khachatryan, a photo correspondent, and seized his
camera. A criminal case has been brought against Stepanyan for
preventing reporters from performing their professional duties.
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2004
Elmar Mamedyarov Does Not Disclose Subject of Upcoming Meeting with
Armenian Foreign Minister
25/08/2004 09:49
TURAN — Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov confirmed yesterday
that he will meet with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan in
Prague on 30 August.
He however evaded a question about subject of negotiations in Czech
capital.
Nor did Mamedyarov answer if activization of Russia’s role in
settlement of the Karabakh conflict could be expected in light of
recent meetings between Foreign Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan,
and Presidents of Russia and Armenia. Mamedyarov promised to clarify
these issues after meeting in Prague.
Calcutta Telegraph, India
Aug 20 2004
Ramesh triumphs
Abu Dhabi: GM R. B. Ramesh defeated third seed GM Artyom Timofeev of
Russia in the fifth round of the 14th Abu Dhabi chess festival here.
GM P. Harikrishna missed out on a good opportunity to join the
leading pack as he could not put it across GM Artashes Minasian of
Armenia after being on top.
At the half-way stage, five players emerged leaders with four points.
They are GMs Ashot Anastasian, Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, Pavel Kotsur,
Mikhail Kobalia and Evgeny Gleizerov.
Harikrishna, Ramesh and GM Tejas Bakre (3.5 each), share the sixth
spot with top seed GM Evgeny Vladimirov, GM Marat Dzhumaev, GM
Minasian and IM Imad Hakki.
Among other Indians, IM S. Kidambi drew with compatriot Tania Sachdev
while IM Neelotpal Das and WGM Nisha Mohota also achieved the same
result. (PTI)
ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN DON’T REGISTER VICTORY IN OLYMPIC GAMES
ATHENS, August 16 (Noyan Tapan). Judoist Armen Nazarian (60-kilogram
weight class) first performed in the 28th summer Olympic Games held in
Athens. He won the first single combat, was defeated in the second
one, and receiving injury in the third one dropped out of further
struggle. Shot Norair Bakhtamian passed finals in the competitions on
100-meter shooting from pneumatic pistol, earned 681.9 points and
placed seventh. Swimmer Varduhi Avetisian in the competitions on
100-meter swimming in the brass style was the second in her subgroup
and placed 42nd among 48 participants. Sargis Sargsian dropped out of
struggle from the first round of the tennis competitions. Ivan
Lyubichi (Croatia) beat him with a score of 2:0. Weight-lifter Armen
Ghazarian (62-kilogram weight class) will step onto stage on August 16
late evening.
The Toronto Star
August 15, 2004 Sunday
Starting from the bottom, Armenian man always reached for very top
You know what would be nice? Having a big building named after you.
Imagine it: The (Your Name Here) Building.
Sounds good, eh? But how do you get there? What path can you follow
to someday see your name carved over the door?
Well, it helps to be war hero, prominent politician or arts icon.
But there is another road. A long, hard route paved with ingenuity,
perseverance and generosity. You might call it the Kololian Way.
Here’s how it goes …
We begin in a North York factory office in the summer of 1963, where
Kev Kololian is cooling his heels in the waiting room.
For two months now, he’s been knocking on 10 doors a day, trying to
persuade manufacturers to give him work for the small precision tool
shop he’s set up in a vacant Weston garage.
But, even when he manages to get an audience with the boss, it’s
always the same story. “Nothing right now,” they say. “But we’ll keep
you in mind. We’ll call you …”
Frustrating. But if there’s one thing Kev has learned in his 34
years, it’s to never give up.
Even as a kid in Cairo, this child of refugees from the 1915 Armenian
genocide in Turkey was developing a will to succeed, to reach for the
good things in life.
“I looked around at successful people,” he recalls, “and I asked
myself: ‘Why shouldn’t I do well, too?'”
Bold words for a dollar-a-day shop assistant forced to quit school at
14 to help support his parents, sister and extended family.
But it wasn’t just talk. When the store closed for the day, Kev’s
work continued. Seven hours a night he laboured over his
correspondence school books, hoping to become a radio engineer.
Not that he was a total goody-goody. Like any hot-blooded teen, he’d
get into scraps, try to settle disputes with his fists. Seeing the
wounds and bruises, his father, a school caretaker, had a suggestion:
“Kevork,” he said. “This is not the way. Better you should persuade
people with your words. Win them over with love, patience and
forgiveness.” Kev never forgot that advice.
But he forgot about radio engineering when he took a trip to Germany
at age 20. There, he saw something they didn’t have in Egypt: an
automatic lathe that could transform blocks of metal into precision
machine parts.
Which got him thinking … about his parents’ kitchen cooker. Like
nearly everyone in that part of the world, they had a Swedish-made
Primus gas stove.
And, like everyone else, they needed to replace the burned-out fuel
jet every two or three weeks.
What if Kev could get his own lathe, learn to manufacture the jets at
home and sell them far more cheaply than the imported parts?
Starting with his meagre $1,000 in savings, many 12-hour days and an
overload of enthusiasm, that’s just what he did. By the mid-1950s, he
was happily married, living well and employing 28 staff to operate 20
precision lathes.
A dream fulfilled. What could possibly go wrong?
Remember the Suez crises? Political revolution, coupled with street
riots and overt hostility to Christian Armenians in Cairo forcefully
reminded Kev of the 1915 terrors that had claimed the lives of both
his grandfathers and perhaps 1.5 million of his people.
Which explains how, after giving up his Egyptian home and business at
sacrifice prices, the ex-tycoon finds himself trying to make ends
meet in the summer of 1962 in a $115-per-month apartment at Lawrence
and Dufferin in North York. Pretty rough, eh?
“Not at all,” he laughs. “It was a wonderful time. No money, but no
worries. We were just so happy to be here, to be secure and free.
‘God has blessed this country,’ I said. ‘And we are going to share in
these blessings.'”
Alas, not everyone was willing to share.
Making the rounds to sell his services, Kev got the brush-off from
many secretaries put off by his “foreign” looks and accent.
Buzzing the boss, they’d say: “There’s a guy with a funny name here,
says he makes machine parts.” Which brings us to that waiting room at
Motorola Canada Ltd., where the receptionist is telling Kev: “Mr.
King, our purchasing agent, will see you now.”
So here we go, same old story. Mr. King listens patiently, nods
sympathetically then begins to deliver a familiar message: “We’ll
keep you in mind …”
In that moment, something snaps in Kev. Before he can stop himself,
he demands: “Whazza matter, Mr. King? You don’t have the guts to give
a man like me a chance?”
Gord King looks ready to explode. “Sit down!” he growls, and stomps
from the room.
Minutes later, he’s back with specifications for appliance
components. “Make me 100 of these, 200 of these. We’ll see if you’re
as good as you say you are.”
Kev dashes to his Pellatt Ave. shop and works through the night. Next
day, he’s back at Motorola with the cadmium-plated components. King
can hardly believe it, especially after his quality inspectors
declare the parts perfect.
“Mr. Kololian,” he smiles. “I believe we can do some business.”
Weeks later, Kev tries a new wrinkle. Instead of going hat-in-hand to
the purchasing agent’s office at de Havilland Aircraft, he calls
company president Phil Garrett directly.
Though friendly and courteous, Garrett suggests Kev really should see
one of his mid-management people.
“Okay if I tell him you referred me?” asks Kev.
“Of course,” replies Garrett.
The executive in question, thinking this cheery, energetic fellow is
somehow connected with the boss, gives him an opportunity that leads
to a lucrative contract.
Boom! Kev is on his way.
Over the next decade, as his business and family expand, he leaves
that Dufferin-Lawrence apartment and tiny workshop far behind. Still,
he feels things are not quite right.
Sure, he’s delighted with his financial success.
But what about some payback to this wonderful country that made it
possible?
For starters, he’d like to employ more Canadians in his growing
business.
But where are the home-grown tool-and-die makers and machinists? Why
must so much skilled labour be imported from Europe?
Just as he did at de Havilland, he goes right to the top. Overtures
are made in the 1970s to provincial and federal leaders, including
federal Labour Minister Robert Andras and Ontario Premier Bill Davis.
In time, the seeds Kev plants with the politicians blossom into an
extensive apprenticeship program, which he helps set up in community
colleges such as Seneca, George Brown and Humber, sending hundreds of
skilled, well-paid machinists into the workforce.
Yes, creating jobs is a nice way to salute your country. But after
impulsively buying a handmade Armenian wall rug embroidered with the
lyrics to “O Canada,” Kev finds another.
Why not give it to the nation as a symbolic gift from his people, he
wonders. But who should receive it? Why not go to the top?
Sure enough, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau agrees to meet with Kev
and a delegation from Toronto’s Armenian community. Their
get-together, scheduled for 10 minutes, stretches to nearly an hour.
Long way from that dollar-a-day job in Cairo.
Today, from his handsome home bordering the 11th hole of a
prestigious golf course, the one-time shop assistant oversees a
thriving family and 125 employees supplying sophisticated components
to the aerospace industry.
Still, when you get to be 76, wealth is no longer a goal. “I’d like
to be remembered,” he muses. “Not as a businessman, but as a
humanitarian.”
But who will remember? For more than a quarter-century now, thousands
of children have passed through the portals of a building at the
Armenian Community Centre, which was envisioned, substantially funded
and inspired by a never-say-die guy forced to quit school in Grade 6.
As long as they live, wherever they go, and whatever they do, those
generations will never forget their first school. And the name is
right up there on the wall for all to see:
KOLOLIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
No! It can’t be. But it IS: 50 years since Marilyn Bell, Toronto’s
swimming sweetheart, conquered Lake Ontario.
What was happening in your life on Sept. 9, 1954? And how did
Marilyn’s feat touch you? Send your stories to MARILYN, c/o
Gamester’s People, George Gamester, Toronto Star, One Yonge St.,
Toronto, Ont. M5E 1E6. Fax: 869-4322. E-mail: ggamest @ thestar.ca,
or call 416-869-4874 anytime.
‘God has blessed this country. And we are going to share
in these blessings.’
GRAPHIC: Refugee Kev Kolonian, far left, rose from dollar-a-day shop
assistant to a great businessman and leader in T.O.’s Armenian
community. He presents former prime minister Pierre Trudeau with a
handmade Armenian wall rug embroidered with the lyrics to “O Canada.”
Zerkalo, Azerbaijan
Aug 10 2004
ANTI-ARMENIAN RHETORICAL `COMPETITION` CONTINUES IN BAKU
BAKU, 10.08.04. Azeri officials continue their barrage of threats,
demands and complaints directed at Armenia and NKR. Just in the last
week, spokesman for the Azeri Defense Ministry Ramiz Melikov promised
to do away with the Armenian state in `25 to 30 years` and
incorporate its territory into Azerbaijan. `This people has been a
nuisance for its neighbors and has no right to live in this region,`
Melikov said.
The Defense Ministry spokesman predicted that the `world Armenian
cabal` would face certain ruin. Not just yet, however, as the senior
official in the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmedov dismissed the
human rights criticism of the New York-based Human Rights Watch,
alleging that it was under Armenian influence.
Also last week, the Azeri government, which continually threatens to
unleash a new war in Karabakh, protested the holding of annual
maneuvers of the Karabakh Army. The Azeri Central Election
Commission, widely chastised for rubber-stamping the dynastic power
transfer in Azerbaijan last year, protested the holding of a
competitive municipal election in Karabakh. The state-controlled and
scandal-plagued Football Federation of Azerbaijan, in its turn
complained about the plans for holding a soccer competition in
Karabakh.
With aggressive rhetoric continuing unabated, a public opinion poll
conducted in 2003 and published last month found strong public
support for peace in both Azerbaijan and Armenia. 97 percent of
Armenians and 93 percent of Azeris surveyed said they desired peace,
while 74 percent of Armenians and 46 percent of Azeris want
inter-ethnic relations re-established. Significantly, there is
greater support for reconciliation among the Azeris displaced by the
war (80 percent) than the general population. The American University
in Washington, DC funded the study.
CATHOLICOS OF GREAT CILICIAN HOUSE INVITED TO ERITREA
ANTELIAS, August 6 (Noyan Tapan). The newly appointed Patriarch of the
Orthodox Church of Eritrea sent a message to His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicose of the Great Cilician House, to pay an official visit to
Eritrea. The head of the sister-church of Eritrea that recently joined
the family of the Eastern Churches in his letter highly estimated the
inter-church activities of Supreme Patriarch Aram I. He expressed his
gratitude to the Supreme Patriarch for his work carried out in the
direction of the membership of the Orthodox Church of Eritrea in the
World Council of Churches. According to the press divan of the
Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House, the church of Eritrea
became a member of the World Council of Churches at the sitting of the
Central Board of the World Council of Churches last August.
Agence France Presse
1 Aout 2004
Double attentat a la voiture piegee pres de deux eglises a Bagdad
BAGDAD, 1er aout
BODY: Deux attentats consecutifs a la voiture piegee ont eu lieu
dimanche apres-midi dans le quartier de Karrada de Bagdad, a
proximite de deux eglises chretiennes, selon la police et un
journaliste de l’AFP sur place.
Une premiere voiture piegee, “conduite par un kamikaze”, a explose et
on ignore s’il y a des victimes autres que lui, a declare a l’AFP sur
place un policier, Haiedar Abdul Hussein.
Cette explosion a eu lieu pres d’une eglise chretienne armenienne
(bien: armenienne), selon un correspondant de l’AFP, qui a assiste
quelques instants plus tard a une deuxieme explosion, pres d’une
autre eglise chretienne.
Le correspondant de l’AFP a vu les carcasses des deux voitures
piegees, alors que des pompiers couraient dans tous les sens et que
des policiers tiraient en l’air.
Il a egalement vu des ambulanciers transporter des corps, tandis
qu’un policier annoncait que plusieurs personnes avaient ete tuees,
sans qu’il soit possible de verifier cette derniere information dans
l’immediat.
Les deux explosions ont eu lieu a proximite immediate des deux
eglises.
La premiere s’est produite devant l’eglise armenienne, la seconde le
long du mur de l’autre eglise, selon l’AFP.
Une epaisse fumee noire se degageant du lieu des explosions etait
visible a plusieurs kilometres.
El Pais
August 2, 2004
Una oleada de atentados suicidas contra iglesias siembra el terror
entre los cristianos de Irak
Al menos cinco personas mueren en ataques contra templos en Bagdad y
Mosul
Viene de la primera pagina
Los dos primeros ataques tuvieron lugar en el centrico barrio
capitalino de Karrada, cuya poblacion es mayoritariamente chii,
aunque tambien tiene un alto porcentaje de cristianos. En lo que va
de mes, una decena de licorerias -negocios explotados por cristianos-
en Karrada y el barrio de El Gadir han sido atacadas, al igual que
varias peluquerias de senoras.
La primera explosion que se escucho con nitidez por todo el centro de
la capital fue contra la iglesia de catolica armenia de la Asuncion.
Segun la policia, un kamikaze exploto su coche contra la puerta del
recinto religioso. Minutos despues, otra deflagracion elevaba una
columna del humo por el cielo de Bagdad. Esta segunda explosion fue
contra el muro de la iglesia de rito catolico siriaco de ese mismo
barrio. Varios coches aparcados en los alrededores resultaron
completamente destrozados.
De inmediato, helicopteros estadounidenses comenzaron a sobrevolar la
zona, mientras decenas de ambulancias y bomberos se precipitaban
hacia el lugar para auxiliar a las victimas. Segun declaro un
portavoz del hospital Ibn al Nafiz, 15 heridos, algunos de ellos
graves, fueron ingresados en ese centro.
Afortunadamente los atentados ocurrieron a media tarde, mientras que
las misas dominicales se celebran por la manana, lo que redujo
considerablemente la tragedia, ya que en todas las iglesias hubo
servicios religiosos, a los que acudieron, como es habitual, hombres,
mujeres y ninos. En una de las calles de acceso a la iglesia armenia
se colocaron a principios de mes grandes bloques de hormigon para
bloquear la calle y proteger la iglesia y el instituto femenino en
que estudian muchas cristianas armenias, sobre todo de los intentos
de secuestro.
“Siento miedo por el futuro en tanto que iraqui. Como catolico lo
tendre de verdad el dia que ataquen una iglesia”, dijo la semana
pasada, Walid Lion, un ingeniero electronico, cuyo taller de
reparacion de televisores linda con una de las tiendas de bebidas
alcoholicas que fueron incendiadas a mediados de mes.
El coche bomba y la granada que explosionaron junto a una iglesia de
Mosul, 370 kilometros al norte de Bagdad, lo hicieron casi al mismo
tiempo que las dos primeras deflagraciones de Bagdad. Los vecinos de
la zona aseguran que la humareda negra que dejo el doble atentado
podia verse a varios kilometros de distancia. Una persona resulto
muerta y 15 heridas.
La mayoria de los cristianos iraquies pertenece a la iglesia catolica
caldea pero tambien hay siriacos, catolicos armenios, sirios
ortodoxos y sirios catolicos. Durante la dictadura nacionalista de
Sadam Husein, los cristianos fueron protegidos, mientras Sadam
reprimia sobre todo a la mayoria chii del pais. De los 25 millones de
iraquies, el 58% son arabes chiies, el 18% arabes sunies, otro 18%
kurdos sunies y el resto son turcomanos, tambien de religion
musulmana y cristianos.
Precisamente ayer, el presidente iraqui Gazi al Yauar se entrevisto
con un enviado del Papa Juan Pablo II que supuestamente le expreso la
preocupacion del Vaticano con esta comunidad, aunque no se hizo
publico el contenido encuentro.
“No se si son sunies o son chiies, pero se que quienes atacan los
negocios cristianos son islamicos, entre los que tambien puede haber
elementos del antiguo regimen, que creen que existe una buena
cooperacion entre los cristianos y las tropas de ocupacion, lo que es
falso. Los cristianos somos los primeros en sufrir las consecuencias
de la invasion”, declaro el sacerdote Amer, que afirmo que no habia
pedido proteccion a la policia “para evitar que la iglesia se
convierta en objetivo de ataque”.
Los vecinos de Karrada acudieron de inmediato a ayudar a los heridos.
“He visto ninos y mujeres sangrando, los cristales de la iglesia
habian reventado y estaban por toda la calle”, declaro una iraqui
visiblemente afectada por el atentado.
Ataques en Faluya
La jornada de ayer fue un autentico infierno, que comenzo con dos
grandes bombazos en Bagdad. En Faluya, una ciudad que se ha
convertido en un bastion de la resistencia situada en el conflictivo
triangulo suni, los combates entre insurgentes y fuerzas
norteamericanas e iraquies se prolongaron durante toda la madrugada y
causaron mas de una decena de muertos, la mayoria civiles a
consecuencia de los bombardeos estadounidenses. Ademas, dos soldados
de Estados Unidos resultaron muertos y tres heridos cuando dos
vehiculos blindados uno en Samarra y otro en una carretera del sur
del pais pisaron una mina.
Mientras, el mando estadounidense puso en libertad a 126 prisioneros
iraquies en el marco de su nueva politica, con la que pretende poner
ante la justicia lo antes posible a los cerca de 5.000 presos que
mantiene en las dos principales carceles del pais, la mayoria de
ellos delincuentes comunes.
El Vaticano condeno ayer los atentados contra la comunidad cristiana
en Irak, que califico de “muy preocupantes”. “Su intencion es
aumentar la tension contra los lugares de culto cristianos en Irak”,
declaro el padre Ciro Benedetini, portavoz de la Santa Sede. “Es muy
preocupante porque es la primera vez que estos lugares de culto son
atacados”, agrego .
Armenian expert says government, Central Bank cannot control financial market
Iravunk web site, Yerevan
30 Jul 04
The devaluation of the dollar against the Armenian dram in recent
months has no economic grounds and proves that the government and the
Central Bank cannot control the situation and the financial market,
well-known Armenian economist Eduard Agadzhanov has said. He stressed
that the Central Bank is unable to maintain the stability of Armenian
currency and the rate of the dram will finally plummet as a result of
its policy. The following is the text of Kerob Sargsyan’s report by
Armenian newspaper Iravunk web site on 30 July headlined “Millions of
dollars of dubious origin come to Armenia and are ‘laundered’ here”.
Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Addressing the devaluation of the dollar against the dram in recent
months, well-known economist Eduard Agadzhanov maintains that this
phenomenon has no economic grounds. In addition, Mr Agadzhanov casts
doubts on the explanations by the Central Bank of the Republic of
Armenia about this issue and specifically, on the fact that the fall
in the exchange rate of the dollar is caused by a major influx of
tourists. Rejecting this explanation, Agadzhanov noted that if the
influx of tourists can influence the country’s currency, the budgets
of the countries with tourism-based economies should be in quite an
unimaginable state. He then developed his thesis.
The Central Bank fails to maintain stability of Armenian currency
Agadzhanov When the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia says that
the reason for the fall in the exchange rate of the dollar in Armenia
is tourism and the influx of foreign currencies, it forgets that the
main goal of the central banks all over the world is to stabilize the
currencies of their countries. The question arises what the Central
Bank of the Republic of Armenia could do to neutralize the surplus of
the dollar. There are elementary financial technologies. First and
foremost, the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia could issue more
money and buy up dollars cheaply. The government of the Republic of
Armenia also had to take this step because it has international
obligations and it would be profitable to honour them by buying
dollars cheaply. And the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia could
expand its hard currency reserves thanks to the low exchange
rates. Let me bring an example: tens of billions of dollars were
accumulated in Russia due to the unprecedentedly high oil prices in
the world. Why did this not make the rate of the rouble surge? The
point is that the Central Bank of the Russian Federation acted in a
more flexible and clever way, bought up the surplus of foreign
currency, neutralized the soaring rate of the rouble and
simultaneously replenished its hard currency reserve. The Central
Bank has another opportunity to neutralize the surplus of the dollar
as well. According to our information, Armenia abandoned this method
back in 1998, but it is still used in all the CIS countries. An
obligatory reserve fund, which applies to hard currency as well,
should be created. In other words, all banks have to create a hard
currency reserve to comply with the Central Bank’s decision. And there
is yet another mechanism which is used all over the world. For example
in Russia, every company that performs an import transaction is under
obligation to insure 50 to 100 per cent of the amount of hard currency
to be used in the transaction for a period of several months. In
short, there are numerous financial technologies which prevent the
influence of the growing amount of foreign currency in a country on
the stability of the home currency there.
I regret that that our Central Bank is taking no measures in the
current conditions, in other words, it fails to honour it main
obligation of maintaining the stability of the dram. The question
arises then: What is the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia
needed for? Why does it submit its annual monetary policy to the
National Assembly for approval? This is only a formality, it seems.
Millions of dubious origin
Journalist Do you think that the Central Bank of the Republic of
Armenia is not honouring its main obligation?
Agadzhanov I think that this means that millions of dollars of dubious
origin make their way to Armenia and are “laundered” here. Perhaps the
Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia, realizing that it is unable
to neutralize the huge amounts of money, is taking no steps. Also, let
us not rule out that the bank could simply be instructed not to
intervene.
Journalist It is hard to believe that the dubious dollars that you
mentioned started to infiltrate into Armenia in the last few months,
when the “triumphant march” of the dram started. Do you think that
there could be more profound reasons?
Agadzhanov I repeat: this situation has no economic justification
whatsoever. In other words, it is of a speculative nature: gamblers
buy dollars to sell it for a higher price, or this is done to meet the
importers’ interests. Let us not forget that in the country’s main
financial document – the 2004 state budget, which was submitted by the
government of the Republic of Armenia and approved by the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia – the average exchange rate of the
US dollar was set at 589.3 drams.
Journalists What consequences might this situation have from that
perspective?
Agadzhanov One fine day, when this agitation subsides, the rate of the
dram will suddenly plummet, with all the negative consequences that
ensue. But the current situation has shown that our authorities – the
government, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank – cannot
control the situation and the financial market. When the government
submits a budget in which the average annual exchange rate is set at
589.3 drams, the country, state government structures and private
businessmen plan their annual programmes based on that figure. In
reality, however, a totally different exchange rate is set, and
thousands of people and businessmen (especially local exporters)
suffer because of this disgraceful situation.