The interview, as it appeared - in Russian

A week or so ago, a journalist phoned and asked if they could come and take an interview from me.  To be honest, I am not very keen on giving interviews but, as they say, it “goes with the territory” … so I agreed.

At the appointed time, the journalist appeared in my office and we chatted away.  She put a mobile phone down on the desk and recorded the whole conversation, so the question “Did I say that?” shouldn’t really apply. As it happens, as I read the piece when it eventually appeared, it occurred to me that, Yes, it was a did reflect the discussion that took place, but  I wasn’t too sure that it was accurate account of what I had said …

But as she had had to cut almost two hours of conversation down to less than six hundred words, and keep the attention of the readers, I suppose that it was inevitable that I might find the final result a little strange.

Th headline, “Santa Clause will not remain without a home” … seemed to me, perhaps, one of the strangest aspects of the article.  Some people who read the article tell me that they also found the headline confusing.  It is true that we did talk about Santa Clause – but it wasn’t by any means the main theme of the interview.

What’s more I found it difficult to follow the logic … and it was supposed to be my interview!!!  Actually, more embarrassing, it went out over my name … the journalist’s name was nowhere to be seen, so it looked as if I had written the article.  One person, who seems to have been as confused as I was, even told me that they thought I had written it originally in English and it may have been “mangled” somewhat in the translation.

The journalist opened her article with an observation that many of us working in tourism repeatedly make – that beyond our borders there aren’t actually that many people that know much about Kyrgyzstan.   In the days of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan may well have been well known within the USSR but it was very much a closed book as far as most people in the West were concerned.  Those who might have specialist knowledge and a particular interest in the region might be historians who specialized in the Great Silk Road, or the details of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires, or perhaps mountaineers with an interest in the peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range, but for most people … it was unknown territory.

So, I suppose it was a fair question to ask me how I came to be here.   I tried to answer that … and explained how it was a friend who told me about the country and what it had to offer … and how I came, originally for just a year, but then having learned about the country as result of being here, decided that I wanted to stay on.

As it happens, of course, people in the West may now have heard of the name of Kyrgyzstan – mainly as a result of our two revolutions.  This had both positive and negative results on the development of tourism.   Positive in that people were now at least more familiar with the name of the country, but negative in that many tour companies and tourists were discouraged from visiting Kyrgyzstan.  Over the course of time, however, it is to be hoped that this negative effect would lose its influence and more tourists might be expected.

It was important that we do our best to get the name of Kyrgyzstan before potential visitors so that they became aware of Kyrgyzstan as a country, a possible tourist destination and all that it had to offer.

It was than that we got to the point about Santa Clause … we were talking about exposure in the media … A group of Swedish “scientists” had announced the result of their research that the best place for Santa to begin his annual journey distributing gifts to children around the world was Kyrgyzstan.   Kyrgyzstan had seized on this and began a campaign claiming to be the Land of of Santa Clause.  As with the revolutions which Kyrgyzstan has experienced, this campaign had both positive and negative aspects:  Positive in that brought the name of Kyrgyzstan into the public eye but negative because Kyrgyzstan is clearly not connected with Santa Clause – and what we need to publicise are the landscape, pristine natural environment, the wildlife, the historical connections such as the Great Silk Road and the traditional nomadic culture of the the Kyrgyz.

There are other things that we can do including organizing Press Tours … so that journalists could visit the country who then go away and write about what they have experienced.  We also used our various websites, some of which were specifically about tourism whereas others address more general themes trying to draw attention to the country and what it has to offer the potential visitor.   In fact we have to use whatever opportunity that comes along in order to publicize the country … anything, such as pure, natural Kyrgyz honey 0r even Santa Clause.  I even gave the example of Borat and our neighbours Kazakhstan.  The exposure that the country received as a result of the film had both positive and negative aspects.  Negative in the unflattering and untrue image that it created in the West but positive in that it helped to raise the public profile of the country, improved name recognition and led to a vast increase in the number of visitors who decided to “have a look for themselves”.  It had led, for example, to dramatic increase in the demand for visas.

That brought us to the question of the recent extension of the visa free regime to cover another 44 countries.  In answer to question whether I thought this was a good move, of course I replied “of course!”.  For one thing it sent the welcoming message that “we are pleased to see you!” to potential visitors.

It wasn’t however, the end of the story.  It wouldn’t guarantee the development of tourism on its own.  We had to try and make it easy for visitors to get to the country and at the moment there were only a few airlines operating flights into Bishkek’s main airport.  There is a need to pay attention to the range and quality of services here in the republic.  I said that, in my opinion, although there are some areas where the government has a legitimate role to play, the people best placed to address such questions were those working in the industry.  We knew our clients and what they required from us.  It was in our interests to make sure that they were well received.

I couldn’t help thinking that, as the article seemed to be a collection of thoughts that I had expressed during the interview, it was a pity that so many “gems” had escaped … such as: “in tourism it takes years to develop a business”, or “we have to find new clients every year – there may be some, but not many ‘repeat guests‘ each year”, and “if people have been on holiday somewhere, then they think they understand the business – they act as if they are experts …” …

But then again, she only had something like 600 words … aft6er all,  I have already take twice that in this postcard.

The all important official publication of the law extending the visa free regime to another 44 countries!

I wrote a postcard the other day, (Visa free … finally!), about the long and drawn out process of trying to get a visa free regime adopted here in Kyrgyzstan … and I said that I had two press releases waiting on my computer, but I was reluctant to issue them until the new law actually came into force.

Well, apparently the law’s now been published … which means it is now in force.

For the record, here are the two press releases that I referred to … :

The first is aimed at a foreign audience, i.e. potential tourists:

Visa Free Regime – What it means and what it doesn’t!

Visiting Kyrgyzstan has become easier … at least for some people.

This is because Kyrgyzstan has unilaterally decided to adopt a “visa free regime” for visitors from forty four different countries. Citizens of these countries now join those of seventeen other countries that can travel to and enter the Kyrgyz Republic without having to apply for a visa, (making a total of sixty one countries so that enjoy this privilege).

Obtaining a visa not only involves costs in terms of fees, but also in terms of time in order apply and receive the all important stamp in the passport; (and more so for those who were also required to obtain an official invitation which in turn needs to be approved in advance).

Welcoming the measure, Ian Claytor, the President of the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators, commented: “By taking this step and eliminating these administrative barriers, Kyrgyzstan has made it easier for many more people who are interested in visiting this small, mountainous Central Asian Republic which sits across some of the ancient trading routes known as the Great Silk Road, to do so. At the same time, they have reinforced the country’s image and reputation for offering a warm welcome and traditional nomadic hospitality.”

As is always the case, however, there is some “small print” of which travellers should be aware.

The first point to note, for example, is that the measure applies to just 44 additional countries and visitors from other countries will still need a visa. In some cases they may also need an invitation approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bishkek.

When the term “visa free regime” is applied to a country, it does not necessarily mean that all visitors from that country do not need a visa. Although this is true in some cases, in others, the visitors are allowed to stay in the country for up to sixty or ninety days. A visa will be needed for a longer stay.

Although the rules and regulations concerning visas may have altered, there are others that apply to the entry and stay of foreigners in Kyrgyzstan. For example, it may be necessary for the visitor to register with the authorities after their arrival and separate permission to work in the country will still be required.

The new arrangements may have come late for many tourists visiting Kyrgyzstan this year, who will have already obtained their visa. It is hoped, however, that the measure will prove to be a positive advantage when planning and preparing for next season and beyond. (It is a long way off in the future, but the current arrangements are limited until 2020, after which a new law will have to be passed to extend them.)

The 17 countries that already enjoyed a visa free regime were:

Azerbaijan; Armenia; Belarus, Cuba; Georgia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Malaysia; Moldova; Mongolia; North Korea; Russia; Tajikistan; Turkey; Ukraine; Uzbekistan and Vietnam

The 44 countries covered by the new measure are:

Australia; Austria; Belgium; Bahrain; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brunei-Darussalam; Canada; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Kuwait; Latvia; Lithuania; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Monaco; the Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Korea; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States of America and Vatican City.

The 20 countries not covered under the “visa free regime”, whose citizens do need to obtain a visa but can obtain one, valid for up to one month, without needing an official invitation:

Albania; Andorra; Argentina; Brazil; Bulgaria; Chile; Cyprus; Indonesia; Israel; Macedonia; Mexico; Montenegro; Oman; Philippines; Romania; San Marino; Serbia; South Africa; Thailand; Venezuela

Notes for editors:

1. Kyrgyzstan is a small, landlocked country in Central Asia. One of the former Soviet Republics it declared its independence in 1991.  It is predominantly mountainous with over 90% of the country above 1500m, and the backbone of the landscape is formed by the Tien Shan Mountains.  Lake Issyk Kul is the world’s second largest mountain lake and its beaches and resorts, (hotels, sanatoria), have long been a popular holiday destination for citizens of the former Soviet Union.  The Kyrgyz are traditional a nomadic people, who take their horses and sheep into the high mountain meadows (jailoo) to graze on the lush pastures for the summer.  It formed an important link on the Great Silk Road, between the orient (China) and the ancient cities of Uzbekistan.
2. Tourism is a major part of the Kyrgyz economy, representing about 4% of the GDP.
3. Amongst the different aspects of tourism in Kyrgyzstan are Inbound Tourism: (Recreational Tourism, based mainly on Issyk Kul and attracting visitors from former countries of the Soviet Union as well as citizens of Kyrgyzstan; Travel along the Great Silk Road, Adventure Tourism – including mountaineering, trekking, horse riding, cycling, rafting and other types of activity, Historical and Cultural tourism concentrating on the history and traditions represented in the country); Outbound Tourism, which involves providing services for Kyrgyz citizens travelling abroad and Domestic Tourism where residents of Kyrgyzstan travel within the country.
4. Amongst the services offered by those in the tourism industry are arranging or providing transport, (including tickets); accommodation; meals; guides and other support services; information (for example, museums) and entertainment, (for example, concerts) and the sale of souvenirs.
5. According to official statistics from the Border authorities, in 2010 there were 891000 people who crossed the state border and in 2011 – 2317600.
6. According to official figures there are 2697 Tour Operators and Agencies working in the country. Also there were about 6000 enterprises working in the industry (hotels, restaurants, homestays (a form of Bed And Breakfast), transport companies, etc.).
7. The Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators is the largest body representing Tour Operators and Institutes of Higher Education in the Republic.  It was formerly established and registered as a non-commercial organization in 1997, having existed as an ad hoc, unofficial, body for several years before that.  It is a growing organization – there are currently 35 members and include some of the longest established and largest tour companies in the country, as well as ones which have been established more recently.
8. Although members of KATO work in all area of tourism in the country, the majority are engaged mainly in Inbound Tourism, that is the reception of foreign visitors to the country.
9. The President of the Association is currently Ian Claytor – a British citizen who has lived and worked in the Kyrgyz Republic since 1995.

For further information contact:

Altyinai Musabaeva: Executive Director KATO :  0 312 613857

Ian Claytor: President KATO; Tel. 0 312 311814

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The second was aimed at the local Kyrgyz media and although much of it was basically the same … after the opening  paragraphs, the section about the “small print” was replaced with the following:

It is also hoped that it will help to make the country more attractive as a destination and lead to a substantial increase in the number of tourists visiting the republic, bringing with them increased revenues for the country and improved employment opportunities.

Although these new arrangements are the result of long and detailed consideration, it is important to note that it is not a panacea that will solve all the problems facing the development of tourism in the republic.

We will not see, for example, many (if any) additional tourists this year, as the season is already well under way. Many foreign tourists who might have benefited from this measure will already have obtained their visa. Hopefully, however, the simplification of procedures will send positive signals and make it easier to attract more visitors in the future.

Visa policy is, however, just only one element in a much more complicated situation, and it is unlikely that we will see a considerable increase in the number of visitors if we do not address other issues.

It is vital, for example, to improve the marketing of the country, not only in order to publicize the measure but also so that the potential visitor is aware of what Kyrgyzstan has to offer the tourist. It is also important for those working in tourism to concentrate the range and quality of facilities and services so that guests are satisfied and feel able to recommend Kyrgyzstan to their friends and relatives, colleagues and acquaintances.

In last Saturday’s postcard I referred to an protest meeting which had an unusual twist:

In what must have been the oddest story of the week, journalists went to a protest meeting outside the White House and attempted to talk to the thirty or so protestors to ask what they were demanding.  It seems that they refused to say.    They refused to say anything at all.  Very odd.  I thought that the whole point of holding a public demonstration was to draw attention to your cause – but they seemed to be shunning it.  Perhaps, I thought to myself, they are another example of “rent-a-mob” and had turned up without having been given their instructions – or payment.

One of my friends wrote to me about this …

The silent protesters. I suspect that they represent a caucus of people who don’t trust the media any more than the politicians. They won’t speak to the media because they know that anything they say will be re-said in at least six ways …

In reply I had to admit that,

… I hadn’t thought of the possibility that the silent protesters simply did not trust the press … which is odd because I always try to be so careful when talking with reporters – for preceisely that reason!

The trouble is, it seems to me, that once you have said something to the press you lose control.  They take what you have said and present it as they see it, according to their “agenda”, which isn’t always the same as yours.

Well, during the last week I have been pondering over whether or not release a press release about the announcement from the newly appointed Minister in the newly created Ministry of Culture and Tourism, that he wanted to follow the Turkish example and introduce licensing for tourist companies.  Immediately after the news broke I fielded some calls from journalists who wanted to know what tour operators thought of the proposed measure and I tried to answer their questions as best I could, frankly and openly.

It was clear from one or two of the conversations that they weren’t interested in the main story – whether there is a need, or even the desirability, for the introduction of licensing, but mainly in the possibility that the very suggestion would drive a wedge between business and the government officials who had dared to make such a suggestion.  ”Hey, he’s the Minister,” I said in answer to one of the questions, “of course we have to listen to what he says and take him seriously, to work with him … even if we have different – and even opposing points of view.”

The question got a fair amount of coverage and I even got a whole (albeit small) article dedicated to my comments – and it was very fairly treated … accurately reported without any form of selection or emphasis in order to dramatize or sensationalize.

Although events moved on a little with interventions from a number of other people, (including a Vice Prime Minister and even a statement from the Ministry which “seemed” to be backtracking a little bit … but I have some doubts about that), there hasn’t really been anything that actually merited a statement.  There was even a suggestion that we organize a “Round Table” to debate the issue … but my concern was, “what do we debate?”,  all that we had was press reports about a statement made by a government official; there were no details and no concrete proposals.

The members of KATO, of course, wanted to see their President actively taking part in the debate … which is understandable, and they had done so, at least in the immediate aftermath of the original stories appearing in the media.  As things developed, however, what should he say?   I had already said all that there was to say, to those who were ready to listen, when the original announcement was made.  In addition, I had prepared a draft statement for the press, (in English but had also had it translated into Russian), but held off releasing it until there was a suitable moment that warranted a response; reviewing it as each new event occurred.

To be fair to the members, some of them were getting a little hot under the collar, impatient to see something more.  So I showed the draft statement to some people and sought their advice.  In the end, we decided to release the statement … even though I had some misgivings.  Here’s what it said:

On his recent trip to Turkey, Ibragim Zhunusov, (the newly appointed Minister for Culture and Tourism), apparently told reporters that Kyrgyzstan will follow the Turkish example and reintroduce licenses for tourism companies.  He is reported to have noted that tour operators are likely to be opposed to the measure.

Thus the minister noted the possible negative reaction from tour agencies. “Tour agencies will be against.”

He was correct, according to the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators, (KATO).

That might not be surprising.  After all, tour operators have a vested interest and from the very beginning when KATO was established in 1997 the simplification of procedures and the removal of barriers to the development of the industry was one of the central aims of the Association.

In the past, whenever the question of licensing has been discussed, tour firms have been resolutely and almost unanimously opposed.  This time is no different.  Amongst the views of members expressed to the leadership of KATO, have been:

• Licensing will interfere with growth of tourism and deliver a superfluous bureaucratic burden;
• It will not raise the level of development of tourism in the country, but will create an opportunity  for corruption and increase the number of travel companies working in the shadow economy;
• Licensing will only create obstacles for the development of tourism in our country;
• Why should Kyrgyzstan suddenly lean against tourism in Turkey.  In the world there are a lot of other examples of developed tourism, for example in Europe, the USA and other places, where there are not licenses and also no government structures administering Tourism.  In some cases associations are engaged in this;
• Kyrgyzstan has not reached the level of Turkey;
• It is interesting to note, however, that concern about the suggestion is expressed by not only tour operators but also many others; business, politicians, journalists and analysts.

“As the Ministry has accepted, any introduction of licensing requires justification and must pass through the proper procedures as laid down in legislation.  It should be justified, be subject to period of consultation and pass an economic analysis of the effect it will produce.  It should also reflect general government policy, which is currently to remove many examples of unnecessary licensing.  None of which has happened,“ said Ian Claytor, the President of the Association.

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Notes for editors:

1. Kyrgyzstan is a small, landlocked country in Central Asia. One of the former Soviet Republics it declared its independence in 1991.  It is predominantly mountainous with over 90% of the country above 1500m, and the backbone of the landscape is formed by the Tien Shan Mountains.  Lake Issyk Kul is the world’s second largest mountain lake and its beaches and resorts, (hotels, sanatoria), have long been a popular holiday destination for citizens of the former Soviet Union.  The Kyrgyz are traditional a nomadic people, who take their horses and sheep into the high mountain meadows (jailoo) to graze on the lush pastures for the summer.  It formed an important link on the Great Silk Road, between the orient (China) and the ancient cities of Uzbekistan.
2. Tourism is a major part of the Kyrgyz economy, representing about 4% of the GDP.
3. Amongst the different aspects of tourism in Kyrgyzstan are Inbound Tourism: (Recreational Tourism, based mainly on Issyk Kul and attracting visitors from former countries of the Soviet Union as well as citizens of Kyrgyzstan; Travel along the Great Silk Road, Adventure Tourism – including mountaineering, trekking, horse riding, cycling, rafting and other types of activity, Historical and Cultural tourism concentrating on the history and traditions represented in the country); Outbound Tourism, which involves providing services for Kyrgyz citizens travelling abroad and Domestic Tourism where residents of Kyrgyzstan travel within the country.
4. Amongst the services offered by those in the tourism industry are arranging or providing transport, (including tickets); accommodation; meals; guides and other support services; information (for example, museums) and entertainment, (for example, concerts) and the sale of souvenirs.
5. According to official statistics from the Border authorities, in 2010 there were 891000 people who crossed the state border and in 2010 – 2317600.
6. Согласно официальным цифрам зарегистрировано 2697 Тур Операторов и Тур Агенств работающих в стране в 2010. Также было около 6000 предприятий работающих в индустрии (отели, рестораны, проживание в семьях (ночлег и завтрак), транспортные компании и т.д.).
7. The Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators is the largest body representing Tour Operators and Institutes of Higher Education in the Republic.  It was formerly established and registered as a non-commercial organization in 1997, having existed as an ad hoc, unofficial, body for several years before that.  It is a growing organization – there are currently 35 members and include some of the longest established and largest tour companies in the country, as well as ones which have been established more recently.
8. Although members of KATO work in all area of tourism in the country, the majority are engaged mainly in Inbound Tourism, that is the reception of foreign visitors to the country.
9. The President of the Association is currently Ian Claytor – a British citizen who has lived and worked in the Kyrgyz Republic since 1995.

   For further information contact:

Altyinai Musabaeva: Executive Director KATO

Ian Claytor: President KATO

I got a phone call on Friday afternoon.  I was surprised because my mobile told me before I picked up that it was a call from Marat, who lives in the UK, and I didn’t know he was due back here in Kyrgyzstan.

He is the Director of Silk Road Media, the publisher of the Discovery Magazines: Discovery Central Asia, Discovery Kyrgyzstan, Discovery Uzbekistan, Discovery Kazakhstan, Discovery Tajikistan, Discovery Issyk Kul, as well as the magazine Open Central Asia … and a host of other projects.

We had met only a few weeks ago when he had told me about his latest project: Discovery Gorizonty – Discovery Horizons.  This time he was calling to ask if I was in my office, because he wanted to bring me copies of his new “baby”.

This is not only a new venture, it also represents a digression from Silk Road Media’s usual portfolio.  The Discovery series are travel magazines which concentrate on Central Asia.

The Travel Guides to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan concentrate on each country independently and editions are published in different languages.  The Discovery Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide, for example, is available in English, German, Japanese, Russian and French.

The flagship publication, however, is Discovery Central Asia, which has articles written in English about various topics related to destinations throughout the region.  There have been 32 editions since the first one appeared in the summer of 2002.  They used to be general magazines in that that each edition contained a variety articles on different topics about each country.   Three years ago, however, they stared issuing thematic issues.  All of the articles in an edition were related in that they illustrated a different aspect of a common theme.  In the first of these thematic issues the articles were all about the Soviet Heritage of Central Asia.  That was followed by Museums in Central Asia; Spiritual Journeys through Central Asia and Sacred Places; Hospitality and Cuisine; the different People’s of Central Asia and their Traditions; The Music of Central Asia and Clothes and Fashion in Central Asia.  The latest issue was about the Wildlife of Central Asia and the next issue will be about the Crafts of Central Asia.

The Open Central Asia magazine was a different concept.  It wasn’t specifically a travel magazine but aimed to provide a bridge combining and highlighting the links between Central Asia and Europe, in particular the UK.

Discovery Horizons returns to the topic of travel, but is different in that it is in Russian and as well as containing articles about Central Asia, it covers destination from all over the world: Russia (Saint Petersburg), Nepal, Turkey (Istanbul), The Dominican Republic, Thailand, Hong Kong, Italy, the Czech Republic (Prague) as well as articles on Singaporean Cuisine, Heath Resorts, travel news and advice.  Central Asia isn’t forgotten, however, as there are articles on Kyrgyzstan, (about Mountain Biking and Issyk Kul), Tajikistan, (Dushanbe) and Uzbekistan (Samarkand).

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You can find out more about the Silk Road Media and see examples of the magazines on their website: http://www.silkpress.com/.

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When is a joke not a joke?

April Fools’ Day, (or All Fools’ Day), is not a holiday but as in many other countries around the world is celebrated on April 1st by people playing hoaxes or practical jokes on one another.   Most of them are small scale, private jokes, played on immediate family, friends or work colleagues, but not all of them.  There have been several famous, or infamous, examples of elaborate hoaxes played on the public which were staged by supposedly serious media outlets.  I’ll mention just two early ones that I particularly remember.

Back in 1957, the flagship current affairs programme on the BBC was called Panorama and it was presented by Richard Dimbleby, a portly character whose rich deep voice was usually tuned to tacking important topics of the day or delivering the commentary on some momentous or royal event.  His presence carried a particular gravitas, so when he presented an April Fool’s report which included a film clip showing agricultural workers climbing ladders to “harvest” the limp spaghetti from off the branches of the “spaghetti trees”.  Dimbleby’s commentary which accompanied the film told about the “spaghetti harvest” in Switzerland and the eradication of a dreaded pest, the “spaghetti weevil”.  It was taken as a serious item by many viewers, so much so, that the BBC received calls asking how to cultivate their own Spaghetti trees.  (For the record, spaghetti doesn’t grow on trees but is a form of pasta made from flour and water sometimes mixed with other ingredients such as eggs and vegetable oils and extracts.  The report was filmed far from Switzerland, just outside London, in St. Albans.)

Twenty years later, in 1977, the British newspaper, The Guardian, printed a seven page special supplement about a tiny Island nation called San Serrife, in the Indian Ocean, supposedly commemorating the tenth anniversary of its independence.  It contained an elaborate description of the country, (location and description of the landscape, government, population, transport, culture and sport), interviews and even advertisements from major companies.  The supplement was littered with puns and in-jokes, many of which played to the “intelligentsia” which goes to make up much of the newspapers readership.  Even so, supplement was taken seriously with a surprising number of people later admitting how they went scurrying to their atlases to see if they could find the islands that made up the tiny state.

Although I said that I remember these two, at the time of the Panorama programme, I would have been just four years old, so I suspect that my memory dates back to watching a later discussion on the ethics of journalists presenting such joke items.  How could we take them seriously and believe what they told us when they played such practical jokes on us?

A good question.

There is some doubt about whether the Mercury Theater’s notorious production of a play directed by Orson Welles based on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, in October 1938, was a deliberate hoax intended to create an impression of alien invasion, or if it was legitimate drama.  There is no doubt, however, that it was taken seriously by many of the listeners who heard it, (just as many seriously accepted the veracity of the April Fool’s hoaxes staged by Panorama and The Guardian).

We have a temptation to accept anything we see in the media as fact, and to treat it as “gospel”, rather than question it.

A news report often contains comment, and we should remember this.  Even where it purports to be simply a factual account of events, it is will simply recount events as seen and experienced by the reporter at a given time and place.  Another reporter, in a different place and at another time, might well see things differently.

For example, the first reports of the Markale mortar bombardment in 1994, (during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War), claimed that the mortar shell that landed in the market place killing 68 people and wounding 144 others, was fired from Bosnian government positions.  Later analysis, however, suggested that it wasn’t possible to determine where it had come from, and later the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia concluded that the offending shell had, in fact, been fired by Serb forces.

Recent reports that the Pentagon has acquired software allowing it to create “phoney accounts” on social media sites and post tweets and status updates that appear to come from eye witnesses to events half way across the world in order to help shape opinion and even manipulate reaction and shape future events, has made our reliance on the media for accurate and reliable information even more tenuous.  We shouldn’t surrender ourselves, our powers of logic and reasoning, our judgment, to the person making the first report on something that we happen to come across.

A healthy dose of skepticism is called for when scanning the media, whether it is: a story about spaghetti trees, strange places we have never heard of, alien invasions, luxury ocean going yachts being built in Kyrgyzstan’s Shipyards (more about that, perhaps, another time), outrages in far away places, results of supposedly scientific research (such as Blue Monday – the unhappiest day of the year), the best location for Santa to start his annual journey bearing gifts to the children of the world, hotel reviews on social media, tweets posted online purporting to report events in trouble hotspots, statistics and survey results  … in short, we should question everything we see in the press, the media, or on line … even on a personal  blog like this

… and especially on April 1st.

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For the record:

It is not certain where, when or how “April Fools’ Day” originated.  Amongst the various theories are:

• it referred to someone who planted their crops too early …  In many pre-Christian cultures May Day, (May 1st), was celebrated as the first day of summer, and the start of the spring planting season.  The term “April Fool” may well have been used to refer to someone who their crops before this date.
• it referred to someone who refused to accept the new calendar and insisted on using the old one – for example:
  • someone who refused to accept the Gregorian Calendar and continued using the Julian calendar, or
  • someone who refused to accept the decision of King Charles IX of France who changed the first day of the year from April 1st to January 1st,
• it was related to the story of the biblical flood and  Noah’s Ark – in the account in the book of Genesis, Noah sent a raven and two doves from the Ark to find evidence that the waters had receded.  The first, the raven never returned and the first dove, released a week later, returned exhausted as the waters had not yet receded.  Tradition has it that it was released on the first day of the Hebrew month that corresponds with April.
• there is a possible reference to April Fools’ Day in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, in the Nun’s Priest’s tale, which tells a tale of two fools, (Chanticleer and the fox), which took place on March 32nd.

My favourite April Fools’ hoax is the annual washing of the lions ceremony which takes place in the Tower of London every year.

In some countries, (such as: the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa), the jokes are only allowed until noon and someone who plays a trick after then is considered the “April Fool”, but elsewhere, (such as in Ireland, France, and America), the jokes can be played any time of the day.

In Kyrgyzstan:

There is no long tradition of playing jokes on April Fools’ Day, but as with so many other aspect of the modern “global village”, an idea based in one culture is often adopted by another – and it is common to find people, (especially amongst the younger generation) playing “April Fool” jokes on one another.

Some discotheques and restaurants organize special evenings to mark the date.

Yesterday, Saturday 26th March, 2011, marked a sad day in that it sees the demise of the BBC Russian service.

The BBC has a long history of broadcasting to the world.  It’s the world’s largest international broadcaster, transmitting in 32 different languages around the world, Russian being one of them.  According to the BBC Charter, it is politically independent, (something which is often disputed by foreign governments who point to the government funding of the BBC through the license fee arrangement and the Foreign and Commonwealth grant for the operation of the World Service itself), non-profit and non-commercial.

The BBC World Service began in 1932, transmitting just in English to English Speakers around the world, “in the outposts of the British Empire”.  Six years later, in 1938, the first foreign language service was added, in Arabic.  German was added in 1938, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, and by 1942, broadcasts in all the major European languages.

It was illegal to listen to their programmes in Occupied Europe during the War, and the Soviet Union, (amongst others), made a considerable effort to jam broadcasts so that their citizens couldn’t listen in.  Apparently, one of the powerful transmitters used for this purpose was based in Kyrgyzstan.

The Russian service began transmitting programmes just after the Second World War, in 1946, and quickly gained a following and a healthy reputation amongst listeners in the former Soviet Union.  It wasn’t always appreciated by the authorities, however, and wide scale jamming started in 1949, and was to continue until 1987.  It wasn’t always effective, and during the period of the cold war a number of the “intelligentsia” would tune in.  Even General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev admitted to being an listener – it kept him up to date on events during the abortive August coup in Moscow in 1991 when he was incarcerated in his dacha in the Crimea.

As time has passed, however, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the “end” of the Cold War have combined with the economic realities of life in the twenty-first century and the BBC have had to consider reviewing their services.  The German service, for example, ended transmissions in 1999 and several other European language services have also disappeared.  Russian continued for some time, in partnership with local Russian stations.  That partnership, however, has apparently been precarious and deteriorated as relationships between the UK and the Russian Federation have faltered.

Although broadcasts in Russian are being discontinued, the service is still maintaining their website, www.bbcrussian.com, where some programnmes will still be available for download.

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To be fair, I don’t often listen to broadcasts by the service, (they are in Russian and although I understand Russian well enough, it’s always hard work and requires additional concentration), and, to be honest, I generally prefer to watch and listen to English language programmes if given a choice. I do sometimes, however, visit their webpage or download some of their podcasts if they look interesting.

I’m sorry that the service is coming to an end, even if I don’t use it that much myself.  It seems to me that as well as being regarded as a tried and trusted “friend”, it has served as a bridge between peoples.

I am more worried, however, for what it might portend for the BBC Kyrgyz Service which started in April 1995.  As well as maintaining a Kyrgyz language section in London, the BBC also maintains an office in downtown Bishkek where they prepare programmes for broadcast locally, as well as reports for the main World Service broadcast from London covering articles about Kyrgyzstan that may be of general, global interest.

Although radio programmes are quite popular here, especially in rural regions, I have to admit that, whereas I do watch some local television, I rarely listen to local radio.  I understand that the local office has a high reputation and is popular in the rural regions.  It hasn’t, however, all been smooth going. There have, over the years, been a few problems.  For example, the service was taken off the air for a short time, apparently due to the failure to pay certain fees, (something which the BBC denied at the time.)

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The demise of the service seems ironic when you remember that the motto of the BBC is “Nation shall speak peace unto nation”.    If Russian, (one of the top most common spoken languages in the world, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations and its agencies,) is not seen as a priority for the mandarins at the BBC, then I wonder what future there is for Kyrgyz.

I hope it is not an omen of things to come.

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Here’s an email I sent to the “webmaster” of the site:

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I am writing about the Blogtown article by Sarah Mirk for March 8th, “Which Countries Are the Best for Women? NOT US.“  (http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/03/08/which-countries-are-the-best-for-women-not-us).

I appreciate that the webmaster may not be the most appropriate person to direct comments about editorial content, but I couldn’t tell from your “contacts” page to whom I should address my thoughts … and anyway, it does say “(Pick the best one, and only one. If you accidentally send it to the wrong person, we know how the forward button works.)”     Just in case you haven’t read it … here’s what the article says:

Today is the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day and the New York Times Economix blog has a good article up about which countries are the best for women.

Surprise, surprise, no matter which way you slice the stats, the United States doesn’t make it in the top ten most gender-equitable counties. The blog gives a rundown of four major studies that calculate women’s equality and well-being based on factors like life expectancy, literacy, earnings, and political participation. Depending on what factors you look at, we rank anywhere from 13th to 65th compared to all the countries in the world.

Who comes out on top every time? Those Scandanavians: Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark.

One of the big things holding us back: Adolescent fertility rate. For a variety of reasons (terrible sex ed, poverty, restrictive abortion laws and stigma) we have a teenage birth rate in the United States on par with Thailand, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. Fuckin’ Kyrgyzstan! And still the debate in our country is stalled at whether or not to fund Planned Parenthood, rather than addressing the fact that, yes, women’s health in our nation is in crisis.

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This doesn’t strike me as a glowing example of American journalism.  For example, perhaps someone could explain, to me just when the Netherlands started to be considered to be part of Scandinavia?

Then, what about that emboldened, “Fuckin’ Kyrgyzstan!” … Was that meant to be a pun?  The title looks like it’s meant to be a pun.  Maybe she just likes puns.  Even if she knows something about Kyrgyzstan that I don’t, it seems and odd comment to include when making a serious point on a serious topic.

Her profile notes that she writes on “development”, (although it doesn’t say what sort of development), but then, it also says that she reports “mainly on transportation, bikes, … crazy people … pie baking and comic books”.  Just what aspect of her profile does this piece fit?

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It makes me wonder why anyone should take seriously what she, and the Portland Mercury, have to say.

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OK, I admit that maybe it would have been better to send it to the author herself, or to the chief editor,  but the options available to me on the contacts page were:

SEND YOUR NEWS TIPS, POLITICAL GOSSIP, AND PORTLAND OR OREGON-FOCUSED STORY IDEAS TO OUR CRACK NEWS TEAM:

GOT MUSIC NEWS TO SHARE? QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR POOR MUSICAL TASTE? MUSIC CALENDAR LISTINGS? SEND IT HERE:

ANY AND ALL INFORMATION ABOUT BOOKS, COMICS, THEATER, VISUAL ARTS, DANCE, AND PERFORMANCE ART SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO:

SEND ALL FILM AND VIDEOGAME-RELATED NEWS, EVENT INFO, AND REVIEW REQUESTS TO:

DIRECT YOUR JUICY FOOD NEWS, RECIPES, RESTAURANTS, BARS, HAPPY HOURS AND EATING AND DRINKING EVENTS RIGHT HERE:

SEND ALL FASHION, SHOPPING, BEAUTY, HEALTH AND FITNESS NEWS, GOSSIP, AND OPINIONS TO:

HATE MAIL, RECIPES, MASH NOTES? SEND THEM TO:

CONFESSIONS? APOLOGIES? ACCUSATIONS?

GIMME A JOB! PUBLISH MY WORK!

FOR SALES AND DISPLAY ADVERTISING INFORMATION:

WEB RELATED QUESTIONSWANT TO CARRY THE PAPER IN YOUR BUSINESS, SUGGEST A DISTRIBUTION LOCATION, OR SUBSCRIBE? HAVE PROBLEMS WITH A NEWSPAPER BOX OR RACK?:

I think that list says a lot about the attitude and approach of the paper.

As it happens, I think that the author was making a serious point on a serious issue, and I presume that she knows her audience and adjusts her content accordingly, but I do wish that she had chosen a different way to do it!

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It’s not just the internet, however, that distracts people.

Many years ago, for example, I remember walking into an office to see the accountant and found him playing patience on the computer.  He was to say the least a little embarrassed, but pointed out, (quite fairly), that it was still lunch time and he was taking a few moments of R+R time.  I confess that I have also occasionally fallen foul of the need to take a little r+r.

On another occasion, I walked into an office and found the Director of the company reading the newspaper.  He assured me it was actually “work” – he was keeping abreast of the latest developments in the country and his business.  I have a lot of sympathy with him as well.  It seems that I now I spend a lot my time doing just the same.  In Kyrgyzstan, where the situation can change rapidly, it is important to have an idea of what is happening – and what might happen.  Also, out here in Kyrgyzstan, it is not always easy to keep abreast of the latest developments in our business – leisure, tourism and hospitality, and I find the newsletters, blogs, podcasts etc. a valuable resource that helps to keep me active and aware.

This morning, for example, I noticed on one of the News Agency websites that I regularly visit, an item about a survey.  It was highlighted – in bold print, so that it would stand out:

“67% of top managers of the largest companies of Kyrgyzstan prefer to learn the news from news agencies”

I can understand why they thought it was newsworthy – a news agency reporting how valuable the top managers of the country’s largest companies, (the “movers and shakers” in Kyrgyzstan), rated the service provided by news agencies.  Almost three quarters of those surveyed from at least eighteen companies consulted news agencies in order to keep up-to-date on what was happening in the world outside their office – and two thirds apparently claimed to rely only on these services for their information.

I wasn’t involved ion the survey, (either because they don’t consider me to be a “top manager” or else Celestial Mountains is not one of the country’s largest company), so they didn’t ask me.  If they had then I would have told them that I also surf the news agency websites on a regular basis.  However, I would have been one of the twenty seven percent who consult a number of other sources to ensure that they are “informed”.

Less than two percent relied only on television reports for their news, which didn’t surprise me.   What did surprise me was that even less claimed to use information posted on social networking sites and blogs.  The blogosphere is quite active here.  There are a large number of people who use both Twitter and Facebook – many politicians and ministers and Roza Otunbaeva have accounts and are active users of social media to put their message across – and the local forum Diesel is one of the most widely used networks for disseminating information, opinion and gossip.

Of course, it is important, however, that we bear in mind that, what we read should be used as a guide, a source of information and analysis, and that the responsibility for what we do with that information is ours, and ours alone.  It is important to remember that reports in the press are not “gospel” – “divinely inspired” and infallible, that is, although we always hope that it will be “good news”.

Although a news agency website might be able to report events quickly, (I am reluctant to say instantly, or in real time – although I suppose that is possible) and is likely to be more systematic and comprehensive than a blog or social media, there are questions about the coverage.

I was also quite worried that so many of these influential “wheeler dealers” apparently rely on a single source for their information.  As I understand it, a journalist is supposed to seek out corroboration before they publish a story instead of relying on a single source, but here we apparently have business moguls who, (voluntarily), give the news agencies a monopoly over the vital issue of informing themselves … that is, if we believe the reported findings of the survey.

For a start, it is scrutinized and selected information.  During the run up to the April events the coverage was not as free and comprehensive as one might have hoped, or expected when compared to news coverage in the West.

Then again, they are not infallible … they can make “mistakes”.

A classic example of this came two days ago when I saw on one news agency website the following story:

German Embassy recommends to avoid travel to Kyrgyzstan

It reported that the Embassy of Germany in Kyrgyzstan has recommended to refrain from unnecessary travel to Kyrgyzstan, particularly to Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts until the government is formed in the country. It also said that the German Embassy urged all German and EU citizens staying in Kyrgyzstan to exercise caution, to avoid crowded places and trips in night time.  Now, that surprised me, especially as the report went on to say that the advice was posted on their website on 30th November.  What had happened to cause them to change their advice?  The answer to this question seemed to be that “the Embassy has concerns that formation of the government may lead to new clashes.”

As it happens, I was a meeting last night which was attended by a member of embassy staff, so I asked them.  The reply I got was that the embassy had not changed their advice.  The webpage had been updated at the end of last month, but these two points were not altered.  They remain as they have been for several months.  It seems that the news agency had only just seen it.

You can find the post, (in German), on the embassy website: “Current situation in Kyrgyzstan“.

I was told that the embassy had in fact issued a press release correcting the “distorted impression” that they had changed their mind.  I wonder if that will be displayed as prominently as the original article.

About half way through, the phone rang, and Lisa transferred it to me saying, “It’s a Mr. ****”.

Now, the name meant nothing to me.  It was obviously an Anglophile name -  so it wasn’t the police, (they had already called in connection with the bomb blast earlier this morning), or the Ministry, or anyone one else locally.  Perhaps it was a tourist … that happens from time to time, somebody wants to talk about an itinerary and don’t want to wait for the exchange of emails.  Maybe it was a guest stating in one of the hotels.   Still, I had a strange feeling in my stomach, and with a little doubt in my voice I said, “OK, put him through.”

He introduced himself straight away and told me he was a journalist and which publication he worked for.  My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as I prepared for an “interview” about this morning’s bomb explosion, wondering if and how I could put a reassuring gloss onto whatever I had to say.   I hadn’t yet prepared any short, pithy quotes that might be useful.

As it happens, he wasn’t interested in the bomb.  Maybe he hadn’t yet heard about it – or maybe, it wasn’t quite the right material for his particular paper.

He asked if I was aware of the recent “Wikileaks” saga and the revelations that were emerging out of the publication of “confidential” cables from the American Ambassador back to her bosses in Washington.  Now, as it happens, I did know a little bit.  It’s obviously been in the news for the last few days – and last night I watched Hilary Clinton deplore the leaks which could be damaging to American interests – as well as put some individual lives at risk.

The previous Wikileaks scandal was about revelations concerning the conduct of the war in Afghanistan – but this one seems to be much more wide ranging with a huge amount of detail, (a quarter of a million documents drawn from 274 embassies around the wolrd since 1966 – although only 290 seem to have published so far).

So far, there only seems to be two “leaks” from Bishkek.  Some of the commentators on Twitter are a bit upset about that – they would like to see a lot more revealed about what the Americans knew about the Manas Fuel deal, the events in April and June.

What they’ve had to settle for has been two short accounts of conversations – one, in 2009, with the Chinese Ambassador to Bishkek about the future of the Manas Airbase. In it she seems to suggest some rather unusual comments and admissions from her counterpart – suggestions of “revolution” at home !!! as well as a little “reading between the lines” – something like “he didn’t actually deny it”.

The second was the description of a lunch in 2008 when Prince Andrew visited Bishkek, when he met with a number of British expats living and working here – and that was where I came in … as Max Boyce used to say – “I was there!”

As it happens, I sat next to her at lunch.  It was the first time I had met her, although I had seen her once before at a function.

She was very pleasant and everyone seemed to get on.

So her account has come as a bit of a surprise and it has attracted a fair amount of attention in the press for its revelations about some of the Prince’s apparently “off the cuff” remarks, the obsequious attitude of “his mother’s subjects”, an “expletive deleted” and some harsh words about the French.

I won’t say, as some people have, that her account is totally unfair and represented a conversation that didn’t happen, but I will say that it seemed to me to be somewhat “coloured”.  I have to admit, however, that it all happened some time ago and whereas she didn’t make notes during the meeting, (I suppose she could have recorded it …) she did at least write her account soon afterwards, whereas I have to rely on my memory of what happened over two years ago – which could be at fault.

She makes a lot play, for example about him being rude – especially about the French … and although the French were mentioned, I didn’t come away, (or, at least, I don’t remember coming away), with the impression that anyone – including Prince Andrew – was particularly harsh towards our Gallic cousins.

She does point out that she had been invited, although her French and German counterparts hadn’t been – even though they are also members of the EU.  Frankly, if I as American I would have taken that as a compliment – although she seems to turn it into a slight … against the British.

There are some comments that she reports which I certainly don’t remember.  For example, the fawning “What a wonderful representative for the British people! We could not be prouder of our royal family!” at the end of the meeting.  I am not saying that it didn’t happen – just that I didn’t hear it … and it wasn’t me who said it.

(I don’t suppose any Americans will be obsequious towards Mrs. Clinton when she is here next week … and even if there are, there probably won’t be a Brit present invited to observe and comment on the fact. )

It seems to me that the account actually says more about her, and her attitude, than it does about the meeting, Prince Andrew or the rest of us who were there. For example, her backhanded compliment, “To his credit, he diligently tried to understand the Kyrgyz point view” and the sarcasm in “with a mock groan …” and her reference to him as the “cherished prince”.

Actually, I feel a little sorry for her … just as I feel sorry for Prince Andrew.

He was in, what he considered to be, what we all considered to be, a private meeting where we could have a free and frank discussion … but maybe we should have all realize that reports or summaries would be made – probably by both sides.

To be fair, she was writing an account to inform her colleagues back in Washington of her impressions of the conversation – and that is her job.  She’s meant to do that.  No-one should complain about that, although they might want to question the accuracy or interpretation.  What is more, she wrote her account of the meeting not expecting it to be made public.   At least, when I write here then I know that what I write is going into the public domain – she was writing observations which she thought would remain private- at least for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, the journalist asked me some questions about the event and what I thought of the Ambassador’s account.  He was particularly interested, of course, in one or two specific aspects of the report rather than others – such as the “expletive deleted” and the Prince’s apparent criticism of governments and the press.

Although the line was clear the conversation was punctuated by pauses.  Sometimes that happens with long distance phone calls that are routed through Satellites or when using IP telephony.   I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t help wondering if he was waiting for me to say something … just to fill the gap created by the silence.  I tried to resist the temptation – and hoped that he was calling from Skype.

For anyone who’s interested, the cable can be found here:  http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2008/10/08BISHKEK1095.html

It began with a minor crisis – no internet.  It’s at times like this that I realize how reliant we have become on the internet for our everyday operations: especially for communications and news.  Anyway, having arrived in the office, as usual, at six, I was able to spend the first couple of hours catching up with some of the multitude of tasks that have been piling up on my desk.

I began with an article for a journal about Tourism in Kyrgyzstan, (based, incidentally on one of my earlier postcards), and then I turned my attention to some statistics.  When I thought it was a reasonable hour I called our computer engineer to come and have a look at the system to see if he could fathom out why the internet connection wasn’t working.

I was about to return to the statistics and wait for his arrival when I got a phone call from the hotel asking if I had heard, or felt, the explosion. ”Uhhh, No – what explosion?” - but, I’ll write about that in another postcard.

When I eventually got back to my desk and checked the email – Outlook decided to crash – taking several messages with it … I managed to recover some of them, but not all.

Amongst the various messages that survived the crash was news about the “Wikileaks” posts … which included a couple of “confidential” cables from the American Ambassador here in Bishkek, one of them describing a “Brunch” with Prince Andrew back in 2008 …  but I’ll write about that in another postcard.

Some of the other messages and phone calls that arrived during the course of the day, however, struck me as casting an interesting contrast when it comes to planning for the future … and dealing with our current “crisis”.

First,there were phone calls – asking if we planning to cancel out marketing plans for the next season.  My response was, “No, not yet.  Why should I?”

For a start, that would mean that the terrorists have “won”.

What is more, “life goes on” and, as Harold Wilson once put it, “a week is a long time in politics” – and we are considering plans for next year – and for 2012.

It might seem strange that we are still thinking of how we can “promote” Kyrgyzstan even though the country seems to be getting a fair bit of publicity at the moment.  Most of it, of course, unwelcome publicity – showing the country in a negative light given the events of recent history.  Those events and that publicity, however, doesn’t alter the fact that Kyrgyzstan is a spectacularly beautiful country, with an interesting historical and cultural heritage.  That’s the message that we want to get across.

As one post I saw on a blog the other day put it – PR and publicity are not the same thing.  Yes, it is true that we have had quite a fair amount of exposure in the media recently – but that’s not the same as “Public Relations” – or “marketing” or “promotion”.

Publicity, for example, is often a passive thing over which you have no control – it’s all in the hands of the editor who chooses what to publish and what slant to put on the story.  Public Relations, on the other hand, is a positive, concerted package of measures and activities designed to convey a message.

In a way, it’s ironic that PR has, itself, suffered recently from a spate of bad publicity – especially in the form of TV sitcoms which seem to belittle and give a cynical point of view on the subject.  It’s may also be true, unfortunately, that some of this negative image may well be justified – but that misses the point that the “advertising executive”, or PR manager, or even “spin doctor” is only trying to get the best possible coverage for their message.

The questionable activities of some practitioners of advertising, marketing, and PR doesn’t detract from, or alter, the fact that we all have a message that we want to get across – and that professionals in this field have amassed knowledge, skills and experience about the best ways of doing so.   If they are caught out using questionable or unscrupulous methods in their campaigns, that is to be decried, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the message they present is wrong in itself.

Obviously, we are thinking that the current state of affairs, uncertainty and disruption, will not continue for ever.  The situation is fluid and constantly changing.  We must plan for the future, and our plans should also be fluid – we need to react to the changing situation.  We might change my plans in the light of changing circumstances, but that doesn’t mean to say that we should abandon them.

If a week is a long time in politics – what about seven weeks?  It’s been seven weeks, for example, since the election and we still don’t have a government … although I understand from tonight’s news that agreement on a coalition has finally been reached – so tomorrow we may have one.

A new government may mean a new beginning.  Something to build upon.

Hong Kong tourism suffered terribly as a result of SARS, Swine Flu and Bird Flu, but each time has managed to bounce back.  The Gulf coast of America was devastated by Hurricane Catrina, but within months, if not weeks, properties were being rebuilt and people were returning – perhaps not in the same numbers as before, but recovery was not achieved by sitting back and doing nothing.  The same is true for Thailand which has suffered both natural and man-made “disasters”, (such as the Tsunami and Civil Disorder), but tourists are still to be seen walking through the temples and lying on the beaches.

Yes, we have had to cope this year with a revolution, riots and mayhem, death and destruction – and now a terrorist bomb – but I am convinced that the “bad news” will not go on forever.

Indeed, as far as I am concerned, now is the time to start thinking of, and planning for, the future.

I was particularly pleased, therefore, to see a message from the Kyrgyz Community Based Tourism Association, (KCBTA), outlining a programme of festivals that they are organizing for next year – I’ll write about those in another postcard, as well.  It might seem strange to think of planning tourist attractions for next year – when there may be precious few, if any, tourists, but the festivals are popular with locals as well as with tourists and offer a chance for the people to celebrate their heritage, come what may.

Someone is thinking of, and planning for, the future … “Malodetz!” – “Well Done!”.  I take my hat off to you.  I wish that there were more people prepared to do the same.