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Thousands of Kyrgyz opposition
protesters hold a rally in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, March 24.
Kyrgyz protesters forced their way into the main government building on
Thursday. Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has left the presidential office.
(Xinhua/AFP Photo) |
Kyrgyz riot police stand in combat
readiness in the face of opposition protesters in Bishkek, March 24.
(Xinhua/AFP Photo) |
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| Opposition protesters seized control of
Kyrgyzstan's main government building and the national television station
on Thursday, as the government was contacting the opposition for possible
talks to resolve a crisis over disputed elections. (Reuters)
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| Kyrgyz opposition supporters climb a fence
at the Presidential Palace in Bishkek. (AFP) |
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| Opposition protesters seized control of
Kyrgyzstan's main government building and the national television station
on Thursday, as the government was contacting the opposition for possible
talks to resolve a crisis over disputed elections.(AFP)
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| Kyrgyz opposition protesters parade past a
burning car outside the government building in central Bishkek March 24.
(Reuters) |
ALMA ATA, March 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Opposition
protesters seized control of Kyrgyzstan's main government building and the
national television station on Thursday, as the government was contacting the
opposition for possible talks to resolve a crisis over disputed elections.
About 1,000 protesters managed to clear riot police
from their positions outside the fence protecting the building, and about half
that number entered the compound and went into the building through the front
entrance.
Protesters later entered the headquarters of the
national television station, which has not been broadcasting the protests in the
capital of Bishkek.
Kyrgyz news agency reported that President Askar
Akayev has left the presidential office and arrived at a Russian airbase outside
Bishkek.
So far, opposition protesters have taken control of
administration buildings in three of Kyrgyzstan's seven regions and the
administration buildings of smaller districts within two other regions.
Authorities admitted to the public that the situation in some places has "gone
out of control."
Earlier, Interior Minister Keneshbek Dushebayev
appealed to the protesters to refrain from violence, saying peaceful
demonstrators would not be the targets of police anti-riot action.
"We ask (the protesters) not to destroy, not to loot,
not to storm state buildings and shops. I will never give an order to use arms
against peaceable people," Keneshbek Dushebayev told reporters.
DIALOGUE SOUGHT
Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topoyev and lawmaker
Tashkul Kereksizov had flown to Osh, currently under opposition control, for
talks with protest leaders, local press reported Thursday.
They were to make preparations for talks between the
government and the opposition, which could be held as early as Thursday, reports
said.
Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev was due to head
Thursday's talks in the flashpoint southern city, but he canceled the trip,
government spokeswoman Roza Daudova said.
"There might be other mediators" rather than Tanayev,
she said without elaborating.
A delegation from the Organization for Security and
Cooperationin Europe (OSCE) was due to arrive in Bishkek Thursday to mediate
talks between the government and the opposition, the ITAR-TASS news agency
reported quoting a foreign ministry source.
The opposition started rallying after the Feb. 27 parliamentaryelection, saying the poll was flawed. Rallies escalated after the March 13 run-offs, with opposition taking control of government buildings and airports in some southern regions and banks looted in demonstration-turned riots.
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