More Serial Killer Info in Russian

http://www.compromat.kg/news/crime/121/informatsiya-o-manyake-podtverzhdaetsya-.html

It says that the Bishkek police are so inefficient that not only are they incapable of finding the serial killer but are also giving contradictory information as to when their version of the serial killer was captured.

The article states that there's a censoring of serial killer-related information in the press as to not creat more panic. There are two women who have recently escaped from the serial killer and one was taken to a hospital with stab wounds.

Snowfall, Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had a late Thanksgiving dinner with mom, a cousin, and my niece. We made turkey and even brined it. I can still say I don't enjoy the blandness of this meal all that much. Although I wanted to prepare something special for my mother. And turkey seems to be quite special in Bishkek, not something that one often eats here.

Before dinner I stopped by an American co-worker's apartment where there were four American men talking about failed marriages, and one younger Kyrgyz female co-worker. All I can say is that the interraction in that room was quite puzzling. I then drove a couple of people to their houses. One of the professors who lives near the Ortosaiskiy Market kept talking about the serial killer again. What is the difference in definition between serial and spree killing?

According to the Bishkek police the killer/s has/have been captured. There are however no photos of the supposed killer/s. There's also an article on compromat.kg about 14 severely mentally disturbed individuals having escaped from a psychiatric ward. And only 4 of the 14 have been supposedly captured. There are so many strange stories circulating in the city. Although, yesterday another victim in the same neighborhood was found with stab wounds right next to a relative's apartment building.

Also, it has snowed in Bishkek and I must say it's overwhelmingly beautiful. Driving home is surreal, although the car skidding on ice isn't that much fun. Snow turns pretty fast into slush in the city and then disappears, but here in Chong-Aryk village it's mesmerizing, as if on a movie set with heavy white tree branches. Also our front gate froze shut and we had to pour kettles of boiling water onto the lock to be able to leave the house.

I also had to make up for lost time and dragged all of my students to my house for a class today. They are such great kids. We drank coffee and talked about Kyrgyzstan joining HIPC, the uselessness of international organizations of so called aid to poorer countries, cloning, the role of art, and where to get the most authentic Korean food. One of my students said that 24 in the Vostok 5 neighborhood is the most authentic Korean restaurant. I think I've been there before and their kalbi was pretty good for Bishkek. He also told me about the divide between local Koreans "Koryo" and the Korean Koreans "Hanguk" populations. The Korean Koreans seem to have a slightly condescending attitude towards the local Koreans. That made me sad.

Last week I had this lucid dream experience of hearing a young woman cry under my window that ended up being quite a foreshadowing. These things always give me the creeps, but are kind of beautiful too when these unexplainable signs actually mean something. Oh well, the past has once again swept everything away into nothingness.

I've been thinking a lot of time, even though it's basically thinking of mortality, I am hopefully growing more peaceful regarding all those time-mortality issues. I am grateful for ideas that render this life still slightly hopeful.

The person writing on this silly personal blog is thankful for family, boyfriend, friends, dogs, books, internet connection in Ching-Aryk Village and the rich harvest of persimmons this year.

The Killer of Three Faces

I know that people in our day and age do not read stuff without pictures anymore...somehow that still doesn't make me want to add pictures. Honestly, they are so overrated.

And, it says something about me, that I keep writing inane stuff and not adding illustrations. It says that I am just not that into pictures.

Tomorrow I am teaching a class on Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go." I started making notes and kept writing "Ish" for Ishiguro, and then read that "Ish" is what his friends called him. That made me happy...but really it's not that special. I think I am just a little obsessed with his work, so I actually feel excited to go and teach tomorrow.

My day class starts at 8 am tomorrow. That means I have to wake up at 6 am. 6 am here is when the light outside is blue. I make and drink way too much coffee so that by the time I get to work I am hyper and talk too fast. My students have even commented on my coffee consumption, but it's only because I have to make sense at 8 am when I talk about books!

So, the serial killer hasn't been captured yet, but all kinds of murders are being attributed to him or now they say that it could be them. There are 3 distinctively different photorobot portraits. Is that what they call that in English? If not, then you know what I mean. Apparently a shoe maker had his throat slashed in a shopping center called Elegy. And people are remembering strange run-ins with this and that person who might or might not look like the three versions of the killer.

Also, I found a Korean grocery store near Dordoi Plaza and bought pickled sesame leaves, kimchi, packs of ramyun, and chrysanthemum greens. I was happy.

AUCA is fast like that!

Just got an email from university security:

Напоминания службы безопасности.Уважаемые преподаватели и сотрудники АУЦА!Органами МВД разыскивается Убийца манъяк, который совершил серийноеубийство в южных микрорайонах города Бишкек. На свою жертву нападает восновном в ночное время суток. Ориентировочно это лицо азиатскойнациональности, рост 165- 175 см., коротко стриженный, плохо говорит нарусском языке, одет в спортивную куртку темно- синего цвета и кроссовки.В сязи с этим убедительно просим Вас в ночное время сцток быть бдительнымии осторожным
СБ АУЦА
Attention! Message from Security.Dear AUCA students? faculty and staff!Ministry of Internal Affairs looks for a murderer. He commited serialmurders in the south microdistrict of Bishkek. He works at night time.Discription of this man: asiatic, 165- 175 cm, shot- heared, speaks Russianvery bad, sport blazer- dark blue colour and running shoes.We urge you to be cautious in the night time.
Security of AUCA

Mikrorayon Serial Killer

Bishkek city police force are looking for a serial killer who has attacked seven people in the last three days. His "signature" attack starts with stabbing of victims' backs. He has attacked people every few hours on the 11th of November.

There are also reports of two more victims, a young man and a young woman on the following message board:
http://diesel.elcat.kg/index.php?showtopic=367037&st=40
However, this hasn't been yet confirmed by the police.

So far the only information online that I found is all in Russian. The man is described as a 25 year old Kyrgyz man of average height, with a mustache and an accent when he speaks Russian.

250 police men are being deployed to look for the serial killer who strikes in a cluster of mikrorayons (small high rise neighborhoods) pretty near to where I live. They are basically a 5 minute drive away.

On Diesel, a popular city message board there's talk of people organizing themselves into vigilante groups. I am really tempted to go join one of those so that I can write about it.

Strangely enough this serial killer attacks men and women of various ages. Or is it a spree killer? I will look up the definition...It seems I forgot all about that class on serial killers that I took in college.

Every day strange things happen in the town of Bishkek. By the end of the school day everyone at the university talked of this serial killer business. It seems like the demonstrations were a century ago.

I am guessing that the authorities do not want to make people panic so they are not releasing that much information regarding this issue. The last time I remember the word serial killer being mentioned here in Bishkek was when this guy was still around:

http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillers/D/DSCHUMAGALIJEW_nikolai.php

He was caught near our house maybe 10-15 years ago...If I am not wrong he escaped from prison...

Finally...

Yay, democrats win in the U.S! New constitution for Kyrgyzstan! Exciting!

Earthquake!

Last night I couldn't fall asleep thinking of all the things that happened yesterday.

Today I read that hospital doctors had confirmed that the government used weapons only again the pro-opposition demonstrators. Although there are reports in the news that both groups, the pro-opposition and pro-government demonstrators were injured, the truth is that the SNB (Kyrgyz KGB) were directed to fire at the unarmed demonstrators. They also had snipers on the roofs of buildings who were directed to kill opposition leaders, that is why Babanov was carried away by his guards.

Electricity kept going in and out. I heard shots somewhere a bit further away in the evening. Although the night was mostly quiet, I felt anxious for the next day.

This morning it seems that the opposition and the government have reached a compromise and will be meeting at 9 am. If they give in now, the government will surely feel like they have the upper hand and will become more dictatorial...

Oh, and at 8.22 am there was a 4 point-ish 5 point-ish earthquake. Two days before we had a flood in the house. Constant excitment here in the town of Bishkek...

On TV they keep repeating how the opposition leaders have already distributed positions amongst themselves, one person as minister of foreign affairs, another for president, vice-president, etc. This information was created by the government and denied by opposition leaders. But for those who have no internet access (most people who live in further regions of the country), they keep trying to convince people that this was a coup attempt. As usual, the government shows their clumsy, uneducated, ridiculous PR moves. I suppose it's like a media equivalent of their talentless Matreshka-gate fiasco.

Come on, opposition! Don't let down the common folk!

Bishkek Brutality

Apparently the government used tear gas and shot into the air at the demonstrations. Although if they were shooting in the air, I don't know how there could be four people with gun shot wounds at the hospital. Things are looking really bad right now. Just now I saw Babanov (one of the opposition leaders) on TV who was being thrown at with bottles and stones by pro-Bakiev demonstrators, and was then dragged off somewhere. I have a feeling the opposition will be brutally tortured and executed if the government wins. The government is showing their true face.

When the clashes grew violent I was out having coffee with my friend and my mother was completely alone. So I rushed home so that I can be with her. She was standing at the gates waiting for me. I think I've never driven this fast before...Then the electricity went out, that was such a scare, but it's actually a fuse that blew out.

Maybe it will all pass...but a lot of Bishkek city people are pro-government and are annoyed by the demonstrators. And looking at websites, it looks like a lot of city folk are happy that Bakiev is using violence to stop the demonstrators. I disagree with them. Violence against civcilans is disgusting!

The "Swan Lake" Syndrome

Back in Soviet days one knew that something critical was happening in the country when they showed the ballet "Swan Lake" on TV and ignored reporting the news. That's what was on TV when the Soviet Union was broken up and Gorbachev was taken hostage by the politburo.

Today they are showing these strange ethno-operatic motif videos from the 70's with beautiful cinematography. Strangely unburdened Kyrgyz running around in 70's sunglasses in the mountains and on the beach of lake Issyk-Kul with an orchestra using ethnic instruments like the komuz and jew's harp (temirkomuz) in the background. The women and men of the orchestra have national costumes on. The women wear hats with feathers that stick out and look like wings fluttering in the mountain wind. God, if only I could get my hands on this footage, I would take it directly to Walter Reade/Anthology Film Archives in New York.

There are reports that 300, 000 Bakiev supporters are moving here from Osh now. Supporters of Bakiev and those of the opposition are having a stand off at the old square near AUCA, the university where I teach. Bakiev has resurfaced and has stated that he is going to "take certain measures." If the opposition looses now they will probably be imprisoned and tortured...

The opposition will only win if America/Russia will back them. Right now they are ignored by everyone...

The TV makes everything surreal.

Why is Kyrgyzstan not getting media coverage?

I hate that this is not getting any coverage in the West. At least Euronews and BBC are making an effort to report what is going on in Kyrgyzstan. But the US media is purposefully ignoring their professional duties. When you look at NY Times, CNN, all the big papers, you can see that if someone in the US farts, it is news. If some quirky, weird, vacuous stuff is going on in other countries, like stupid, trendy Japanese kids travelling to New York because they are post-modern loosers, then that is news worth getting published in NY Times. But, when a whole country is going through massive upheavals where the Americans have a military base, where they create non-existent scandals with female majors being "kidnapped," where they have American spies getting kicked out of the country, it is not worth being reported. Maybe they don't know how to analyze what is going on because so much of what is really important is amongst insiders. However, they should still be reporting more thoroghly, and yet Kyrgyzstan is only covered in regional updates and Reuters reports. I mean, if I was an American I would be interested in reading about what is going on in Kyrgyzstan a little country being pulled in different directions by Russia, China, and the US. What is going on is micro-level contemporary world politics!

I see someone who looks like CJ Chivers ( a journalist who has written some interesting articles on Kyrgyzstan for the NY Times) running around the demonstrations. I wonder if it is him...

Where is the Kyrgyz President?

Last night we went to the main square again to see what was going on. People were mostly drunk and the opposition leaders were celebrating. Sensing changes in power structure, all kinds of people crawled out and were trying to show that they are opposition supporters by talking into the microphone. Obviously, if the opposition would come to power this would be a point in favor of whoever was trying to create a show. Women speakers were getting hysteric and shrill. People were desperately grabbing the microphone one from the other.

I took a couple of pictures that I will post later. But it was more moving to be at the square in the daytime. I heard that they showed mom and I on TV, demonstrating in the square.

Although I am anti-current government, and I agree with certain ideas of the opposition I feel jaded when it comes to the politicians of Krazystan. I worry that once in power Kyrgyz genes and feudal mindset overpowers logic and then the person in power will usurp that power in favor of his family/clan/region.

But I am happy that our country is building its nationhood, its democratic governance, that people are questioning power, that they have faith that they themselves can change their fates. I do hope someone more responsible will come to power this time. Our little Kyrgyzstan, will hopefully one day be a stable country without strife and poverty. (When, I wonder...)

So far the president and the vice-president haven't left the country or government. And for forced impeachment 4 more signature of members of parliament are needed. There are also reports that pro-Bakiev military forces are on their way to Bishkek from Osh. Osh is the Southern capital and that is Bakiev's native region. The president and the vice-president haven't addressed the people yet. Where are they? Well, hopefully nothing too terrible will happen.

Here's a link to an English-language website: www.kyrgyzreport.com

things are going down!!!

So, today mom, my cousin and I went to the square to attend the demonstration this morning. There were loads of people and we got our chance to yell "Bakiev, ketsin!" and "Kulov, ketsin!"

I then went back to the university which is 2 minutes away and taught a class. Of course we mostly talked about recent events. Then, one of my students came in saying that half the police force has switched camps and is now supporting the opposition. All kinds of things happened. I drove our office manager home and then drove home myself. I am wondering if I should go back to the square to take pictures and support the people.

So far things have been pretty unventful. Today is another day of demonstrations.

I've so far cleaned my room, my car, made vegetable soup, brushed Nanooki's teeth and watched Tsai Ming Liang's "A Wayward Cloud."

http://webcam2.saimanet.kg/

I think that other link to a webcam doesn't work. Here's a new one.

November 2

American University of Central Asia has cancelled all classes. That means a long weekend for me.

So, a big protest in front of the Kyrgyz "White House" is expected today at the main square. Our university is located right next to this exciting place.

We were paid in cash one day early. They usually transfer money into accounts. We went to the comptroller's office and although our salaries were all supposed to be unknown to others, now everyone knows who makes how much money.

I think things will be okay, but actually, who knows, right?

Here's a link to a webcam on the main square:
http://217.29.21.10/view/index.shtml

Also, this photographer-blogger whose blog I love always takes interesting pictures:
http://morrire.livejournal.com

On October 31 we went shopping to wholesale markets to buy big sacks of staples. We then went to Beta Stores supermarket. There were quite a few people who were stocking up everywhere we went. The streets were full of cars. There was a fog in the city. I thought it strange for our arrid climate.

Also, they say the government has procured some kind of gas from Israel to use against rowdy demonstrators that causes vomitting and diarrhea.

There are also a huge number of rumors of this and that and the other. I'd rather not completely panic just yet.

Well, I'll keep this blog updates.

love