What the newspapers say: April 23, 2009

In Romania, exceptions bend all rules, one newspaper reads on Thursday referring to the new salary law. A Rroma child in Spain earns some 1,500 euro/day by stealing and begging. Elsewhere in the news, one paper tells the story of the so called Romanian terrorist killed in Bolivia recently.

Gandul reads that in Romania exceptions bend all rules, referring to the new salary law introduced by the government. Even if the new salary law is unique and applied presumably for all, there are a few exceptions.

The paper reads that over 500,000 employees of commercial companies with state capital will avoid the new law because, legally, they are not state employed. Moreover, those working for the Justice, Defense or Foreign Affairs ministries have their own salary laws.

Romanian PM Emil Boc declared that the new salary law will be applied starting 2010 and will cut benefits to amount to maximum 30% of the salary. Boc underlined that salaries will not drop, nonetheless. But, he failed to explain that, by eliminating some benefits, those working for the state will have lower revenues even if not lower salaries.

Therefore, those working for the Justice or Defense ministry, where benefits can exceed 50% of the salary value, will continue to have their own salary law. Plus, the new law put forward by the government will not be applied to all state employees: in Romania there are some 500,000 people working in commercial companies with state capital which will avoid the law.

Cotidianul reads about a Spanish documentary revealing how a Rroma child can earn up to 1,500 euro a day by begging and stealing. Spanish TV Antena 3 presented last week the first part of a documentary relating how Rroma children, originating from Romania are obliged to steal and beg on the streets.

The second part of the documentary presents the luxurious villas and cars human traffickers buy in Romania from the money earned by the children. Last week’s documentary portrays Mirela, now 17 years old talking how children threaten people on the streets with a knife for money.

Apparently a child can earn some 1,500 euro per day and their parents, back in Romania receive one or two hundred euro per month.

Also about Romanians abroad, Evenimentul Zilei reads about Arpad Magyarosi, the presumed Romanian international terrorist that was killed recently and accused of planning to murder the Bolivian President. Arpad was killed together with another two men last week in a hotel in Santa Cruz by Bolivian governmental forces. A Croatian and another Romanian, Elod Toaso were arrested at the time.

They were part of an extremist right movement from East Bolivia and were accused of planning the murder of President Evo Morales.

The newspaper reads that Arpad had an adventurous life before moving to Bolivia and spent most of his adolescence studying in Hungary. He converted to the Muslim religion and was described by friends and family as a timid rocker, a brave fighter. He also co-founded the Hungarian Movement, a mysterious paramilitary movement.