Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASTANA2085
2008-10-20 12:19:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Astana
Cable title:
KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 11,
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UNCLAS ASTANA 002085
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 11,
2008
UNCLAS ASTANA 002085
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 11,
2008
1. The "Almaty Notes" series is intended to maintain focus on
developments in civil society, the media, and the opposition in
Kazakhstan's "southern capital" following the move of the Embassy to
Astana.
STUDENT ADVOCACY GROUP AGAINST HIGHER TUITION
2. Bakhytzhan Toregozhina, head of the Ar Rukh Hak Fund, a student
advocacy group, reports that universities in Almaty increased
tuition by an average of 30 percent this past year. Ar Rukh Hak
sent inquiries to 17 universities requesting information on how they
set their tuition rates. Eleven sent responses. Ar Rukh Hak
intends to file suit with the Almaty Economic Court to force the
others to respond.
PENSIONERS BRING APPEAL TO OSCE OFFICE
3. On September 29, a group of Almaty pensioners brought to the
OSCE office in Almaty an appeal they had sent to President
Nazarbayev complaining that their pensions do not cover the high
costs of food and utilities. The pensioners explained that numerous
appeals they had sent directly to Nazarbayev, other senior
officials, and the Nur Otan party have gone unanswered.
PUBLIC COUNCIL'S MEETING ON ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION
4. "Vremya" reported on October 1 that Almaty's Public Council on
Social Conflicts -- a newly-established body which includes
representatives of the city government, the ruling Nur Otan party,
opposition parties, and NGOs -- met on September 30 to discuss
housing issues. Shanyrak movement leader Asylbek Kozhakhmetov
raised the issue of houses illegally constructed by migrants in
Almaty's newly-formed Alatau district, which is located on the
city's outskirts. Bagdat Manzorov, head of the Alatau district
administration, reported that a special commission on housing and
land issues would review the situation and then make a decision
regarding the legalization of such structures. Following the
meeting, however, Manzorov announced that houses constructed without
any legal documentation would be demolished.
FIRST SANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION OF "DOLSHIKI"
5. For the very first time, the Almaty mayor office's sanctioned a
protest of Almaty's "dolshiki" -- city residents who invested their
savings into the construction of apartments that have not been
completed. Approximately 1,000 people participated in the
demonstration, which was held on October 11 and initiated by the
Talmas movement. Several opposition and NGO leaders -- including
Petr Svoik of the Azat party, Amirbek Togusov of the National Social
Democratic party, and Aynur Kurmanov of the Talmas movement -- gave
speeches at the protest. The demonstrators called for lowering the
interest rates on their mortgages and for a three-year moratorium on
mortgage repayments. They announced their intention to hold similar
protest actions across the country on a regular basis.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT
6. According to an October 6 report on TAN television, so far this
year, the Financial Police in Almaty and Astana have filed 19
criminal cases against construction companies. The companies have
all been charged with embezzling investors' money. According to the
Prosecutor General's office, seven individuals have thus far been
convicted in connection with these cases.
HOAGLAND
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 11,
2008
1. The "Almaty Notes" series is intended to maintain focus on
developments in civil society, the media, and the opposition in
Kazakhstan's "southern capital" following the move of the Embassy to
Astana.
STUDENT ADVOCACY GROUP AGAINST HIGHER TUITION
2. Bakhytzhan Toregozhina, head of the Ar Rukh Hak Fund, a student
advocacy group, reports that universities in Almaty increased
tuition by an average of 30 percent this past year. Ar Rukh Hak
sent inquiries to 17 universities requesting information on how they
set their tuition rates. Eleven sent responses. Ar Rukh Hak
intends to file suit with the Almaty Economic Court to force the
others to respond.
PENSIONERS BRING APPEAL TO OSCE OFFICE
3. On September 29, a group of Almaty pensioners brought to the
OSCE office in Almaty an appeal they had sent to President
Nazarbayev complaining that their pensions do not cover the high
costs of food and utilities. The pensioners explained that numerous
appeals they had sent directly to Nazarbayev, other senior
officials, and the Nur Otan party have gone unanswered.
PUBLIC COUNCIL'S MEETING ON ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION
4. "Vremya" reported on October 1 that Almaty's Public Council on
Social Conflicts -- a newly-established body which includes
representatives of the city government, the ruling Nur Otan party,
opposition parties, and NGOs -- met on September 30 to discuss
housing issues. Shanyrak movement leader Asylbek Kozhakhmetov
raised the issue of houses illegally constructed by migrants in
Almaty's newly-formed Alatau district, which is located on the
city's outskirts. Bagdat Manzorov, head of the Alatau district
administration, reported that a special commission on housing and
land issues would review the situation and then make a decision
regarding the legalization of such structures. Following the
meeting, however, Manzorov announced that houses constructed without
any legal documentation would be demolished.
FIRST SANCTIONED DEMONSTRATION OF "DOLSHIKI"
5. For the very first time, the Almaty mayor office's sanctioned a
protest of Almaty's "dolshiki" -- city residents who invested their
savings into the construction of apartments that have not been
completed. Approximately 1,000 people participated in the
demonstration, which was held on October 11 and initiated by the
Talmas movement. Several opposition and NGO leaders -- including
Petr Svoik of the Azat party, Amirbek Togusov of the National Social
Democratic party, and Aynur Kurmanov of the Talmas movement -- gave
speeches at the protest. The demonstrators called for lowering the
interest rates on their mortgages and for a three-year moratorium on
mortgage repayments. They announced their intention to hold similar
protest actions across the country on a regular basis.
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT
6. According to an October 6 report on TAN television, so far this
year, the Financial Police in Almaty and Astana have filed 19
criminal cases against construction companies. The companies have
all been charged with embezzling investors' money. According to the
Prosecutor General's office, seven individuals have thus far been
convicted in connection with these cases.
HOAGLAND