Kyrgyz authorities have subdued rioters in the city of Talas by running the crowds off using tear gas, Kyrgyz Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiyev said on Tuesday.
"Police authorities have the situation in Talas under control. The people who were pushed from the city's central square took off down different streets and were throwing rocks at police. There were a lot of drunks and people with Molotov cocktails, therefore, it was necessary for the police to intervene," the minister said at a press conference.
Kongantiyev said that after the riots in Talas, all of the activities by the United People's Movement are considered unlawful and any attempts to continue protests on Wednesday would be stopped.
"They have violated constitutional order, they have taken over an administrative building, broken windows, used Molotov cocktails and held the governor for some time," the interior minister said describing the rioters' actions.
He said the situation in the republic was stable.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov earlier on Tuesday confirmed that the protesters seized the Talas government building but refuted reports in Western media saying that they had also taken hostages.
Kyrgyzstan, where Russia and the United States both have military bases, has been in a state of constant instability since current President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power after the so-called tulip revolution, toppling his long-serving predecessor Askar Akayev in 2005.
The opposition has accused Bakiyev of tightening his grip on power while failing to bring stability and economic growth. His party won most seats in parliament in the early December 2007 election after two years of political upheaval.
BISHKEK, April 6 (RIA Novosti)
