Anti-government protesters stormed the offices of state TV and radio in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, earlier today. Both the radio and television stations went off air briefly, but resumed broadcasting an hour or so later under government control. The Interior Minister is said to have been killed, and President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency. The unrest is largely the result of widespread dissatisfaction with the economic situation in the country. One third of the population live below the poverty line.
BBC Monitoring quotes the state-owned Kyrgyz news agency Kabar as reporting that broadcasts of the privately-owned Pyramid TV and radio company were suspended today since 1700 hours [1100 gmt]. All staff members left the building at about 1630 hours, except for a few technical personnel. The latter have so far refrained from making comments.
(Source: BBC Monitoring and news agencies)
