Eight Unlucky Souls: Latvia's Border More Popular Than Karosta Prison Today

On Monday, our border proved to be more selective than a Liepāja Karosta café that refuses to serve customers without shirts. Eight people from various countries received a special invitation — to stay home and plan their vacation elsewhere.

Among the unsuccessful candidates were three Russians, two Belarusians, one German, one Bulgarian, and one from Kazakhstan. As one border guard said: "Today we were stricter than a Liepāja tram conductor on the afternoon shift." Meanwhile, his colleague added: "At least at our border you don't have to pay for a ticket."

Meanwhile, the situation at the Belarusian border is calmer than Liepāja beach on a November morning — no one has attempted to cross the border illegally. This year, only two people have tried this unsuccessful route, which is fewer than visitors to Liepāja's Dzintari Park on a rainy day.

Compared to Riga, where even the border guards probably don't know all their own neighborhoods, our border guards know every tree and bush. The government has extended the enhanced border protection regime until the end of June, but as one Ludza resident says: "It's always been quiet here — now they just pay us a salary for it." Last year, 12,046 people discovered that Latvia's border isn't as hospitable as our tourism ads, but 31 of them still received the humanitarian aid consolation prize.