Well, firstly, happy Revolution Day from Bishkek - seems a little incongruous as a public holiday here, but still, an extra day off isn’t something you’ll find me complaining about. Anyhow, on to what’s been happening over the last week or so, in no particular order.
Daniel Kimmage writing for RFE/RL has an article entitled “Restive Days in Bishkek” taking a look back over the events of the last couple of weeks and the implications. His conclusion does not make encouraging reading:
The political fallout from Tynychbek Akmatbaev’s death is far from over, but the fears it has awakened are already clear. One is that the state’s institutions remain as fragile today as they were when protestors overran government offices on 24 March and sent President Akaev fleeing into exile. Another is that into the resulting vacuum will rush individuals who resolve conflicts not by the force of law, but by the law of force.
Reuters reported on the riot at the Moldovanka prison (No. 31) as troops were sent in to try and put down the riot. AlertNet also reported on events, noting that poor conditions in prisons were a major contributing factor to both these and previous riots. However, RIA Novosti cited Deputy Justice Minister Sergei Zubov as saying that crime boss Aziz Batukayev ordered the riots (a view also reported by MosNews) at at least 7 prisons that have resulted in at least 20 deaths and a number of prisoners going on hunger strike. Regnum also has a report in a similar vein, asserting that photos of Chechen leaders Maskhadov and Basayev and a flag of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria were also found in the prison along with the more usual weapons and ammunition. Eurasianet also weighs in with an article entitled “Criminal Kingpins Thriing in Prisons”.Gazeta.kz also considers what caused the riots, considering the wider political background.
Looking further afield, Eurasia Daily Monitor takes a look at the state of Kyrgyz-Sino relations, concluding that the situation is at best unclear at the moment:
… we should expect to see some interesting new turns in Chinese policies toward both Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia as a whole as the trends set in motion by the Tulip Revolution become clearer.
The Christian Science Monitor focuses on US efforts to win popular support for its presence in the country at the Ganci Airbase. However, relations with the Kyrgyzstani government may also be a bit of a knotty issue given that there’s a bit of a disagreement over payment for the base, as Registan reports, noting that at least on this matter the US is proving a reluctant golden goose, particularly when it looks like the problem may well be one of funds going AWOL after payment… Maybe this is the first hint that the international community will not continue to permanently fund a government that refuses to take responsibility and be accountable, rather than throwing good money after bad. Certainly, as Eurasia Daily Monitor notes, Kyrgyzstan is weighing up the pros and cons at the moment. It’s not all one way, however, as RFE/RL reports on plans by the Kyrgyzstani government to make the US military pay for dumping fuel over Kyrgyzstani territory - true, the fine, USD 190 per ton dumped, is more or less symbolic, but it’s a start.
AlertNet reports on progress on demining the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border in Batken region. Inspections by Kyrgyz border units have confirmed that minefields near the border settlements of Chonkara, Ak-Turpak and Otukchu have been demined, thus allowing local residents to both move about far more safely and start grazing cattle on the land.
“Will Akayev Return to Kyrgyzstan?” is the rhetorical question asked in an article from Gazeta.kz reporting on events and participants of the Central Asian Fund for Democracy Development-sponsored conference “Political processes in Kyrgyzstan: results and prospects”.
ISN takes a look at the activities of the revivalist Tabligh Jamaat movement in both Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia more widely within the context of Islamic movements in the region and the future of the movement in light of the general attitude of suspicion that the authorities in the Central Asian republics towards religious movements and the potential for radicalisation.
Debate surrounding the now-infamous Bakiev-Kulov tandem will no doubt be fuelled by some of Bakiev’s latest remarks. First off is a report from Day.az quoting Bakiev as saying he has stated right from the start that he will “work with Kulov for five years”. Then comes a report from RFE/RL that could, if one were feeling cynical, be seen as a evidence of tension between the President and Prime Minister, with Bakiev proposing that the post of prime minister be scrapped from 2010 in favour of a vice president. The President himself noted that some people might be inclined to see the proposal as an attempt to get rid of Kulov, hence the proposed timescale:
“If [Kyrgyzstan’s] president would chair the government himself, and he would be also responsible for economy, it would be right. However, you know that together with the current prime minister Feliks Sharshenbayevich [Kulov], we have established a union, a tandem after the 24 March [Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan]. If I would propose [uniting both positions of president and prime minister] right now, then some people might say ‘Now he is trying to get rid of Kulov.’”
Finally, a quick couple of shorts courtesy of Day.az: firstly, ousted ex-president Askar Akaev has apparently been given a teaching post at MGU. Secondly, and far more importantly for many citizens of Kyrgyzstan, it has been announced that it is planned to include the right to dual citizenship in the new revision of the Kyrgyz Constitution.
Over and out from Bishkek for the time being.
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