Czechs bid farewell to Havel in national mourning

Thousands gathered in Prague's historic city centre Wednesday as three days of national mourning began to bid farewell to 1989 Velvet Revolution icon Vaclav Havel who died Sunday aged 75. In the early morning chill, some 10,000 mourners mostly in black, some carrying Czech or Slovak flags, joined a solemn procession taking the former president's coffin from a church through Prague's narrow cobbled streets to Prague Castle, the seat of Czech presidents. A dissident playwright, Havel led the nation through the bloodless 1989 Velvet Revolution that toppled Soviet-backed communism in then Czechoslovakia. He then went on to serve as president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and subsequently the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003 when the former Czechoslovak federation split peacefully into two states. "Mr Havel was a model of a man who longs to live in truth and in harmony with his inner conscience, and who is not afraid to suffer for that," said Jaroslav Mino, about 60, who came from eastern Slovakia for the event. "I studied nuclear physics in Prague and now I've come back," said the man wearing Slovak folk costume -- an embroidered vest and a black hat, and carrying a Slovak flag. "It's time to remember Havel and some of his moral appeals which are absent from today's politics -- it's all about business and money, and I think they should start with the people themselves instead," said Mino. Slovakia has declared Friday, the day of Havel's funeral, a day of national mourning. Flags flew at half mast across the Czech Republic on Wednesday, the first day of national mourning as theatres, cinemas and music clubs cancelled performances. Wednesday's procession started at the Prague Crossroads, a spiritual centre created by Havel in a disused church, where his coffin has been viewed by the public for the past two days. In the clapping crowd in downtown Prague, Vladimir Dlouhy, minister of trade and industry under Havel's presidency, remembered the man whom he respected. "Some loved him and some disagreed with him, but he fundamentally changed our lives as the leader of the Velvet Revolution," he said. Martina Smith, Havel's secretary in the 1990s, was also in the procession. "It's a personal affair for me, I wanted to bid farewell and accompany him on this journey," said the young woman now living in Australia. "He was very popular and people felt close to him. And for me, those were wonderful years, and he a fantastic man," she said. After arriving at Prague Castle, the coffin was placed on a horse-drawn gun carriage also used for the funeral of the first Czechoslovak president, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, in 1937. Six horses took the coffin to the castle's grand Vladislav Hall, where it will lie in state for two days, before being taken to St Vitus Cathedral for Friday's memorial service and a requiem mass. Friday's event will be attended by scores of leaders including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with her husband, former US President Bill Clinton. Among dignitaries who have confirmed their presence at the funeral are the presidents of Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Georgia, Slovakia, Lithuania and Estonia. The office of President Vaclav Klaus said the guest list would be completed by Wednesday afternoon. After the service, Havel's body will be cremated in accordance with his family's wishes.