Lietuviai Tolimųjų Rytų Respublikoje 1920-1922 m.: ištrūkti (ne)įmanoma

LTStraipsnyje tiriama lietuvių migracija į Tolimuosius Rytus, lietuvių organizacinė struktūra iki Tolimųjų Rytų Respublikos (TRR) susiformavimo ir lietuvių bei Lietuvos piliečių padėtis TRR nuo 1920 m. balandžio 6 d. iki 1922 m. lapkričio 15 d. Pristatomos lietuvių draugijos ir organizacijos Blagoveščenske, Chabarovske, Čitoje, Vladivostoke, lietuviams TRR atstovavusios institucijos, jų vadovai, pastarųjų kompetencijos ribos, veikla siekiant reevakuoti tautiečius į tėvynę, Lietuvos piliečio pareigos samprata. Tyrimas apima penkis Tolimųjų Rytų Respubliką sudariusius kraštus: Pabaikalę (Verchneudinskas), Užbaikalę (Čita), Amūro (Blagoveščenskas), Pamario (Vladivostokas) ir Paamūrės kraštą su šiaurine Sachalino dalimi (Chabarovskas). Raktažodžiai: lietuviai, Rytų Sibiras, Tolimieji Rytai, Tolimųjų Rytų Respublika, Čita, Vladivostokas. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe article takes an analytical look at Lithuanians, including citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, living in the Far Eastern Republic (FER) from 1920 to 1922; their associations and organizations in Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Chita, and Vladivostok; the FER institutions representing them, their leaders, and limits of their jurisdiction; their efforts to re-evacuate their countrymen to Lithuania, and their understanding of the duties of a Lithuanian citizen. The geography of this research embraces the five regions constituting the FER: the area west and east of Lake Baikal (Verhneudinsk), the Zabaykalsky Krai (Chita), the Amur region (Blagoveshchensk), the Primorsky Krai (Vladivostok) and the Khabarovsk Krai (Khabarovsk). The research covers the whole period that the FER was in existence – from the declaration of April 6, 1920 to the decision on November 15, 1922 to become part of Soviet Russia. The first part of the article reveals the circumstances that led some Lithuanians to settle in Russia’s far east, their occupations, and their organizational structures. A review of sources and historiography permits the conclusion that some Lithuanians traveled to the far east of their own volition, seeking a better income or shelter from war, while others were deported there. The larger portion of Lithuanians were employed in the army or government service; the rest were craftsmen, agricultural workers, tradesmen, and professional service providers. Generally Lithuanians preferred to live along a railroad, for example, in Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok, where Lithuanian organizations also were formed. The second part discusses the legal situation of Lithuanians in the FER and the taxes paid to the Republic of Lithuania.On the day the FER Constitution was adopted (April 27, 1921) some of its Lithuanians already held passports of the Republic of Lithuania or certifications of Lithuanian citizenship which provided them with an opportunity of obtaining a Lithuanian passport. The rest had to opt within six months to become citizens of the Republic of Lithuania. All those expressing a wish to become Lithuanian citizens had to pay a state tax equal to two percent of their annual income, and in 1922 an additional registration tax. The third part focuses on statistics related to the Lithuanians in the FER and the possibilities of their re-evacuation to Lithuania. On the basis of generalized data from sources we can determine only an approximate number of Lithuanians living in the FER from 1920 to 1922. The number of people wishing to return to their homeland in the fall of 1922 could have been between 1,000 and 1,500 persons. However, efforts to organize their trip out of the FER in 1921–1922 by railroad did not succeed. The fourth and final part of the article throws light on the cultural activities of the Lithuanians living in the FER. Their local communities together with some representatives of the Republic of Lithuania performed educational, cultural, and pastoral functions by holding evening get-togethers, organizing feasts, and sponsoring lectures on the past and future of Lithuania. Keywords: Lithuanians, Eastern Siberia, Far East, Far Eastern Republic, Chita, Vladivostok. [From the publication]

• Lietuvos vyriausybė ir Pirmojo pasaulinio karo pabėgėlių repatriacija į Lietuvą, 1918-1924 m / Tomas Balkelis. Oikos: lietuvių migracijos ir diasporos studijos. 2006, Nr. 2, p. 55-74.
• Moderniosios Lietuvos kūrimas / Tomas Balkelis. Vilnius : Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2012. 254 p.