latimes.com
Angry protesters in Kyrgyzstan seize government office amid rising tensions
By Associated Press
2:35 AM PDT, April 6, 2010
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — A rights activist in Kyrgyzstan says hundreds of protesters have seized a government building in a northern town and tried to take the regional governor hostage.
Shamil Murat of the group For Democracy and Civil Society said Tuesday that protesters stormed the government office in Talas and that more than 1,000 people surrounded the building.
Eyewitnesses in Talas say another 500 people have gathered at a local police station.
Interior Ministry officials denied the government office had been seized and said a drunken mob entered the building and later left.
Tensions are on the rise in this impoverished Central Asian nation as anger grows over a recent hike in heating and electricity tariffs.
Opposition parties have organized several protests across the country and are planning another mass rally Wednesday in the capital, Bishkek.
