Seems to have blown up in to country wide protests, what's going on there then? Seems the web has been cut.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59876093
Some footage on this thread.
https://twitter.com/ThomasVLinge/status/1478406191520829445
Supposedly started as protests against fuel price rises? Can't see us going the same way.
The UN are sending an envoy to liaise with the government
Sounds like the possibility of a nice little earner for Tony Blair.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/24/tony-blair-advice-kazakh-president-protesters
Edit : Sorry Sir Tony.
Looks quite big. I'm surprised it's languishing on BBC Overseas and World Services and not the front page. Has Putin told Johnson to tell the BBC to bury it?
Airport ✔️
Local police ✔️
Parliament shut ✔️
All by protesters
Government turn off all media and WWW.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59880166
A military alliance made up of Russia and five ex-Soviet states to help stabilise the country getting sent in.
A military alliance made up of Russia and five ex-Soviet states to help stabilise the country getting sent in.
Could get very nasty..
https://mobile.twitter.com/AlexKokcharov/status/1478635964457181185
Just after Putin was talking up the past glories of the Soviet empire.....
Could get very nasty..
Exactly. First off it's being used as an excuse to rearrange the seats in the mostly non-democratic government, with the PM being sacked and replaced by someone else; it'll then be used as an example of why freedom of expression doesn't work and should be reduced.
And second Putin's desperate to have a war in the near-abroad to justify his increasing repression in Russia; this isn't what he expected, but it's a great opportunity for him. The only real challenge will be managing to paint ordinary Kazakhs as swayed by Western interventionist media - but I suspect they'll cope.
Listening to an article about this yesterday evening, the Kremlin is getting worried about these uprisings in case it trickles over the border and the locals start kicking off.
only real challenge will be managing to paint ordinary Kazakhs as swayed by Western interventionist media
Dunno, I've read anecdotally that since China banned crypto mining, huge crypto farms have relocated to Kazakhstan causing blackouts as the infrastructure can't cope.
Winter there at - 20c so if the power goes off there will be trouble
I suspect the protesters are going to need a bit more than sticks and enthusiam, reports saying dozen shot by the police.\
Got to love the BBC though, 13 minutes of Djokovic and 1 minute on a potential uprising / beat down in Kazakhstan.
Whenever there are protests the government shuts down the internet and messenger apps.
It supposedly started because a cost cap on fuel was removed, people in the west then started to protest. As it has spread to Almaty it is now more about government corruption. Most flights have been cancelled as have internal trains which are used by most people to travel across the country as the road networks between cities are poor at best, non existent at worst.
I am struggling to get in contact with colleagues and friends in Almaty due to the outages which is a bit worrying.
I am struggling to get in contact with colleagues and friends in Almaty due to the outages which is a bit worrying.
A friend of mine said they could not contact a developer this morning for an online call/meeting.
Got to love the BBC though, 13 minutes of Djokovic and 1 minute on a potential uprising / beat down in Kazakhstan.
People are more interested in Djokovic than they are in Kazakhstan, which is why the thread on Djokovic has considerably more posts than this one.
How many minutes did Sky News give to Kazakhstan?
I have had a lot of meetings cancelled over the last few days because of the outages. I'm working from home at the moment but I'm usually based in East Kazakhstan, was due to fly back next week but I'm not now due to other things going on.
I know of a few people stuck outside the country and others trying to get back in.
ernielynch
Free Member
Got to love the BBC though, 13 minutes of Djokovic and 1 minute on a potential uprising / beat down in Kazakhstan.People are more interested in Djokovic than they are in Kazakhstan, which is why the thread on Djokovic has considerably more posts than this one.
How many minutes did Sky News give to Kazakhstan?
Aye I get that the world likes a witch hunt. Doesn't means it should displace serious news, but I guess I'm expecting too much there. No idea on sky, don't watch it.
Doesn’t means it should displace serious news
Are you sure that they had more news on Kazakhstan that they could have reported?
What did other news providers report that the BBC didn't?
Other news channels aren't great either tbh.
Putting aside the role of the BBC it sounds like a terrible situation. Russian paratroopers sent in to ‘keep the peace’ coz of course that is the primary purpose of paratroopers..
Grim.
One wrong move in that region will result in a massive instability Central Asia.
We are talking about the descendants of the Mongol people here and we know how tough they can be.
We are talking about the descendants of the Mongol people here and we know how tough they can be.
Kazakhstan is greatest country in the world. All other countries are run by little girls.
Putin had no choice but to nip this in the bud quickly, weakens his position regards Ukraine.
Quite a few ex soviet states getting upset at their kremlin friendly autocrats
He seems to have brutally put down the movement in Belarus, but who knows where trouble could flare up again.
Inflation and fuel costs are a global problem at the moment.
We are talking about the descendants of the Mongol people here
They invented toffee and the trouser belt.
Kazakhstan is greatest country in the world. All other countries are run by little girls.
LOL! They will welcome you with red carpet.
They invented toffee and the trouser belt.
I don't know but if they do then Long Live the Mongol. May we have toffee and trouser belt forever!
kimbers
Full Member
Putin had no choice but to nip this in the bud quickly,
Does sound like they are slow in getting to work
https://twitter.com/abdujalil/status/1479181466571579394
🙁
Poor people of Kazakhstan.
Such a shame Almaty is a great city, had some good times there.
Its just moved up another notch... troops can fire without warning.
Soldiers can now fire without warning in Kazakhstan, president says, as anti-government demonstrations continue
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59907235
A quote from the President of Kazakhstan...
"We had to deal with armed and well-prepared bandits, local as well as foreign. More precisely, with terrorists. So we have to destroy them, this will be done soon," he said.
What a terrible situation :o(
I came here looking for a picture of Borat.....
I wasn't disappointed!
carry on
Interesting contrast between the opinions here (and in the media) on anti-government protestors in Khazakhstan and the anti-government protestors in the US a year ago. Would someone care to explain the difference cos I'm struggling?
cos I’m struggling?
Really? You are struggling to understand the difference between the democratic processes in the United States and Kazakhstan?
It supposedly started because a cost cap on fuel was removed
Chain of events:
- China bans bitcoin mining
- Bitcoin mining moves to Kazakhstan
- Demand for electricity now exceeds supply
- Cap on electricity prices removed
- Unrest
The law of unintended consequences + a dictator
Really?
No I'm fully aware of the differences between the US and Khazakhstan, but not sure why anti-government protesters in the US are demonised while their counterparts in Khazakhstan are celebrated. On both sides you have working people rising up against a government which doesn't care about them and doesn't act in their interests, yet one is good and the other bad. 🤷🏻♂️
Those guys in the US aren't standing up for democracy you know? They're complaining because their worldview isn't being forced on everyone else - that's the difference
No I’m fully aware of the differences between the US and Khazakhstan
Go and educate yourself then.
You could start off by reading the link that I provided at the top of this thread concerning Tony Blair's lavish rewards for helping Kazakhstan's former leader...... despite 96% of the population voting for him there was some concern about his "image'.
Go and educate yourself then.
You've misunderstood me there, I said I was aware of the differences. I'm also very aware of the similarities, that in both cases you have governments which serve the rich at the expense of the people. The fact that the US maintains a thin veil of 'democracy' doesn't automatically mean the actions of US protests are unacceptable. This is a simple case of western double standards.
You’ve misunderstood me there, I said I was aware of the differences.
Well if you understand the difference what's your problem?
doesn’t automatically mean the actions of US protests are unacceptable.
Who is automatically claiming that US protests are unacceptable? Plenty of protests in the US are acceptable, those by Trump supporters weren't.
Double standards? Not at all. Protests should be an important tool in strengthening democracy, Trump supporters were deliberately trying to undermine democracy.
Tbh I'm amazed that I'm having to make the point.
but not sure why anti-government protesters in the US are demonised while their counterparts in Khazakhstan are celebrated
Are you taking the piss? You honestly can't see the difference between the two?
ernielynch
Free MemberTbh I’m amazed that I’m having to make the point.
yeah, bit mental you have to.
Tbh I’m amazed that I’m having to make the point.
Be honest, in this case, are you actually amazed…?
