Interior minister quits, calls on Latvians to consider their role

Latvians Online | 

Latvia’s interior minister Linda Mūrniece, who has been under increasing pressure since a shootout in Jēkabpils between local police and a gang of police bandits, is stepping down.

Mūrniece submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis on Feb. 17.

She has been the minister of the interior since March 2009. During that time, according to an Interior Ministry press release announcing her resignation, Mūrniece has been forced to accept and realize decisions that have been put off for years. The ministry, she added, has been underfunded for years.

“If I have not been able to change anything, then with this step I ask every resident of Latvia to think about their responsibility, to offer advice, to help, to think together and to work together, not just actively criticize,” Mūrniece said.

Following the Jan. 25 shootout, during which officer Andris Znotiņš was killed, calls for Mūrniece to step down escalated along with renewed focus on police corruption. Among those demanding her resignation was the United Police Trade Union of Latvia (Latvijas Apvienotā policistu apvienība), which said it has repeatedly warned about problems caused by low pay and poor working conditions for law enforcement workers.

Dombrovskis has not yet accepted Mūrniece’s resignation, according to Latvian media reports, and first wants to meet with her. Both the prime minister and Mūrniece are members of the Unity (Vienotība) bloc.

AFS offers one-month program in Latvia to learn language, culture

Amanda Jātniece | 

AFS Latvia is once again offering a one-month program of intensive Latvian language and culture study in Latvia for teenagers and young adults from around the world.

Students can choose either July 2011 or December 2011—January 2012, depending on what fits better with their home country school schedules. The program offers not only lessons in language, history, and culture, but also many cultural activities, such as dancing, singing, cooking, handicrafts, and participation in traditional solstice celebrations.

The program takes place in the coastal city of Liepāja. Students live with host families, thus experiencing the language and culture at its very heart—in the home. AFS Latvia is able to host 10-15 students, age 15 to 30 years. No previous knowledge of the Latvian language is necessary.

Application deadlines for the summer and winter programs are April 1 and Oct. 1, respectively. For more information and to register, contact your local AFS office (see www.afs.org). If there is no AFS office in your country, contact AFS Latvia at www.afs.lv or Ieva Vīksna at ieva.viksna@afs.org or +371 67280646.

Last year’s students prepared promotional videos, which can be seen on YouTube and on www.liepajniekiem.lv.

This program is an opportunity for the children of second- and third-generation Latvians living abroad to explore their ethnic heritage. It is a chance to be fully immersed in the culture—to speak, think and live in Latvian.

Summer institute in Wisconsin offers intensive language courses

Latvians Online | 

The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA), together with the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will host the Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) from June 13 to Aug. 5.

Instruction in first- and second-year Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian will be offered. BALSSI 2011 will also include lectures in English on Baltic history and culture and a rich program of cultural events and field trips related to the Baltic countries.

Thanks to a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the program fee for first-year Estonian and second-year Latvian will be waived for graduate students specializing in East European studies in any discipline. These students will, however, still be responsible for paying UW-Madison segregated fees.

The priority deadline for admission and the fee remission grant is April 11. Information and application materials are available on the BALSSI website, www.creeca.wisc.edu/balssi.

BALSSI is sponsored by a consortium of 10 U.S. universities and receives additional support from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies, ACLS and the Lithuanian Foundation. BALSSI at UW-Madison is also grateful to Madison Vilnius Sister Cities for its generosity and assistance, said Jennifer Ryan Tishler, CREECA’s associate director.

For further information about BALSSI 2011, contact Nancy Heingartner, BALSSI program coordinator, at balssi@creeca.wisc.edu or +1 (608) 262-3379.