MEDIA REACTION: AIR BASE SHOOTING INCIDENT UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000264 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, R, PA AND INR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KPAO KG SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: AIR BASE SHOOTING INCIDENT UPDATE BISHKEK 00000264 001.2 OF 002 1.(SBU) Local media reaction to the interim payment provided by Manas Airbase officials on March 9 to the Ivanov widow has been almost uniformly negative. Because of the weekly nature of Kyrgyz newspapers, the story is building slowly. So far we have seen the following reactions in both print and electronic media. We anticipate television coverage of the story to begin on March 14. Anti-American Slant -------------- ¶2. (SBU) "Delo Nomer", a popular Russian-language weekly paper, contained three sharply anti-U.S. articles in its March 14 edition. First, in an interview with Mukar Choponbaev, Ex-Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament and current leader of a newly formed public union known as the "Patriotic Movement for Saving Kyrgyzstan" commented "Regardless of his ethnicity, Ivanov was a Kyrgyz citizen. We, patriots, are outraged by the tragedy. I personally, as a lawyer and former criminal investigator, am indignant by the behavior of the American side which impedes an objective investigation." He went on to say that, "American manners, in general, are too offhand. They cripple and kill our people, don't allow our specialists to do their investigatory actions, and escape any responsibility." The interview concludes with Choponbaev summarizing that "since they [Americans] came here they should observe international legal norms and respect the laws of the hosting country." American Arrogance -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Another article reports that the Kyrgyz Interior Minister's Investigation Department has completed its investigation in to Aleksandr Ivanov's death and has accused American serviceman Zachary Hartfield of premeditated murder. The author states that the Americans have ignored this because the matter is not under Kyrgyz legal jurisdiction. The author goes on to say that the American side is not in a hurry to pay compensation for the "moral damage" it has caused to the Ivanov family although Base officials recently offered an interim payment of 40586 som (approximately 1000USD). The author ends the article by quoting a comment from a local Internet forum which says: "So, you can hunt a Kyrgyz man for $1000, while hunting a mountain goat costs $15000." (COMMENT: This is reference to the cost of a hunting license to kill the rare Marco Polo Sheep found in Kyrgyzstan. END COMMENT.) Even Our Garbage Stinks -------------- ¶4. (SBU) A final article titled "Dangerous American Garbage" describes that American servicemen, who are ready to kill for their own safety, are at the same time throwing away dangerous live ammunition. The article claims that upon further investigation it was discovered that the company, which received a contract with the Base to dispose of its trash, did not initially exist when given the contract since it was not registered with the Justice Ministry for two months. The author summarizes by stating that "It's a very strange approach when U.S. servicemen care about their security so much that the peaceful driver Ivanov was killed for security reasons just because the American soldier thought he looked suspicious. So, suspicious companies can easily get into the Base, and even more easily controlled things can escape from the Base." Internet Forums and Weblogs -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Comments regarding the advance payment for the Ivanov widow on local internet forums are equally aggressive, but a bit more balanced. Although there are several outrageous comments, including comments about comparing the cost of a Kyrgyz life to that of a sheep, many are critical of the Kyrgyz government and more introspective. For example, one individual writes: "Yes, Americans are bad, but it also the Kyrgyz Government's fault. It cannot defend the rights of its own citizens from foreign infringement. Had the killing happened in Europe or other developed countries, it would have caused an international scandal. It is the Kyrgyz government that signed the agreement granting diplomatic immunity to the soldiers." Another entry states, "What we are all saying is true. But, if a local rich person runs over an average Kyrgyz, how much would the victim's family receive? We don't respect ourselves, thus we cannot expect foreigners to respect us. But, it is a fact that Americans are arrogant scum." BISHKEK 00000264 002.2 OF 002 Yovanovitch