Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASHGABAT558
2008-05-02 12:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: SOCIAL ILLS WORSEN IN DASHOGUZ PROVINCE
how-toVZCZCXRO3998 RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHAH #0558 1231243 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 021243Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0730 INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1536 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1403 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3718 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1972 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2482 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000558
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, EEB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SOCIAL ILLS WORSEN IN DASHOGUZ PROVINCE
REF: ASHGABAT 550
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000558
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, EEB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SOCIAL ILLS WORSEN IN DASHOGUZ PROVINCE
REF: ASHGABAT 550
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Life in Dashoguz, a mid-sized city with 100,000
residents close to the Uzbek border, has always been hard. The city
and central governments favor Turkmen and offer limited
opportunities for educational advancement and recreation to the
sizable Uzbek and Kazakh population of Dashoguz. Coupled with the
crush of higher gas and food prices and a weakened dollar (reftel),
Dashoguz residents are falling into despair as suicides, substance
abuse, and domestic violence rise. END SUMMARY.
LIMITED ADVANCEMENT
3. (SBU) For the majority of residents in Dashoguz, there are
limited opportunities to improve their life. The city's three
vocational schools, similar to U.S. community colleges offering
two-year courses in accounting, English, and secretarial skills,
etc., are woefully short on space and equipment. According to
locals, admission is based on bribery. Young people comment that
Turkmenistan's 12 institutes and two universities are quietly closed
to ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs without a substantial bribe. Most
young people only have a 9th grade education, which makes them
ineligible to apply for higher education in Russia and Ukraine where
the 10th grade is required. According to ethnic Uzbek residents,
ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs cannot find work with the city's single
largest employer, the government, because of discrimination.
LIMITED ENTERTAINMENT
4. (SBU) Most young people have little to do during the day. There
are no bookstores, movie theaters, or shopping malls in Dashoguz.
The most popular hang-outs are the U.S. Government funded American
Corner, USAID Internet Access and Training Program computer center
and the USAID Counterpart office, where there is free Internet
access for the general public. Young people spend a lot of time on
the computers searching the Internet for study abroad opportunities.
They search for schools, scholarships, and apartments. They prefer
coming to these centers because they have the best Internet
connections in town. Young people also enjoy going to the discos.
However, as one young person explained to EmbOff, this ends up being
a downward slide. He said they often mix with the "wrong" crowd at
the discos and get involved in drugs.
SOCIAL TENSION
5. (SBU) Disenchanted youth coupled with a rising cost of living
and devalued savings have produced a number of social tensions in
Dashoguz homes. As explained to EmbOff, suicide may be on the rise,
especially among "bread winner" older men who have mounting bills
and less money to pay them. Families are talking about increased
substance abuse at home. Fathers and older men are consuming more
alcohol and are drunk during the day. Locals say more and more
young people are giving in to cheap narcotics from Afghanistan,
especially heroine. One resident talked about an increase in
domestic violence as families struggle harder to cope with higher
prices for food and gas and less income (reftel).
6. (SBU) COMMENT: Social and living conditions in Dashoguz have
never been easy. However, because of recent government policy
concerning the dollar to manat exchange rate and higher gas and food
prices, life is a lot harder. Most residents fear approaching city
officials with their problems and concerns out of fear of
repercussions, either for themselves, their families, or both.
Locals also sense that officials will not listen to their problems
and do not care about them. For now, some are coping the best they
can. Others, however, are looking for a way out of the country and
away from these problems. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, EEB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SOCIAL ILLS WORSEN IN DASHOGUZ PROVINCE
REF: ASHGABAT 550
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.
2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Life in Dashoguz, a mid-sized city with 100,000
residents close to the Uzbek border, has always been hard. The city
and central governments favor Turkmen and offer limited
opportunities for educational advancement and recreation to the
sizable Uzbek and Kazakh population of Dashoguz. Coupled with the
crush of higher gas and food prices and a weakened dollar (reftel),
Dashoguz residents are falling into despair as suicides, substance
abuse, and domestic violence rise. END SUMMARY.
LIMITED ADVANCEMENT
3. (SBU) For the majority of residents in Dashoguz, there are
limited opportunities to improve their life. The city's three
vocational schools, similar to U.S. community colleges offering
two-year courses in accounting, English, and secretarial skills,
etc., are woefully short on space and equipment. According to
locals, admission is based on bribery. Young people comment that
Turkmenistan's 12 institutes and two universities are quietly closed
to ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs without a substantial bribe. Most
young people only have a 9th grade education, which makes them
ineligible to apply for higher education in Russia and Ukraine where
the 10th grade is required. According to ethnic Uzbek residents,
ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs cannot find work with the city's single
largest employer, the government, because of discrimination.
LIMITED ENTERTAINMENT
4. (SBU) Most young people have little to do during the day. There
are no bookstores, movie theaters, or shopping malls in Dashoguz.
The most popular hang-outs are the U.S. Government funded American
Corner, USAID Internet Access and Training Program computer center
and the USAID Counterpart office, where there is free Internet
access for the general public. Young people spend a lot of time on
the computers searching the Internet for study abroad opportunities.
They search for schools, scholarships, and apartments. They prefer
coming to these centers because they have the best Internet
connections in town. Young people also enjoy going to the discos.
However, as one young person explained to EmbOff, this ends up being
a downward slide. He said they often mix with the "wrong" crowd at
the discos and get involved in drugs.
SOCIAL TENSION
5. (SBU) Disenchanted youth coupled with a rising cost of living
and devalued savings have produced a number of social tensions in
Dashoguz homes. As explained to EmbOff, suicide may be on the rise,
especially among "bread winner" older men who have mounting bills
and less money to pay them. Families are talking about increased
substance abuse at home. Fathers and older men are consuming more
alcohol and are drunk during the day. Locals say more and more
young people are giving in to cheap narcotics from Afghanistan,
especially heroine. One resident talked about an increase in
domestic violence as families struggle harder to cope with higher
prices for food and gas and less income (reftel).
6. (SBU) COMMENT: Social and living conditions in Dashoguz have
never been easy. However, because of recent government policy
concerning the dollar to manat exchange rate and higher gas and food
prices, life is a lot harder. Most residents fear approaching city
officials with their problems and concerns out of fear of
repercussions, either for themselves, their families, or both.
Locals also sense that officials will not listen to their problems
and do not care about them. For now, some are coping the best they
can. Others, however, are looking for a way out of the country and
away from these problems. END COMMENT.
CURRAN