S Kyrgyzstan "fully prepared" before ethnic clashes anniversary

Kyrgyz law enforcement and security agencies had been cleared to use weapons if the upcoming first anniversary of unrest in the country's south sparked violence, an official told a press conference Thursday.

"Law enforcement and security bodies engaged in maintaining law and order in Osh and Jalalabad have been authorized to use firearms without a special sanction from Bishkek in case of any disorder or clashes," first deputy of interior minister Bakyt Alymbekov said. He is also the head of the joint staff of law enforcement and security forces stationed in Osh.

To guarantee security of Osh residents and prevent extremist groups from entering the city in the run-up to the anniversary on June 10, 15 checkpoints have been installed in the city, 12 of them permanent and three in place only at night, including the area around the central city market, where clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek young people were especially bloody and violent last year, Alymbekov said.

The joint staff has also opened a round-the-clock telephone hotline, through which people could report any unlawful actions or disturbances.
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Source: Xinhua

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