Updates: Russia, US, Bakiev, Otumbayeva

Russia has recognized Otumbayeva as the new President of Kyrgyzstan, although the US is still dithering. As far as I can tell the US government (as well as much of the US news media) are more concerned with how this will affect their ability to fight the war in Afghanistan, what with the Manas base just outside of Bishkek is such an important transit base for the US war effort. Meanwhile, Bakiev seems to have fled to the southern city of Osh. There's a big north-south divide in Kyrgyzstan, and it appears that Bakiev is playing on this to gain support and perhaps ignite civil war. He announced in an interview with Ekho Moscovy, a Russian radio station, that he has no intention of giving up the Presidency. Below are several more informative articles.

Self-proclaimed Kyrgyz leader thanks Russia, seeks aid

Kyrgyz Leader Refuses to Quit after Uprising

Kyrgyz president says he won't resign

Meet Kyrgyzstan's New Leader

Ousted Kyrgyzstan Leader Refuses to Admit Defeat

US expresses concern as opposition group in Kyrgyzstan seizes power

Can US supply Afghanistan war without Kyrgyzstan's Manas airfield?

Chaos and uncertainty reign in Bishkek

Bishkek before the blood

Bishkek wasn’t always bloody. I’ve been glued to the internet for the past couple of days, doing my best to follow what’s going on over there. I have spent so much time in Bishkek, and have literally walked all over the city. I know downtown Bishkek so well that it’s like an old friend… and watching video clips of the violence in the city center is like watching an old friend get punched in the face. Or shot. It’s horrible, and yet I can’t look away.

I went home last night, dug out my external hard drive, and began looking through the pictures of my time in Bishkek. I needed to see the place *without* the blood. If you’ve watched any of the videos or looked at any of the photos I’ve linked to in the previous posts, you’ve no doubt seen the same few buildings in the background over and over. Here they are in better times.

I just uploaded a whole bunch of my old Bishkek photos to flickr (for some reason, when I was in Kyrgyzstan I never uploaded a Bishkek set, just sets of my travels outside of Bishkek), so please CLICK HERE to check them out. It’s what the city *should* look like.

My father called me last night to ask if I’d heard about what was happening in Kyrgyzstan, saying essentially: I bet you’re glad you’re not there now! To which my response was: No way! I’d go back in a heartbeat. Even right now, I wish I were there.

More updates from Kyrgyzstan

Rioting has devolved into looting. Why, why, why must looting and destruction accompany protest and revolution? I understand the need for protest, the need to oust Bakiev. I do not at all comprehend the looting and destruction that has accompanied it... but it seems that this always happens (not just in Kyrgyzstan, but all over the world, when such situations arise). What is particularly distressing, is that I have seen so many pictures of businesses where the owners have posted signs reading, "We are with the People!" - and yet these businesses have been looted and destroyed nonetheless.

The opposition has claimed control of the government, if not of the looters, under the leadership of Roza Otunbayeva. I'm still trying to figure out what's up with Bakiev, as far as his location and what his intentions are.

Here's what my friends in Kyrgyzstan have to say:

This is from a friend who works for a US NGO in Bishkek:

Hello All, Thanks for your emails. Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine. They moved us to a "safe house" which meant we missed most of the action. Things are changing quickly. It seems like either we'll be evacuated to Kazakhstan or we'll go back to work :)

Yesterday there was a lot of shooting right outside our office since we're down the street from a National Guard building. Today, the city seems strangely normal. The streets are busy with cars and lots of people are walking around. People are also already cleaning up after the looting that happened during last night.

I'll try to send more updates when I get a chance.

This is from a former student of mine who lives in Bishkek:

Thanks for the message. Everything's ok. Me and my family sitting at home watching news. Goddam stupid politics are using the village youth. Bishkek is being looted like last time.

This is from another former student. She is studying in a high school in the US, but her family is in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan (where there has been unrest, but as far as I can tell, nothing like in Bishkek and Talas):

Hi Jane! Yes, I talked with my family and friends and they are all safe and everything is Ok; thank you :D

And this is from a Korean family (yes, I said Korean; not a typo) I am friends with, also living in Bishkek:

Thank you for your concern! We're staying at home and not going anywhere right now..
Hope everything ends soon. well, the change to the gov-t has already been made...

I'm still trying to get some info on The London School, where I lived and worked when I was in Kyrgyzstan. The VEFA Center, located less than a block from TLS has been looted, so I am a little worried.

My friend and former student Elena (who has been blogging like mad about this from her current home in Tennessee) has collected a large amount of photos of Bishkek in its current state from her contacts, and she has posted them on flickr. I highly recommend checking them out.

Not much has changed news-wise since last night, but this is a good article, with numerous photos and videos: Opposition says it's in control of Kyrgyzstan after riots.

Revolution Over? Bakiev flees, a female president appointed...

This is Roza Otunbayeva, former Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan and (according to announcements from the opposition), the new President of Kyrgyzstan.
Read about her on wikipedia.

More K-stan revolution on YouTube :-(

Oh my god.

Situation worsens in Kyrgyzstan

Here are some more links.
Read them.
They speak for themselves.
My poor K-stan.

Unrest in Kyrgyzstan prompts state of emergency
Kyrgyzstan in crisis as clashes escalate (has several videos)
Protesters kill government minister as violence escalates

Kyrgyzstan capital simmers with resentment

This blog, newseurasia.net, has tons of updates and videos in English

Is the next revolution coming?

Things are heating up over in Kyrgyzstan... Another revolution might be on its way. It's sad though, because instability will only serve to make things worse over there. I'm all for the removal of Bakiev, but I wish they could do it peacefully. And, of course, since Bakiev was brought to power by revolution, should we expect a new leader brought to power in the same fashion to be any better? I have to say that I wish I were there to blog about it... As it is, I'm trying to follow what's going on via blogs, Twitter feeds, and the few news reports that are coming out.

The following quote is from Edil Baisalov, and was taken from this very informative English language blog post. "Just a few hours ago, after 9:00 pm Bishkek time, Bakiyev’s special riot police simultaneously stormed the Talas oblast government building and arrested several leading opposition members in Bishkek, including Omurbek Tekebaev and Almaz Atambaev. At this time, the people in Talas have retaken the building and are reportedly preparing en masse for a large show of force against the Bakiyev government tomorrow. Also we expect that tomorrow earlier scheduled rallies will take place in Naryn, Issykkul, Alay, Aksy and a few other places."

The following are news reports from the region:
Protesters Clash With Police In Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz unrest threatens to spread with new rallies
Kyrgyzstan: Bakiev Confronts Political Crisis
Protesters Retake Government Building in Kyrgyzstan

For those of you who read Russian, check out the live journal of my friend and former student Elena, who is in the US right now, but she's still blogging about it. Here are some twitter feeds for you, which give results in English, Kyrgyz and Russian: #talas and #freekg. Sigh.

The Case of the Disappearing Asses

As you may know, ever since some unknown time prior to the purchase of my house, someone defaced the street signs on my corner... which meant that in 2006 I purchased a home located on the corner of Ass and Ass. Four years passed, and yet Ass and Ass remained.

Just yesterday, I complained about my street signs in the comment section of this post over on the Waycross, GA blog - and somebody important must've been paying attention, because take a look at what happened today:

An awesome youtube series on the 'stans

I wish my friends and I could go back to K-stan and make a video series... granted, ours would probably be focused on things like haggling for taxis, avoiding being mauled by wolves, drinking tan, and finding not completely abysmal cat litter. I've linked below to their videos on Kyrgyzstan, although they visit the other 'stans as well. When they visit places I've been - and stand places I've stood - I find myself feeling thoroughly bummed that I'm here in Waycross instead of living in Kyrgyzstan. And then when they visit places in K-stan I didn't make it to (such as villages-cum-radioactive-waste-dumps), I feel insanely jealous. Sigh.

(I found the part about the US base kind of boring...
I recommend skipping ahead to the search for rdioactive waste)