China News Service, Nur-Sultan, January 6th, title: Kazakhstan enters a state of emergency, the National Security Organization decides to send peacekeeping troops to Kazakhstan
China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo
At the beginning of the new year, a series of large-scale protests and rallies in Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country, completely disrupted the otherwise peaceful New Year holiday, and many government agencies were hit.
The whole territory of Kazakhstan has entered a state of emergency since the evening of January 5 local time.
On the 6th, the network communication in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, was interrupted and financial institutions suspended operations. However, the streets were in normal order and there were no large-scale gatherings.
Protests spread in the capital into a state of emergency
Affected by the increase in the price of LNG, several cities including Aktau, the capital of Kazakhstan's Mangystau state, and Almaty, the country's largest city, have witnessed successive protests in recent days.
On the evening of the 4th local time, more than 5,000 people in Almaty took to the streets to protest. Some demonstrators burned a police car in the Republic Square in the center of the city and tried to attack the mayor’s office.
On the 5th, more than a thousand protesters rushed into the Almaty city government. At the same time, gunfire broke out at the scene. Under the impact of the protesters, fire broke out in the Almaty city government and the prosecutor's office.
As of the evening of the 5th, demonstrations have spread to the capital, Nur-Sultan.
According to a decree signed by President Tokayev on the 5th, Nur-Sultan has entered a state of emergency.
Relevant measures will start at 1:30 am on the 5th and continue until 0:00 on the 19th of this month. During this period, the passage of people and vehicles will be restricted, and a curfew will be imposed from 23:00 to 7:00 the next day.
Currently, Internet communications in the reporter's area have been interrupted, and telephone communications have also been cut off on a large scale.
As of the early morning of the 6th, Nur-Sultan’s network signal had basically been restored four hours later, and it was facing a complete paralysis.
A spokesperson for the National Bank of Kazakhstan stated on the 6th that all financial institutions in the country have suspended operations due to anti-terrorism operations and network interruptions.
At present, most ATMs are no longer operating, and only a few ATMs are still operating.
The state initiates price regulation and security measures
According to public information from the media, as of now, more than 200 illegal protesters have been arrested by the police for disrupting public order.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan stated that relevant agencies have launched investigations into 13 cases of violence and attacks against government officials and government buildings.
In addition, 8 law enforcement officers have died during the mission, more than 300 people have been injured, and 37 police vehicles have been damaged.
The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan reported on the 6th that thousands of people have been injured in large-scale protests.
Starting from January 1, 2022, the price of LNG per liter in Mangostal State will be increased from 60 tenge (approximately RMB 0.88) to 120 tenge (approximately RMB 1.68) per liter.
The increase in prices has triggered dissatisfaction among local people, which has also become a direct trigger for protests and demonstrations in many places.
In response to price increases, on the 4th, after negotiations with the demonstrators, the price of LNG fell to 50 tenge (about 0.74 yuan) per liter.
Since the protests, the Kazakh government has been working hard to control the situation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan stated that it will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.
From the evening of the 5th local time, the presidential residence was guarded by special forces and police patrolled the city streets.
The president promised to be with the people
The President of Kazakhstan Tokayev emphasized at the social and economic work conference held on the 5th that controlling inflation and stabilizing prices are one of the most important tasks of the state administration at this stage.
He said that government agencies will conduct 180-day price adjustments on food products, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, and diesel.
Tokayev also called for speeding up the reform of the natural gas system, completing the task of building a liquefied gas plant in Mangystau State as soon as possible, and delaying the entry of liquefied gas transactions into the electronic trading platform and the stock market for one year.
In the meantime, it is necessary to study and formulate a regulatory and legal framework to ensure the transparent operation of the trading platform and prevent substantial price increases.
At present, Tokayev has delivered two televised speeches, calling on the people to stay sensible, act cautiously, and refrain from participating in illegal gatherings because of provocation and incitement. He will stay in the capital during this period with the people.
He also announced in his speech that he would serve as chairman of the Kazakhstan National Security Council and promised to take tough measures against those who violated the law in the demonstrations.
Prior to this, Tokayev had accepted the government's resignation, and the heads of various departments will be acting as agents in the new government.
In addition, Tokayev said at a security meeting held in the early morning of the 6th that participants in the riots had received strict training abroad, and the Kazakh government had sought help from the Ji'an organization.
He emphasized that despite the complex situation, the Kazakh government will continue to protect the rights of its citizens and foreigners in Kazakh, and protect foreign companies and enterprises in Kazakh.
The rotating chairman of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Council and Armenian Prime Minister Pashnyan issued a statement on social media on the same day, saying that after receiving Tokayev’s request for help, considering the current situation posed a threat to Kazakhstan’s national security and sovereignty, The UN Security Council has decided to deploy peacekeeping forces in Kazakhstan for a short period of time to ensure the stability of the local situation.
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