Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT336
2008-03-12 12:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:  

TURKMENISTAN: FALSE STORY ON IRC FURTHER REDUCES OPPO

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL PROP KPAO TX 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2671
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0336 0721251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121251Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0429
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1319
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1186
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3501
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1755
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2315
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000336 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, SCA/PPD, ECA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PROP KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: FALSE STORY ON IRC FURTHER REDUCES OPPO
WEBSITE'S CREDIBILITY

REF: ASHGABAT 0279

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000336

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, SCA/PPD, ECA, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PROP KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: FALSE STORY ON IRC FURTHER REDUCES OPPO
WEBSITE'S CREDIBILITY

REF: ASHGABAT 0279


1. (SBU) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Russian-language opposition website that
originated the now infamous cockroach-results-in-mass-firings story
(reftel),"Kronika Turkmenistana," has now featured the Embassy's
Information Resource Center (IRC) in an article that is also
inaccurate and potentially harmful to U.S. interests in
Turkmenistan. The article claims that the IRC might be monitoring
the public's Internet usage on behalf of the Turkmen government. In
addition to inaccuracies about the IRC, the opposition website may
actually deter visitors from coming to use the IRC - one of the
limited options in Turkmenistan for Internet access. END SUMMARY.

IRC WORKING FOR THE KGB?


3. (SBU) "The Virus of Oppression (Nesvoboda) Even Infects the
Americans" appeared on the Kronika Turkmenistana website on March 11
(http://www.chrono-tm.org). The Russian-language article is partly
complementary about the value of the IRC, but also has a peculiar
emphasis on "social activists" who use the center, rather than
focusing on the general public. However, the article complains that
the Americans must have succumbed to pressure from Turkmen secret
services and is now monitoring visitors' internet use because one
must download items from visitor-provided software through an IRC
staff member. Among many other inaccuracies, the article
mischaracterizes the IRC's anti-virus policy, which requires that
visitors wishing to take home downloads on their own media must do
so through IRC staff who verify that visitors' flash drives or disks
cannot infect the IRC computer network.


4. (U) "Kronika Turkmenistana" made no effort to contact the
Embassy for comment. The article only refers to IRC staff's
explanations to visitors that the process is necessary for
preventing computer viruses, but uses this to spin a conspiracy
theory of Turkmen government involvement.


5. (SBU) COMMENT: Again, post is dismayed by the clear lack of
credibility in reporting by "Kronika Turkmenistana." In addition,
it is troubling that an opposition website which ostensibly supports
access to information would publish information that could possibly
deter the public from visiting one of the few islands of free access
to information in Turkmenistan. The insidious effect of this web
article raises our suspicions further that some supposedly
opposition websites are getting "help" from unfriendly outside
sources. END COMMENT.

HOAGLAND