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Riot Police Confront Opposition Protestors in Kyrgyzstan

   VOA News 07 April 2010
   Kyrgyz  police  block  off  a  government building before clashes with
   protesters in the town of Talas

Photo: AP

   Kyrgyz  police  block  off  a  government building before clashes with
   protesters in the town of Talas, Kyrgyzstan, 06 Apr 2010

   Witnesses say Kyrgyz riot police have fired tear gas and stun grenades
   to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital, in
   a second day of unrest.
   Witnesses  say  gun  shots  were  heard,  as  police tried to disperse
   protesters  who  seized  police  vehicles  in  Bishkek  on  Wednesday.
   Demonstrators were reportedly marching from opposition headquarters to
   presidential  offices to demand the resignation of President Kurmanbek
   Bakiyev.
   The  unrest  spread  to  the  town  of  Naryn,  where  at  least 1,000
   protesters took over the local government building.
   In  Talas, witnesses say demonstrators tried to storm the local police
   headquarters  Wednesday,  a  day  after hundreds of protesters clashed
   with police.  Protesters briefly held the regional governor hostage.
   Kyrgyz  officials  say  at  least  85  police officers were injured in
   Tuesday's  clashes  in  Talas.   Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov called
   opposition "bandits" Wednesday.
   Authorities responded by detaining several opposition leaders.
   Those  detained  include  Almazbek  Atambayev and former parliamentary
   speaker Omurbek Tekebayev.  Another opposition leader, Temir Sariyev,
   was arrested early Wednesday as he arrived on a flight from Moscow.
   Internet access was also reportedly blocked in many areas.
   The  U.S.  embassy  in  Kyrgyzstan said it was deeply concerned by the
   unrest and urged all parties to engage in talks to resolve the dispute
   peacefully.
   Russian  Deputy  Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin called for restraint
   in  the former Soviet republic, urging the government not to use force
   against protesters.
   Anti-government   discontent   has   been   rising  in  Kyrgyzstan,  a
   mountainous  impoverished country of five million people.  The nation
   hosts   a   U.S.   air  base  that  supports  military  operations  in
   Afghanistan.
   Kyrgyz  authorities  have  clamped  down  on independent media.  Last
   week,  Kyrgyz  police  confiscated  newsroom  computers in a raid on a
   television station and suspended a pro-opposition newspaper.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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