KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, NOVEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 21, 2008

UNCLAS ASTANA 002361

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STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI KDEM KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ALMATY NOTES, NOVEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 21, 2008


1. (U) NOTE: 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. END NOTE.

NUR OTAN REACHES OUT TO NGOS


2. (U) On November 12, the new deputy chairman of the presidential
Nur Otan party, Darkhan Kaletayev, met with NGO Shanyrak President
Asylbek Kozhakhmetov. Kozhakhmetov told Kaletayev about Shanyrak's
work with internal immigrants who come to Almaty from other parts of
the country and frequently face housing and social issues. The two
agreed to maintain contact and to cooperate in solving housing and
internal migration problems in Almaty. At a separate meeting of the
AytPARK discussion club, Kaletayev expressed Nur Otan's readiness to
cooperate on these issues with opposition parties. In January,
President Nazarbayev specifically called on the Nur Otan leadership
to increase dialogue with NGOs and opposition political parties.

GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES CIVIL SOCIETY PROGRAM


3. (U) At a November 19 meeting, members of Parliament's Public
Council, which includes representatives of NGOs and state agencies,
discussed the so-called "Concept on Civic Society Development".
According to the Vice Minister of Culture and Information, the
government has allocated 709 million tenge ($5.9 million) for NGO
grants this year and plans to increase the allocation to 721 million
tenge ($6.0 million) next year. NGO representative pointed out
several problems with the program and alleged that only 2,000 of the
10,000 registered NGOs are active, while the rest were created
solely to receive government grants.

COURTS WARN RETIRED OFFICER ABOUT UNSANCTIONED RALLY


4. (U) On November 20, the Almaty Mezhrayonniy Economic Court
issued a warning to the leader of the "BOMZh" (Vagrant) retired army
servicemen union, Daulet Zhumanbekov, for organizing an unsanctioned
rally. Union activists picketed the city garrison office on
November 18 to demand apartments in Almaty for retired military
officers. Under Kazakhstani legislation, retired officers with 25
years of service are entitled to free apartments. Several officers
won a suit against the Ministry of Defense (MOD) for its failure to
fulfill this obligation. To date, the MOD has been unable to adhere
to the court ruling and provide the officers with apartments in
Almaty.

FOREIGN LABORERS A SECURITY THREAT TO ALMATY


5. (U) Foreign migrant laborers down on their luck pose a real
threat to Almaty, according to Almaty city officials. During a
November 10 meeting of city administration, Almaty's Chief of Police
Yerlan Turgumbayev maintained that more than half of the crimes in
Almaty were committed by immigrants and migrant laborers from other
Central Asian countries. Many of these foreign workers are not paid
wages due and so cannot return to their homes. The Almaty city
administration decided to set up a working group to research the
city's migration problems and to prepare recommendations for the
government on amendments to the Law on Migration.

CAMPAIGN AGAINST ILLEGAL HOMES CONTINUES


6. (U) The Almaty City administration continued its campaign to
demolish illegally-built houses. Eighteen administrative cases have
been launched against owners of illegal dwellings built in the
newly-redistricted district of Alatau. The Administrative Court has
already ruled to demolish 53 illegal houses in the district and will
review 27 similar cases in the near future. (Argumenty I Facty,
November 11)

MORTGAGE CRISIS AFFECTS RESIDENTS' MENTAL HEALTH


7. (U) According to the Almaty Psychiatric Center, more than 1,000
Almaty residents who have sought the Center's help over the past
three months named the mortgage crisis as the primary reason for
their mental and emotional problems.

HOAGLAND