Message – Friday, March 25th, 2005
The day after …
It is six o’clock in the morning … I’ve just come down to the office.
You have probably seen the reports on the BBC, CNN, etc., So I thought I would write a quick update – although the situation is still unclear, and my main source of news is exactly the same.
The protest in the main square apparently started peacefully, but then a skirmish started between some protesters who had come from Osh and the riot police, which then snowballed … Then, the police and then the army seem to have simply moved to one side and melted away, leaving the way open for the crowds to “storm” into the White house … climbing to the top floors where the main government offices are … and ransacked the place.
Felix Kulov, the chief “opposition” figure who has been in prison for the last couple of years was released by the prison authorities after the crowds went to the compound demanding his release … he made an appeal for calm … but it doesn’t seem to have reached the ears of protesters judging by what then happened.
President Akaev wasn’t seen … and there are rumours about his whereabouts. Apparently, according to the Kyrgyz Ambassador in Washington, he is in a “safe place” and hasn’t formally resigned – although Russian press reports that he has. It is said he has gone to Russia, and the rest of his family to Kazakhstan – but some reports suggest he could still be here, say at the Russian air base in Kant – about 30km outside Bishkek.
The Supreme court have annulled the elections which sparked the crisis – and the old parliament is due to meet today to select a new, interim, government and to set up arrangements for new elections.
But you probably know all that.
So far, I’ve heard no news of casualties. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Here are a few personal observations:
To be honest, yesterday was pretty awful. The day started quietly … almost normally … but as it progressed the atmosphere got more and more tense.
I spent the day in the office, answering emails, answering the phone … I had a couple of meetings – but several later ones were cancelled – trying to keep up with the news, on the TV, the Radio, the internet … Apart from the atmosphere, the morning passed almost normally … I got reports from the hotel which I entered onto the spreadsheet; we dealt with the bank; Roma and Bukit went to do the shopping for provisions for the hotel; … normal everyday things; I had some meetings – a tour operator talk about plans for the season, someone from the CBT groups, a representative from the Moscow government looking for cooperation in developing tourism with the Kyrgyz Republic, Olga Taylor came to talk about her visa application for Britain; I even managed to work on a couple of pages for the website.
I also spoke to the Rosa and Marat, the hotel managers in Bishkek and Naryn, several times by phone about the situation and plans. In Naryn, everything was quiet … absolutely nothing to worry about. In Bishkek we had already arranged for extra staff to be present – the police wouldn’t be able to help if a crisis occurred; the gates to be locked; clients to be warned ; vehicles to be moved within the fence; staff to be sent home early, or accommodation prepared for them if it seemed that it would not be safe for them to be on the roads going home at the end of their shifts; they were given instructions about safety … and so on.
There were more and more people walking along Kievskaya outside the office, heading towards the main square – and the White house. They were mainly young people … but they were generally in small groups – maybe the largest was between 100 and 200 strong. They were more or less orderly, walking along the pavement at an easy pace … some were waiving their arms in the air – and there was some cheering, but nothing to suggest what was to follow.
Just after mid-day, Aybek went out with us warning him to be careful. After an hour we began to worry about him … but he turned up again safe and sound. He had been near the square and seen a mob walking along the street – breaking windows in one of the local nightclubs … and had gone to the hotel to warn them. He says the seen was oozhous – “awful”. Fortunately, the hotel is off the main road … and they seem to have gone straight on … missing us.
As the afternoon progressed, I sent everybody home, with instructions not to come in today if the situation looked bad. Stay at home behind locked doors.
As evening progressed, Bakit took his oldest daughter to his parents in Alamedin – a suburb of Bishkek where things should be quieter. I advised him to take his wife Aijan, and youngest daughter too … but they decided to sit it out here on Kievskaya like me.
I got a phone call from Larissa – one of our guides – who said that the center was terrible, the journey home from the center was “extremely unpleasant”, but that in the outlying districts everything was quiet and calm – normal, even.
I packed up the office – turned off all the lights and computers, turned on the alarm, and went upstairs where I watched the TV reports and eventually fell asleep. It was one of the few times the office has closed before 6pm … and only the eighth day when I have spent less than 10 hours working this year.
As evening drew on … we heard all sorts of noises … it wasn’t yet dark but we could hear glass breaking … that was Beta Stores, the local supermarket being ransacked. People were looting. Apparently it was very quickly emptied … all three floors. The sound of breaking glass went on all night. People were calling out, shouting, chanting. Several came into our yard and changed out of their old clothes into newly acquired outfits. Rumour has it that the other main supermarkets, Tsum and Dordoi Plaza have suffered the same fate.
People were still pouring along Kievskaya – but this time in the opposite direction – away from the city center – and most seemed to be carrying bags of things they had picked up en-route.
Cars pulled up at the side of the road and were loaded up with TV’s, furniture, fridges … you name it.
At several points we heard what sounded like windows being broken; cars crashing; sirens; even gunfire – I’m fairly sure I heard several bursts of automatic gunfire.
The funny thing was that the local minibuses seemed to be working as normal – plying their routes, picking up and dropping people … well into the evening. I had a restless night, waking several times and dozing off again. I could have come down to the office a couple of hours ago … but decided to wait until it was light … so I didn’t have to turn on the lights – just in case. Right now, however, it is very quiet outside … some people are walking along the street – the minibuses seem to be working. My neighbour, Yevgueny, has already been out and cleared the yard of all the trash left by our visitors during the night – packaging, bottles, … According to his wife, Natasha Nickolaevna, they started at four o’clock.
The office is fine. It might look like a bomb has hit it … but that is its normal state.
I’m fine.
For those that have asked … the three cats that remain are fine … one of the is crying at my feet waiting for me to finish this so that he can be fed.
One of the things that has touched me … has been the number of phone calls I have received from people asking if I was all right and offering assistance if I needed it One or two of them are understandable … close friends or colleagues … but there were also others. “Things are OK” – I said – “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not going anywhere, and neither should you.”
I’ve also been touched by the number of people who responded to the last postcard with good wishes and concern – Thank you.
I am hoping that yesterday was the “bloodletting”, and everyone will have got the thing our of their system. The crowds took the opportunity provided by the protest, lack of law enforcement, to “have a good time” and help themselves. Today, I hope, it will be different. A fresh start.
Today is “Good Friday” – let’s hope it turns out to be true to its name.
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Note:
As an ex-pat living in Bishkek during the “Tulip Revolution” and witnessing the events of 24th March, 2005, Iwrote a series of messages to friends and relatives to reassure them that he was safe … and describe some of his experiences and reactions.
This is one of them.
I haven’t edited them … they are “as sent”. They are not a comprehensive or accurate historical account of the events – but a series of observations of one person who witnessed the events unfolding and tell part of his story. As such, they reflect the ambiguity and lack of certainty of the times, as well as the mass of rumours which circulated and the changing opinions as more and more information became available.
Bishkek