MOSCOW, January 5 – RIA Novosti. An employee of the airport of Kazakhstan’s Alma-Ata confirmed the seizure of the air harbor by protesters, Sputnik reports.
Earlier, the media reported that the airport in Alma-Ata suspended work due to riots.
“The protesters kicked the passengers out of the terminal, said we won’t touch you,” the agency reports the employee’s words.
According to him, the airport was seized from the main entrance “quietly and peacefully”, the workers were released, another shift was allowed.
Protest actions in Kazakhstan began in the first days of the new year. Residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau went to rallies protesting against the twofold rise in the price of liquefied petroleum gas, which the Ministry of Energy explained by the fact that since January 1, prices began to be formed on electronic exchange trading based on supply and demand.
Tokayev instructed to create a commission to study the situation, and on January 4, the authorities announced that they were ready to fulfill the main demand of the protesters — to reduce gas prices. Despite this, the protests spread to other cities.
The work of the Internet and messengers has been restricted in the republic. The President has introduced a state of emergency in Alma-Ata, Almaty and Mangistau regions. A curfew was imposed there, mass events were banned and movement was restricted.
On the morning of January 5, Tokayev dismissed the government and instructed to introduce state regulation of prices for liquefied gas and gasoline for six months.