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.

• Security Police reported about its work during the first half of 2008
• Employers Confederation of Latvia: politicians, civil servants and entrepreneurs should work together
• Electronic database of Latgalian is being developed

Security Police (SP) reported about its work during the first half of 2008. According to SP, following a number of detentions, activity of Latvia’s skinheads has decreased. During the first half of 2008, four criminal offences committed by skinheads were disclosed: two racially motivated attacks and two cases of hooliganism. SP believes that attempts to popularise extremist ideas and organisations and to attract new members will be continued. SP emphasised that there is a tendency among radicals and extremists to increase their activities in the virtual space, both in the internet resources available to wide public and in specialised forums of similarly minded people.

Security Police (SP) reported about its work during the first half of 2008. According to SP, following a number of detentions, activity of Latvias skinheads has decreased. During the first half of 2008, four criminal offences committed by skinheads were disclosed: two racially motivated attacks and two cases of hooliganism. SP believes that attempts to popularise extremist ideas and organisations and to attract new members will be continued. SP emphasised that there is a tendency among radicals and extremists to increase their activities in the virtual space, both in the internet resources available to wide public and in specialised forums of similarly minded people. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize published a letter of Elina Egle, the General Director the Employers Confederation of Latvia (LDDK). Mrs.Egle points at a number of shortcomings in the state language policy and in the activity of the working group that elaborated new, enlarged, list of posts and professions which require different levels of obligatory Latvian language proficiency under the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations Nr.296. According to Mrs.Egle, LDDK opposed urgency in adoption of the amendments, because a number of shortcomings were not solved. Mrs.Egle also argues that politicians, civil servants and entrepreneurs should work together in order to ensure that employees do not lose their jobs, but improve their state language skills. In response to the letter, Inara Murniece, journalist of Latvijas Avize, stated that the amendments were necessary, because previous version of Regulations Nr.296. allowed for bilingualism in private sphere and doubts whether LDDK would enlarge the list upon its own will. Mrs.Murniece also charges that Elina Egle and Ivars Godmanis (the Prime Minister of Latvia) reply to journalists of Russian-language media in Russian language.

Vesti Segodnya writes about the elaboration of electronic database of Latgalian. The database is being developed by Zans Hanins, who already developed online electronic database of Russian, English, German, French, Byelorussian, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian, which allows translation of any phrase from one of these languages to another. Mr.Hanins argues that Latgalian is older than Latvian, and expresses concern that the Saeima might Latvianize Latgalian alphabet and rules.