Above: pictures from the window of a minibus in northern Kyrgyzstan, where transit stops feature elaborate Soviet architecture.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Country Driving
Above: pictures from the window of a minibus in northern Kyrgyzstan, where transit stops feature elaborate Soviet architecture.
AP: Kyrgyz security chief warns of instability
By Leila Saralayeva (AP)
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Allies of deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev may fund public disturbances in a bid to destabilize this turbulent Central Asian nation, the acting head of the security services said Thursday.
The warning came amid unsuccessful efforts to track down Bakiyev's close relatives and former high-ranking officials.
"Until the close relatives of ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiyev are detained, there will be no end to the instability," said security services chief Keneshbek Duishebayev.
Duishebayev said authorities were concerned by rumors that demonstrations in Bakiyev's support will be held on May 17.
Political rallies will be permitted, but any attempts to create public disorder through illegal means will be quashed, Duishebayev said.
Bakiyev fled the country last month, more than a week after he was toppled from power amid violent clashes between government forces and demonstrators that claimed at least 85 lives. He is currently in Belarus, where he has been offered refuge by President Alexander Lukashenko.
Bakiyev swept to power in 2005 on the crest of a wave of street protests, but his public standing collapsed amid growing corruption allegations, worsening living conditions and political repression.
Duishebayev says Bakiyev's brother, Zhanybek, who is accused of issuing the order to fire at protesters in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, may be eluding capture by moving across the Kyrgyz border with Uzbekistan. Another brother, Akhmat Bakiyev, a businessman and powerbroker in the family's political stronghold in southern Kyrgyzstan, also is at large.
"These are experienced people that have spent their entire lives carrying out investigative work, so they know our methods very well," Duishebayev said.
Acting Finance Minister Temir Sariyev has warned that the Bakiyev family may use finances it is accused of appropriating during Kurmanbek Bakiyev's five-year rule to finance subversive and anti-government activities.
The interim government also is offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of several of Bakiyev's fugitive colleagues, including former Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov.
Rewards of $20,000 to $100,000 are being offered to those who can help find them — colossal bounties in a country where the average salary is $130 per month.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Allies of deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev may fund public disturbances in a bid to destabilize this turbulent Central Asian nation, the acting head of the security services said Thursday.
The warning came amid unsuccessful efforts to track down Bakiyev's close relatives and former high-ranking officials.
"Until the close relatives of ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiyev are detained, there will be no end to the instability," said security services chief Keneshbek Duishebayev.
Duishebayev said authorities were concerned by rumors that demonstrations in Bakiyev's support will be held on May 17.
Political rallies will be permitted, but any attempts to create public disorder through illegal means will be quashed, Duishebayev said.
Bakiyev fled the country last month, more than a week after he was toppled from power amid violent clashes between government forces and demonstrators that claimed at least 85 lives. He is currently in Belarus, where he has been offered refuge by President Alexander Lukashenko.
Bakiyev swept to power in 2005 on the crest of a wave of street protests, but his public standing collapsed amid growing corruption allegations, worsening living conditions and political repression.
Duishebayev says Bakiyev's brother, Zhanybek, who is accused of issuing the order to fire at protesters in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, may be eluding capture by moving across the Kyrgyz border with Uzbekistan. Another brother, Akhmat Bakiyev, a businessman and powerbroker in the family's political stronghold in southern Kyrgyzstan, also is at large.
"These are experienced people that have spent their entire lives carrying out investigative work, so they know our methods very well," Duishebayev said.
Acting Finance Minister Temir Sariyev has warned that the Bakiyev family may use finances it is accused of appropriating during Kurmanbek Bakiyev's five-year rule to finance subversive and anti-government activities.
The interim government also is offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of several of Bakiyev's fugitive colleagues, including former Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov.
Rewards of $20,000 to $100,000 are being offered to those who can help find them — colossal bounties in a country where the average salary is $130 per month.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Victory Day Approaches
By R.B. Moreno
Above: regalia marking Soviet victory over the Nazis adorns downtown Bishkek's Ala-Too Square, where the charred remains of Kyrgyzstan's former tax ministry can also be seen. The building was damaged during riots that ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev from power less than a month ago. Along with Victory Day on May 9, Kyrgyzstan celebrates Labor Day and Constitution Day this month. TV channels have been airing both remembrances of protestors killed during April's uprising and interviews with World War II veterans, whose numbers continue to dwindle. In a village park outside the capital, meanwhile, a stern memorial reminds passersby of what happened 65 years prior.
Above: regalia marking Soviet victory over the Nazis adorns downtown Bishkek's Ala-Too Square, where the charred remains of Kyrgyzstan's former tax ministry can also be seen. The building was damaged during riots that ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev from power less than a month ago. Along with Victory Day on May 9, Kyrgyzstan celebrates Labor Day and Constitution Day this month. TV channels have been airing both remembrances of protestors killed during April's uprising and interviews with World War II veterans, whose numbers continue to dwindle. In a village park outside the capital, meanwhile, a stern memorial reminds passersby of what happened 65 years prior.
The View from Issyk Ata
By R.B. Moreno
Over the weekend myself and other Peace Corps trainees trekked through hills surrounding Kyrgystan's famous hot springs, once a destination for Buddhist pilgrims. Rowan Steward and Susie Weldon's Kyrgyz Republic notes the following:
Over the weekend myself and other Peace Corps trainees trekked through hills surrounding Kyrgystan's famous hot springs, once a destination for Buddhist pilgrims. Rowan Steward and Susie Weldon's Kyrgyz Republic notes the following:
Issyk Ata (Father Heat) used to be a place of pilgrimage but is now synonymous with its popular health resort, which offers the full package of medical examination and mineral spring-fed hot baths. Until the 19th century, villagers grateful for the healing properties of the water expressed their thanks by smearing sheep grease onto [a] large rock, which has a depiction of Buddha on it.The trainees, I should note, enjoyed cold rain and a waterfall rather than the baths, which cost about 6 USD.
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| Slideshow: The View from Issyk Ata |
Monday, May 03, 2010
The View from the Farmhouse
Above: RBM's host family for Peace Corps training in northern Kyrgyzstan. For breakfast: tea, apricot jam, and pastries from a relative's bakery in Bishkek. For dinner: chicken dumplings with homemade bread. And more tea.
The Revolution, Now on DVD
Above: a video montage of Kyrgyzstan's 2010 uprising, which culminated less than a month ago in Bishkek, has already reached kitchen tables in one northern village.
AP: Kyrgyzstan offers bounties for fugitive ex-leaders
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Kyrgyzstan's interim government is offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of fugitive relatives and colleagues of deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Authorities are looking to close the net on Bakiyev's circle and said Monday a dozen of his relatives and acquaintances are wanted for unspecified "grave crimes."
The suspects include one of Bakiyev's sons and three of his brothers, as well as former Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov. Rewards from $20,000 to $100,000 are offered to those who can help find them — colossal bounties in a country where the average salary is $130 per month.
Bakiyev was toppled on April 7 during a bloody uprising in which at least 85 people were killed. His brother Zhanybek is wanted for ordering police to open fire on protestors.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Authorities are looking to close the net on Bakiyev's circle and said Monday a dozen of his relatives and acquaintances are wanted for unspecified "grave crimes."
The suspects include one of Bakiyev's sons and three of his brothers, as well as former Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov. Rewards from $20,000 to $100,000 are offered to those who can help find them — colossal bounties in a country where the average salary is $130 per month.
Bakiyev was toppled on April 7 during a bloody uprising in which at least 85 people were killed. His brother Zhanybek is wanted for ordering police to open fire on protestors.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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