Kyrgyzstan: Protesters Storm Government Building in Talas

Protestors in the northwestern Kyrgyz town of Talas stormed a government building and took the governor hostage on April 6, eyewitnesses told EurasiaNet.org. Some reports say protesters attempted to appoint their own governor.

One witness in Talas, a member of the Ak Shumkar (White Falcon) opposition party, said 4,000 protestors had taken control of the provincial headquarters, known as the White House, and were moving towards the local administration building as of 6 p.m. local time.

Other eyewitnesses told EurasiaNet.org the number was closer to 1,000.

"The police are shooting with rubber bullets and tear gas. They are shooting in the sky as well. One guy got shot in his leg; his bone was destroyed. He is in the hospital now," the protester told EurasiaNet.org.

Disputing reports that the protesters were attempting to appoint their own governor, he added, "We didn't elect anyone as the governor. We took the current governor as a hostage; we are holding him in the White House now."

The country is tense with large numbers of police reportedly gathering in provincial centers. Opposition groups have promised nationwide demonstrations for April 7 to demonstrate against corruption and a painful increase in energy tariffs.

Mobile connections in Talas appeared interrupted and some reports said buses and helicopters containing special forces were on their way to the city, a five-hour drive from Bishkek.

Kyrgyz media provided limited coverage of the events and several international websites devoted to the region were blocked in the afternoon, as they were during opposition protests in mid-March. A popular Kyrgyz blogging platform, diesel.elcat.kg, also appeared blocked.

"Nobody stormed anything, there was a crowd of drunk people who entered the provincial local government building and they left the building right away. Now, everything is under control of the law enforcement bodies," an interior ministry spokesman told EurasiaNet.org at 5 p.m.