KAZAKHSTAN: LIFE ON THE STEPPE, APRIL 18-24

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000724

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON SOCI SENV KCRM KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: LIFE ON THE STEPPE, APRIL 18-24

ASTANA 00000724 001.2 OF 002



1. This is another in a series of weekly cables drawn mostly from
public media, as well as think-tank, NGO, and opposition web-sites,
selected to show the diversity of life in Kazakhstan, and
information about it available to citizens of Kazakhstan. Our goal
is to choose what might interest and be of use to various end-users
in Washington and -- especially -- to provide a more complex view
from the other side of the world, illustrating the vitality (and
sometimes the quirkiness) of discourse available to citizens of
Kazakhstan.

OIL WORKERS' STRIKE ENDS IN SUCCESS


2. Oil workers in Mangistau oblast who had not been paid for
several months had to resort first to a labor strike and then to a
hunger strike to finally receive what was rightfully theirs. The
protests by 70 employees of the Second Drilling Unit of
UzenMunaiGas, a subsidiary of the Kazakhstani national oil company
KazMunaiGas, lasted ten days. Initially, the drillers stopped all
work and demanded their salaries and the resignation of the unit's
general director, who unilaterally decided to withhold their
salaries, ostensibly due to the ongoing financial crisis. "Seven
days later, when nothing happened, we announced a hunger strike,"
Zhak Aminov, one of the participants of the protests said. The
workers fasted in teams of three in one of the oil company's trucks,
and at the same time turned to local representatives of the Azat
opposition party for legal assistance. With the help of Azat, the
workers petitioned the management of UzenMunaiGas and local
authorities to quickly and peacefully negotiate a settlement
agreeable to both sides.


3. However, during the night of April 19, three days into the
hunger strike, local police officers stormed the truck with the
fasting workers and forcibly removed them. Yet, as local and
national media began to pick up the story, the pressure began to
grow on local authorities to deal with the "pesky" problem. Local
authorities denied any excessive use of police force and claimed the
officers had to arrest the ring leaders of an unsanctioned
demonstration. Soon after, however, the authorities relented and
gave in to the workers' demands. A decree has been signed promising
to pay their back wages, and the director and head engineer of the
Second Drilling Unit have been dismissed.

DEATH OF POLICE CADET REVEALS WEB OF CORRUPTION AND FRAUD


4. The recent suicide of a young cadet attending the Pavlodar Legal
College, a school for aspiring law enforcement officers, appears to
have been the tip of an iceberg of corruption and fraud. According
to the school administration, the young man took his life because of
love woes. His parents and journalists from the newspaper "Vremya,"
however, tell a different story. As the newspaper reported in
several articles, the school, which is formally under the auspices
of the Ministry of Justice, was run like a personal fiefdom by its
former director, Colonel Amangazy Syzdykov. According to an
internal investigation by the Ministry, which was prompted by the
first article published in "Vremya," the cadets almost literally
could not take a step without having to bribe the school
administration. Permission for leave cost 1,500-2,000 tenge
($10-13),passing an exam cost 10,000-15,000 tenge ($66-100),and
permission to depart on vacation was 7,500-15,000 tenge ($50-$100).
As it turned out, the young cadet committed suicide in December last
year not for love but for money, or rather lack thereof. The
student reportedly had to pay 15,000 tenge for an examination in
July 2008, and then another 11,000 tenge ($73). However, having no
money, he borrowed the sum from his fellow students promising to pay
them back when he returned from vacation. When his parents were
unable to give him the money, the cadet decided that his situation
was hopeless and killed himself.


5. This was not all that the investigation found -- or rather did
not find. According to "Vremya," the investigators found no test or
exam records for the period of 2004-08, meaning that in the time
period the students of the Pavlodar Legal College did not take a
single examination. Moreover, during Syzdykov's tenure, the
school's payroll listed a number of "dead souls" -- people who were
receiving salary without actually working. One instructor who
travelled overseas when he was supposed to be teaching in Pavlodar
was actually promoted to major. Colonel Syzdykov himself continues
to have a successful career. Following his tenure at the Pavlodar

ASTANA 00000724 002.2 OF 002


Legal College, he was appointed head of the Penitentiary System
Committee of Pavlodar oblast. It remains to be seen whether the
"Vremya" expose and an internal investigation into Syzdykov's "rule"
at the Pavlodar Legal College will finally catch up with Syzdykov.

RICH BANNED FROM SPECIAL MARKET FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS


6. Last month, the city of Pavlodar opened up a special market to
serve low-income residents. Weeks after opening, however, the
authorities had to restrict access to it since the cheap prices
attracted not only the destitute, but also wealthy bargain-hunters.
According to the local media, Pavlodar's rich quickly became
regulars at the "Shapagat" market and, arriving in SUVs and
government-owned cars, were frequently seen leaving with bulging
shopping bags. Clearly, everyone loves a bargain, even in
Kazakhstan. However, soon goods meant for Pavlodar's invalids,
pensioners, and other needy people began disappearing from shelves
before those people actually had a chance to buy them. Local
authorities ultimately had to step in and restrict the
bargain-shopping to those who truly need it. The "Shapagat" market
is partially subsidized by the city administration in that its
vendors do not have to pay rent. This allows store owners to keep
prices on average 10 percent lower than anywhere else in the city.

KAZAKHSTANIS ASPIRE TO "CONQUER THE WORLD" WITH KUMYS


7. Kazakhstan has big plans for kumys, the national drink made from
fermented mare's milk. According to Minister of Industry and Trade
Vladimir Shkolnik, the country plans to increase production of the
drink and export it beyond Kazakhstan's borders. "Considering the
fact that kumys is a Kazakhstani national product that could become
the country's trademark, we cannot remain in the role of a spectator
as other countries like Russia, Germany and France slowly fill this
export niche," said Shkolnik. Kazakhstan's kumys producers will
reportedly need government support to acquire new technologies for
production and preservation and expanded horse ranching.
Traditional kumys, which is mildly alcoholic (with about 2% of
average alcohol content),can be stored for only up to three days,
and its production is limited to the milking period of mares.
Recently, however, a method of producing pasteurized kumys was
developed allowing year-round export. Kumys is often described as
an "acquired taste" among non-Central Asians, but has been praised
in Russia for its purported medicinal qualities.

HOAGLAND