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Kyrgyz rioters again seize Talas administration building

06 April 2010 19:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Rioters in the Kyrgyz city of Talas have again seized the building of the local government, eyewitnesses told RIA Novosti on the phone on Tuesday, APA reports citing RIA Novosti.
"The rioters have again seized the administrative building and burned a police car on the square," one eyewitness said, adding that the vehicle "continues to burn."
There have been unconfirmed reports that the first floor of the administrative building has also been set on fire.
Other eyewitnesses have said they saw rioters attack two police authorities on the city’s main square and that the rioters have turned into an uncontrollable mob.
Kyrgyz Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiyev said earlier that the authorities had subdued the rioters in Talas and the situation in the country was under control.
Kongantiyev said Kyrgyz authorities had subdued the rioters in the city of Talas by running the crowds off using tear gas.
The interior minister added that after the riots in Talas, all of the activities by the United People’s Movement would be considered unlawful and any attempts to continue protests on Wednesday would be stopped.
"They have violated constitutional order, they have taken over an administrative building, broken windows, used Molotov cocktails and held the governor for some time," the interior minister said describing the rioters’ actions.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov earlier on Tuesday confirmed that the protesters seized the Talas government building but refuted reports in Western media saying that they had also taken hostages.
Kyrgyzstan, where Russia and the United States both have military bases, has been in a state of constant instability since current President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power after the so-called tulip revolution, toppling his long-serving predecessor Askar Akayev in 2005.
The opposition has accused Bakiyev of tightening his grip on power while failing to bring stability and economic growth. His party won most seats in parliament in the early December 2007 election after two years of political upheaval.