Kyrgyz minister: Kyrgyz-Tajik border incident orchestrated
BISHKEK/OSH. May 8 (Interfax) - The latest Kyrgyz-Tajik border incident is rooted in the process of border delimitation and demarcation, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev said at the parliament.
"We are set to hold negotiations between the foreign ministries and ambassadors of the two countries. We believe this conflict derives from the unsettled border problem," the minister said.
"The border incident was orchestrated," Interior Minister Abdylda Suranchiev told the parliament.
"Kyrgyz citizen Daniyar Sulaymanov was driving through Tajikistan's territory, and a female citizen of Tajikistan asked to give her a lift. While they were talking a police or border service officer approached D. Sulaymanov and asked what he was doing there. He started to explain but was punched and hit back. Other Tajiks ran up and Sulaymanov had to flee," the minister said.
In his opinion, "the conflict was intended." People started gathering on both sides and rocks were tossed. There were about 500 people on our side and 150 on the Tajik side. Ten people of ours, among them a police officer, are now staying in a hospital," the interior minister said.
"A criminal case was opened over the conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border," the press service of the Batken regional police department told Interfax on Thursday.
"The criminal case was opened on the counts of deliberate property damage and hooliganism. District police officers are holding the inquiry," the police reported.
Meanwhile, Batken district police department officers are taking preventive measures in the border villages of Kok-Tash, Orto-Boz and Tash-Tumshuk in order to avoid a recurrence of the May 7 conflict.
Several hundred Kok-Tash residents held a rally in the district center on Thursday demanding the soonest delimitation and demarcation of the state border with Tajikistan. "If this is not done, conflicts will continue and become even fiercer," the villagers said.
Batken border unit servicemen stationed on the Kyrgyz-Tajik frontier have been alerted, the public relations department of the Kyrgyz State Border Service told Interfax on Thursday.
"State Border Service Deputy Chairman Abdikarim Alimbayev arrived in the Batken region to study the causes and circumstances of the May 7 incident between citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan," the department said.
According to the department, tensions persist on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
"Kyrgyz citizens have blocked the Batken (Kyrgyzstan) - Isfara (Tajikistan) road in the town of Kyzyl-Bel (Kyrgyzstan), some 500 meters away from the Kyzyl-Bel-Avtodorozhny checkpoint, and citizens of the republic have temporarily closed the Isfara-Vorukh road in the town of Aksai (Kyrgyzstan)," the department said.
"Besides that the power supply to Aksai (Kyrgyzstan) has stopped, and Tajikistan is restoring the power line, which goes through both republics, in the town of Hoja-Alo (Tajikistan)," it said.
