Kyrgyz Coal Mine Rally Could Divide Country – Journalist

The situation in the northern Naryn Region’s Dzhumgal District, where protesters seized the Kara-Keche coal mine in June demanding the coal mine be reprivatized, could be dangerous for Kyrgyzstan as it could divide the country, journalist Azamat Tynayev said.

In remarks broadcast by the Kyrgyz Public Educational Radio and TV on 16 July 2005, he said that residents of other regions might follow the example of Dzhumgal people.

“The Kara-Keche events are a dangerous sign. This sign could harm both social relations and the country’s entire economy. If this continues, the unique Kyrgyzstan may be divided into small parts,” Tynayev said. “What shall we do if, following the Dzhumgal people, residents of Issyk-Kul [Region] will come forward saying that they must be the first to benefit from the lake? After them, the people of Toktogul [District] can come forward saying that their land was flooded because of the Toktogul hydroelectric power station,” he added.

However, the leader of the protesters, the head of the People’s Patriotic Movement, Nurlan Motuyev, said that the rally was the only way to solve their problems.

“Workers of the coal mine and residents of Dzhumgal District have been calling on all the institutions and have been writing to all the newspapers for 10 years. This has yielded no results. What cannot be solved through evolution is solved through revolution, like this,” he said.

Azamat Tynayev drew the conclusion that these events should focus the government’s attention on the problems of local areas.

“The events in Kara-Keche show that the problems of many places like Dzhumgal must be solved more expeditiously. The government must share its power and its rights with local administrations,” he said.

(Report lasted about five minutes; no further processing planned)