Prior to the 60th anniversary of the first major deportation, President Lennart Meri will visit all counties of Estonia to meet all those who have been imprisoned, deported, or separated from their country in any other way by foreign powers. Together with the County Governors, commemoration ceremonies ''Estonia Remembers'' will be held in all counties from May 28 to June 13; the Republic of Estonia will honour the victims and commemorate those whom violence has separated from us forever.

The President asks the victims to submit their names and information on the places to which they had been deported or where they had been imprisoned to the County Governments, and invites them to commemoration ceremonies to be held in city parks, castle yards or song festival grounds. President Meri hopes that he will be able to shake hands with all those who have shared his fate and to hand them the badge of ''Broken Cornflower''. The bands ''Untsakad'' and ''Lindpriid'' will sing the tunes familiar from those hard times.

ESTONIA REMEMBERS
Programme

Monday, May 28 – Pärnu County, Pärnu Vallikäär / Untsakad
Tuesday, May 29 – Valga County, Valga Säde Park / Untsakad
Wednesday, May 30 – Viljandi County, Viljandi Song Festival Ground / Untsakad
Thursday, May 31– Võru County, Kandle Garden in Võru/ Lindpriid
Friday, June 1 – Põlva County, Intsikurmu Song Festival Stage / Lindpriid
Saturday June 2 – Jõgeva County, Palamuse Song Festival Stage / Lindpriid
Sunday June 3 –
Monday, June 4 –
Tuesday, June 5 – Ida-Viru County, Jõhvi Park / Untsakad
Wednesday, June 6 – Lääne-Viru County, at the Rakvere oak wood / Untsakad
Thursday, June 7 – Järva County, Paide Vallimägi (castle hill) / Untsakad
Friday, June 8 – Tartu County, Elva Song Festival Ground / Lindpriid
Saturday, June 9 – Lääne County, Haapsalu castle courtyard / Lindpriid
Sunday, June 10 – Hiiu County, Kroogi farm at Valgu / Lindpriid
Monday, June 11 – Saare County, Kuressaare castle courtyard / Lindpriid
Tuesday, June 12 – Rapla County, Märjamaa Song Festival Ground / Lindpriid
Wednesday, June 13 – Harju County, Tallinn Song Festival Ground / Untsakad
Thursday, June 14 – Mourning Day


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, May 10, 2001

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