Spoetnik
20-03-05, 15:52
Opposition demonstrators in Kyrgyzstan have burned down a police station, as protests continue a week after the second round of disputed elections.
In Jalal-Abad, 10,000 people forced police to take refuge on the roof of their station. They then left compound before the buildings were set ablaze.
Protesters say President Askar Akayev's party resorted to fraud in the parliamentary elections.
The government now says it is ready to negotiate with the demonstrators.
"We hope there will be no further violence," said presidential aide Abdil Seghizbayev.
But an opposition leader said talks would only be worthwhile if President Akayev himself took part.
"All other lower level negotiations will be just a waste of time," Kurmanbek Bakiyev of the People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan told the Associated Press news agency.
Arrests
No casualties have been reported so far in Jalal-Abad, as all police left the buildings before they were set on fire.
The protesters were said to be armed with sticks and home-made petrol bombs as they entered the police compound.
Police officers were firing shots in the air from the roof of their headquarters, but a spokesman said they were only using blanks.
The assault on the Jalal-Abad police station comes a day after protests in the city and in Osh.
Several demonstrators and a police officer were reported injured on Saturday, as the authorities tried to clear people from official buildings.
There were also some arrests.
"The authorities' decision to use force against people won't bring any good. It will only provoke anger," said Mr Bakiyev.
The police deny that excessive force was used.
Ethnic flashpoint
A number of protesters have camped out in Osh's main square since the second round of the elections, claiming that the results were rigged.
Monica Whitlock, a BBC correspondent in the region, says it is not surprising that the authorities in the south of Kyrgyzstan are treading cautiously.
This is a highly sensitive region close to the border with Uzbekistan, she says.
Police shot dead several demonstrators at a similar rally three years ago and in 1990, hundreds of people were killed in inter-ethnic violence in the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4365945.stm
Gek genoeg heb ik nog niets gehoord van Balkenende, Bush of Blair. (De drie B's die de grote D verspreiden)
Misschien is Kyrgyzie niet zo belangrijk als zeg eens de Ukraine of Georgie? Misschien moet de grote molen nog in aktie, wie belt wie, wie gaat er eerst, dat soort zaken.
In Jalal-Abad, 10,000 people forced police to take refuge on the roof of their station. They then left compound before the buildings were set ablaze.
Protesters say President Askar Akayev's party resorted to fraud in the parliamentary elections.
The government now says it is ready to negotiate with the demonstrators.
"We hope there will be no further violence," said presidential aide Abdil Seghizbayev.
But an opposition leader said talks would only be worthwhile if President Akayev himself took part.
"All other lower level negotiations will be just a waste of time," Kurmanbek Bakiyev of the People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan told the Associated Press news agency.
Arrests
No casualties have been reported so far in Jalal-Abad, as all police left the buildings before they were set on fire.
The protesters were said to be armed with sticks and home-made petrol bombs as they entered the police compound.
Police officers were firing shots in the air from the roof of their headquarters, but a spokesman said they were only using blanks.
The assault on the Jalal-Abad police station comes a day after protests in the city and in Osh.
Several demonstrators and a police officer were reported injured on Saturday, as the authorities tried to clear people from official buildings.
There were also some arrests.
"The authorities' decision to use force against people won't bring any good. It will only provoke anger," said Mr Bakiyev.
The police deny that excessive force was used.
Ethnic flashpoint
A number of protesters have camped out in Osh's main square since the second round of the elections, claiming that the results were rigged.
Monica Whitlock, a BBC correspondent in the region, says it is not surprising that the authorities in the south of Kyrgyzstan are treading cautiously.
This is a highly sensitive region close to the border with Uzbekistan, she says.
Police shot dead several demonstrators at a similar rally three years ago and in 1990, hundreds of people were killed in inter-ethnic violence in the area.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4365945.stm
Gek genoeg heb ik nog niets gehoord van Balkenende, Bush of Blair. (De drie B's die de grote D verspreiden)
Misschien is Kyrgyzie niet zo belangrijk als zeg eens de Ukraine of Georgie? Misschien moet de grote molen nog in aktie, wie belt wie, wie gaat er eerst, dat soort zaken.