Latvija in brief - 2011-09-29

In the first eight months of the year, 13,942 persons have officially emigrated from Latvia to abroad, according to information from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB), reports Nozare.lv. During the first eight months of 2010, 6,836 persons emigrated from Latvia. A total of 10,702 persons emigrated from the country during the whole of 2010. Data on migration has been collected since 1999, and shows that the number of persons emigrating abroad this August reached record levels - 2,300. The smallest monthly number of persons emigrating abroad was registered in February 2003 - 85. However, in the first eight months of the year, 2,132 persons immigrated to Latvia, compared to 1,753 during the same period last year. Overall, 2,790 persons immigrated to Latvia in 2010.

Only one-fifth of Latvians currently residing abroad are planning to return to Latvia, according to a survey of Latvians living abroad, reports Nozare.lv. Nineteen percent say that they would not want to return, whereas 42 percent would like to come back. The surveyed mention family and friends as the key reason for returning home. The majority, 82 percent, say they have family in Latvia. The time spent abroad is another factor - a majority who plan to return have spent up to two years in a foreign country. Better economic welfare in their residing countries and the opportunity to earn more are other reasons for not coming back. About one-half have already started families abroad. The majority have managed to build savings; 46 percent are paying off loans. Another reason for not coming back is the government’s performance. Seventy-two percent are convinced that Latvia is more corrupt than their current countries. Approximately one-third say they feel disapproval for leaving the country, mainly by those living in Latvia. The survey was carried out by SolidData from Sept. 12 to Sept. 16. 843 Latvians were surveyed.

Investigating a murder in Jelgava, police recently detained a man on suspicion of committing the crime, and later discovered that the same man committed two other murders in the city, reports LETA. Zemgale Region Police Department spokeswoman Ieva Sietniece said that local police detained a man, born in 1975, on suspicion of the murders. The man, who does not have a criminal record, has admitted to the slaying of three women between 2008 and 2011. A criminal process has been started. As Sietniece says, the body of a woman (born 1940) was found in an apartment on July 12 of this year in Jelgava Region. The woman had 39 stab wounds on her body. Carrying out an investigation, police were able to solve two other violent murders committed in 2008 of middle-aged women.