Rallies for Bakiyev in southern Kyrgyzstan, against him in Chui

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19/4 Tass 165

BISHKEK, April 19 (Itar-Tass) -- The police are holding a rally on the
Osh central square. About 1,000 demonstrators demand to observe and
protect their rights, build up social security of police and stop taking
advantage of policemen for political purposes.
The acting governor and the Osh mayor met with the protesters and
proposed to the police to lay down their demands in the written form to
solve the current problems.
The policemen demanded to dismiss acting Interior Minister Bolot
Sherniyazov.
Meanwhile, a rally in support of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev
and members of his family is underway in Dzhalal-Abad. About 1,000 people
gathered on the central square of the city, demanding to terminate the
persecution of the relatives of the former president, and also voiced the
support for Bakiyev. The participants in the rally also insist on
involving international experts in the investigation into the bloody
events on April 6-8.
Meanwhile, in the Chui Region the relatives of the protest victims
demand a trial against Kurmanbek and Zhanysh Bakiyevs, as well as other
officials responsible for the death of their relatives. Many people
believe that the interim government should not have permitted Kurmanbek
Bakiyev to leave the country, but to bring to justice.
About 1,000 aggressive people are moving to downtown Bishkek from the
northern suburb of the Kyrgyz capital. According to eyewitnesses, the mob
has aggressive intentions, cries out anti-Russian slogans and set on fire
several police cars. The goals of these people are unclear yet. According
to the latest reports, they are just 2-3 kilometers away from the center
of the city.
The police are trying to break up raging land raiders. The police are
attempting to scatter them into small groups and oust them to western and
northern suburbs of the Kyrgyz capital. Several trucks with servicemen of
the interior troops and special task forces arrived at the clash site.
Meanwhile, the mob is very aggressive, hurls stones at passers-by and
at the cars parked along the highways. Young people did not want to listen
to acting Bishkek mayor Isa Omurkulov, who intended to negotiate with
them. According to some reports, the mob is attempting to break to the
center of the city.
The police with the support of local residents have earlier ousted the
land raiders that seize 700 hectares of croplands near the suburban
settlement of Mayevka.
"The lootings broke out in a suburb of the Kyrgyz capital," press
attache of the Russian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan Viktor Kharchenko said live
on the Ekho Moskvy Radio on Monday. "We have information that the land
raiders are using the force, there is information about lootings and
people injured in the clashes," he said. "People are trying to protect
their croplands, but as a result a big mob with sticks and stones came.
They triggered the clashes," Kharchenko said. "We are specifying this,"
the press attache added.
-0-baz