Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT378
2009-03-24 11:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: MILITARY CONSCRIPTS STILL PROVIDING
how-toVZCZCXRO8043 PP RUEHAG RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHAH #0378 0831115 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 241115Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2525 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4979 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2737 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2602 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 3223 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 3417 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000378
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MILITARY CONSCRIPTS STILL PROVIDING
"FREE LABOR" TO THOSE WHO CAN CALL THEM
Classified By: Charge Ambassador Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000378
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MILITARY CONSCRIPTS STILL PROVIDING
"FREE LABOR" TO THOSE WHO CAN CALL THEM
Classified By: Charge Ambassador Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (U) The March 18 edition of Neytralniy Turkmenistan
published a presidential decree ordering the call up of 18
year-old men here to fulfill their 18-month military service
obligation. Young men can be drafted into the Army, Internal
Affairs (MVD),National Security (MNB),Border Service,
Migration Service, and Presidential Security.
2. (C) On March 18, Political Officer saw a large group of
conscripts wearing hard hats and clearing away demolition
rubble by hand from a building behind Turkmen State
University. A male local employee said that clearing away
rubble from a site that will soon be used for new
construction is a routine part of compulsory military service
and all conscripts can expect to engage in such menial labor.
He said that the practice is very common, because it is a
way for Turkish construction companies and Turkmen Government
officials to save money on construction contract costs, and
suggested that both sides end up pocketing the labor costs
saved by using this free labor pool.
3. (C) When asked about his own military service, the local
staffer said that his family had pulled some strings to
enable him to do his service in the MVD. He said that
serving in the Army was the worst option, since beatings for
conscripts were said to be the most frequent, the food was
the worst and prospects for routinely engaging in tough
physical labor would be the most likely. (NOTE: Military
hazing is so prevalent here that Turkmen citizens consider it
to be normal, and are somewhat perplexed when Western
observers express concern about the issue. END NOTE.) The
best options that young people sought, with the help of
family connections and bribes, were serving in the MVD or the
MNB, because a conscript would be more likely to engage in
administrative work in an office, although the staffer had
heard that the Border Service "had the best food."
4. (C) The staffer could have served in any of the
branches, except for Presidential Security, where he said
there were height and physical appearance requirements that
he could not meet. He said Presidential Security took lots
of young men who were athletes or otherwise physically fit.
The staffer himself had ultimately served in the MVD, where
he said the beatings had been few, and certainly less
frequent than he would have experienced in the army.
5. (C) COMMENT: Post rarely hears fresh reports about the
hazing of conscripts, but if citizens consider hazing to be a
standard reality, we are likely to hear about only the most
serious or fatal cases. Seeing conscripts clearing away
demolition rubble by hand, and frequently observing them
repairing roads or engaging in landscape work reiterates the
stark reality that they continue to be a ready source of free
labor for those in government who want to make use of them.
END COMMENT.
MILES
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MILITARY CONSCRIPTS STILL PROVIDING
"FREE LABOR" TO THOSE WHO CAN CALL THEM
Classified By: Charge Ambassador Richard Miles for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (U) The March 18 edition of Neytralniy Turkmenistan
published a presidential decree ordering the call up of 18
year-old men here to fulfill their 18-month military service
obligation. Young men can be drafted into the Army, Internal
Affairs (MVD),National Security (MNB),Border Service,
Migration Service, and Presidential Security.
2. (C) On March 18, Political Officer saw a large group of
conscripts wearing hard hats and clearing away demolition
rubble by hand from a building behind Turkmen State
University. A male local employee said that clearing away
rubble from a site that will soon be used for new
construction is a routine part of compulsory military service
and all conscripts can expect to engage in such menial labor.
He said that the practice is very common, because it is a
way for Turkish construction companies and Turkmen Government
officials to save money on construction contract costs, and
suggested that both sides end up pocketing the labor costs
saved by using this free labor pool.
3. (C) When asked about his own military service, the local
staffer said that his family had pulled some strings to
enable him to do his service in the MVD. He said that
serving in the Army was the worst option, since beatings for
conscripts were said to be the most frequent, the food was
the worst and prospects for routinely engaging in tough
physical labor would be the most likely. (NOTE: Military
hazing is so prevalent here that Turkmen citizens consider it
to be normal, and are somewhat perplexed when Western
observers express concern about the issue. END NOTE.) The
best options that young people sought, with the help of
family connections and bribes, were serving in the MVD or the
MNB, because a conscript would be more likely to engage in
administrative work in an office, although the staffer had
heard that the Border Service "had the best food."
4. (C) The staffer could have served in any of the
branches, except for Presidential Security, where he said
there were height and physical appearance requirements that
he could not meet. He said Presidential Security took lots
of young men who were athletes or otherwise physically fit.
The staffer himself had ultimately served in the MVD, where
he said the beatings had been few, and certainly less
frequent than he would have experienced in the army.
5. (C) COMMENT: Post rarely hears fresh reports about the
hazing of conscripts, but if citizens consider hazing to be a
standard reality, we are likely to hear about only the most
serious or fatal cases. Seeing conscripts clearing away
demolition rubble by hand, and frequently observing them
repairing roads or engaging in landscape work reiterates the
stark reality that they continue to be a ready source of free
labor for those in government who want to make use of them.
END COMMENT.
MILES