ZAGREB, Oct 19 (Hina) - A letter containing a suspicious white powder which was received by Dino Debeljuh of the Istrian Democratic Forum overshadowed Friday's work in parliament, which adopted new laws on the rights of Homeland War
veterans, health insurance, and child's allowance. Speaker Zlatko Tomcic interrupted the session when Debeljuh said he had received a suspicious letter. The parliament hall was evacuated. Experts of the Croatian Public Health Institute arrived immediately, took a sample, and gave the "green light" for the session to continue. Reporters were told later that Zdenko Franjic of the Social Democratic Party received a similar letter, from Germany, on Thursday. The public health centre was alarmed and turned off the ventilation system in the session hall so anything contaminating in the letter would not spread. Having examined the samples, the experts concluded there was no reason for pani
ZAGREB, Oct 19 (Hina) - A letter containing a suspicious white
powder which was received by Dino Debeljuh of the Istrian
Democratic Forum overshadowed Friday's work in parliament, which
adopted new laws on the rights of Homeland War veterans, health
insurance, and child's allowance.
Speaker Zlatko Tomcic interrupted the session when Debeljuh said he
had received a suspicious letter. The parliament hall was
evacuated. Experts of the Croatian Public Health Institute arrived
immediately, took a sample, and gave the "green light" for the
session to continue.
Reporters were told later that Zdenko Franjic of the Social
Democratic Party received a similar letter, from Germany, on
Thursday.
The public health centre was alarmed and turned off the ventilation
system in the session hall so anything contaminating in the letter
would not spread. Having examined the samples, the experts
concluded there was no reason for panic.
Last night the parliament hall was decontaminated because of one
suspicious letter.
The Parliament today adopted a new health insurance law which
introduces a basic mandatory and an additional, voluntary
insurance.
Medical fees will not be mandatory for children of up to 18 years of
age, while other health insurees will pay the fee depending on a
property census which will be regulated by another law.
The insurees can choose additional, private health insurance which
will pay their medical fees.
The Croatian Health Insurance Institute will be able to carry out
the additional insurance along with insurance companies.
The Parliament passed a law on child's allowance which will come
into effect on January 1, and according to which children of up to 15
or 19 years of age will be able to exercise the right to the
allowance only if they have regular education. An exception are
children with heavy health defects, with the age limit of 27 years.
Students, about 25,000 of them, will lose the right to child's
allowance.
The new law on the rights of war veterans and their families, which
will decrease or abolish part of the present rights, was adopted
with a majority of votes, but without the presence of MPs of the
Croatian Democratic Party, who walked out dissatisfied that the
largest number of their proposed amendments had been refused. They
requested that the curbing of the rights of veterans be
alleviated.
The MPs also adopted amendments to this year's government budget.
Budgetary expenditure has not increased, and the 1.9 billion
missing kuna intended for salaries and child's allowances were
acquired by cutbacks in numerous items and the country's loans.
When the 17th session continues next week, MPs will be discussing
the HDZ's request on a vote of non-confidence in Health Minister Ana
Stavljenic Rukavina because of last week's deaths of 21 kidney
patients who had undergone hemodialysis.
During Friday's sitting, two anonymous calls were received about
bombs planted in the parliament building. After the bomb squad
searched the premises, they established the telephone calls were
hoaxes, the Interior Ministry reported.
(hina) lml sb