Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Interview with the Minister of Education
• Interview with the head of the LASHOR Igors Pimenovs
• Naturalisation Board reports on attempts to cheat in naturalisation exams
• NRA claims about escalated tensions between right and left wing parties in the Riga City Council
• Riga City Council gives co-funding for producing a documentary Russian Myth

Chas talks to the Minister of Education and Science Baiba Rivzha. The minister states that she is not going to re-open the draft law on Ethnic Minority Schools arguing that its [laws] time has gone. She considers that the minority education reforms is going well. The minister notes that a special agency monitoring the quality of minority education has been formed, therefore in the future the situation should improve. She stresses that it is very important to find common interests and establish a continuous dialogue with all stake holders, including school children.

Telegraf talks to the Head of the Latvian Association for Support of Schools with the Russian Language of Instruction Igors Pimenovs about the draft law on Ethnic Minority Schools. He talks about the history and proposals to the draft law developed by his organisation. The main proposals are giving authority to school self-administration boards to choose which subjects study in Latvian and which in a minority language and give the rights to minority school children to choose the language of final state exams.

Vesti Segodnya reports on a recent attempt of the naturalisation applicant to cheat in naturalisation exam. In 2006, according to the information provided by the Naturalisation Board, there have been five attempts to cheat in the exams and all of them have resulted in the rejection of naturalisation applications.

NRA reports that exclusion of member of the Riga City Council Genadijs Kotovs (FHRUL) from the Riga Citys Council Committee on Safety and Order Affairs has escalated into serious tension between the right wing parties and left wing opposition. Representatives of the left wing parties promised that in the next Council they would exclude representatives of right wing parties from any committee, while a member of the right wing party stated that such threats is the reason to re-consider the naturalisation policy.

Yesterday, the Riga City Council approved co- funding in the amount of LVL 7,180 to produce a documentary “Russian Myth.” The authors of the idea stated that the main of the documentary is to show the world and Europe the difficult fate of East Europeans under the totalitarian regimes.

Yesterday, the Riga City Council approved co- funding in the amount of LVL 7,180 to produce a documentary Russian Myth. The authors of the idea stated that the main of the documentary is to show the world and Europe the difficult fate of East Europeans under the totalitarian regimes. Chas