The Latvian government should financially support former members of the Latvian Legion the same way it helps others who were repressed during the country’s half-century of occupation, says the head of the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība, or PBLA).

In an April 19 letter to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, PBLA Chairman Mārtiņš Sausīņš wrote that about 2,000 former Legionnaires are still alive in Latvia. Of those, about 200 receive compensation from the German government, but the rest do not.

“Latvian Legionnaires also were victims of foreign occupation, because almost all of them were illegally mobilized and did not voluntarily sign up to fight under a foreign power,” Sausiņš said, according to a translaton of the letter.

After the German army in 1941 drove the occupying Soviet forces from Latvia, two divisions of ethnic Latvian soldiers—the 15th and 19th—were formed in 1943 under the command of the Waffen SS. Historians figure that only about 15 percent to 20 percent were actual volunteers, while the rest were drafted.

Estimates vary about how many soldiers served in the two divisions. Sausiņš in his letter cites “more than 115,000.”

For those surviving Legionnaires who have not already received compensation from Germany, the PBLA also urged the Latvian government to help them by contacting the German government.

On another matter, the PBLA urged the Latvian government to activate an agreement with Russia about finding the remains of Latvian soldiers and reburying them in Latvia.

In addition, the PBLA letter asks the Latvian government to work on preventing attacks on the honor of Latvian soldiers in Latvia and abroad. In the days before and after the March 16 parade and memorial ceremony in Rīga honoring veterans of the Latvian Legion, a number of foreign press reports referred to the soldiers and their supporters as Nazis. Protesters at the Freedom Monument in downtown Rīga expressed their displeasure with the march by displaying signs noting the number of people murdered by the Nazis in several locations in Latvia during World War II.

No immediate response from Dombrovskis to the letter has been announced. Jānis Andersons, head of the PBLA’s representative office in Rīga, told Latvians Online in an email that within the past year the organization has had no discussions with the Latvian government about the issue.

Londonas latviešu dejotāji, kas pirms vairāk nekā 20 gadiem bija pirmie ārzemju latviešu dejotāji, kuri viesojās Latvijā, dzimtenē atgriezīsies 16. un 17. aprīlī uz nelielu koncertturneju, ziņo Terēze Bogdanova.

Dejotāji 1989. gadā sniedz neaizmirstamu koncertu Latvijas Nacionālajā Operā. Pēc tam vairāku gadu garumā tika atkārtoti apmeklēta dzimtene, uzstājoties ar plašām koncertprogrāmmām dažādās pilsētās un, protams, piedaloties deju svētkos.

Pēc vairāk nekā desmit gadu pārtraukuma Londonas tautas deju kopa atkal uzstāsies Latvijā, šoreiz ar savu dejotprasmi iepriecinot skatītājus Tukumā un Rīgā.

16. aprīlī londonieši būs īpašie viesi sava senā drauga – Tukuma tautas deju ansambļa “Svīta” 65 gadu jubilejas sarīkojumos. Pirmais koncerts plkst. 11.00 kopā ar jubilāriem notiks Tukuma pilsētas laukumā, savukārt 18.00 – pilsētas kultūras namā.

Nākamajā dienā, 17.aprīlī, londonieši uzstāsies VEF Kultūras pilī notiekošajā deju kopas “Dancītis” koncertā Rīgā.

Zimīgi, ka arī pašiem Londonas dejotājiem šis ir 35. jubilejas gads. Viktora Griguļa dibinātais un vadītais ansamblis ir bijis neatņemama vērtība Anglijas trimdas sabiedrībā, kuplinot vietāja un Eiropas mēroga latviešu kopā sanākšanas un svinību reizes, ar katru uzstāšanos demonstrējot savu dejotprieku, dažādību deju solī un nenogurdināmību, ziņo Bogdanova.

Tāpat viņi arī piedalījušies dažādos starptautiska mēroga sarīkojumos, popularizējot latviešu kultūru un latvisko deju soli. Pa šiem gadiem ir piedzīvotas neskaitāmas sastāvu maiņas, pārvarēti kritiski brīži, kad dejotāju skaits ir bijis ļoti minimāls – vien divi pāri, tāpat arī deju kopas ilggadējā vadītāja īslaicīgās prombūtnes veselības problēmu dēļ, taču pāri visam ir spēts noturēt snieguma kvalitāti un dejotāju rindās apvienot dažādās trimdinieku un jauniebraucēju paaudzes.

Uz Latviju tiks vestas gan gadu gados izkoptās horeogrāfijas, gan jaunapgūtās dejas, apliecinot deju kopas daudzpusīgumu, kā arī īpaši sarūpēti muzikālie priekšnesumi izjustā skanējumā, ziņo Bogdanova. Šī nelielā koncertturneja – atgriezšanās dzimtenē – būs veltīta kopas ilggadējai dejotājai un nesen mūžībā aizgājušajai Laimai Speakman-Brown, kura visus šos 35 gadus ar īsiem pārtraukumiem bija kopas pamatsastāvā un palīdzējusi izskolot nevienu vien no pašreizējiem kopas dejotājiem.

A signature campaign is set to begin May 11 that could lead to a constitutional amendment making Latvian the only language to be used in government-sponsored schools in the country, the Central Election Commission has announced in Rīga.

The campaign follows confirmation April 11 by the election commission that a petition drive organized by the conservative National Alliance had garnered at least 10,000 signatures, setting into motion the process that could result in the constitutional amendment.

If approved, the constitutional amendment would require that beginning with the 2012 school year, instruction from the first grade up in state- and municipal-sponsored schools could only occur in the state language. Under the constitution, the state language is Latvian.

The National Alliance (Nacionālā apvienība “Visu Latvijai!” – “Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK”) started the petition drive last year, gathering 10,140 signatures.

Now at least 10 percent of the number of voters in the last parliamentary election, a total 153,232 persons, have to sign a new petition organized by the election commission. If that number is reached by June 9, the proposed amendment will have to be considered by the Saeima.

If the Saeima rejects or amends a citizen-backed amendment, then a national referendum would be organized.

It will be up to local governments to determine where the signature drive will take place. Under the law, local governments must guarantee that at least one location is designated for each 10,000 persons in their jurisdiction.

For Latvian citizens abroad, it is expected that locations will be announced to include embassies and consulates, election commission spokeswoman Kristīne Bērziņa told Latvians Online in an email. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will determine where those locations will be.

While the National Alliance’s effort has moved ahead, another petition drive run by the “Dzimtā valoda” organization seeks to recognize Russian as a second state language. The organization was formed by Vladimirs Lindermans, head of the Jan. 13 Movement (13. janvāra kustība), and Osipov Party leader Jevgēņijs Osipovs, according to media reports.