Kyrgyzstan: Thousands of people stormed government buildings yesterday and at least four policemen were reported beaten to death as protests against President Askar Akayev swelled in southern Kyrgyzstan.
Mr Akayev warned last week that any attempt to copy the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine, another ex-Soviet state, could lead to civil war.
But Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev said the government wanted a peaceful resolution: "We have never gone against our own people, especially not with weapons in our hands."
The opposition, protesting against what it says were rigged parliamentary elections, effectively seized control of the southern Kyrgyz town of Dzhalal Abad, following protests on Friday in nearby Osh, and in two other regions in the south.
Last night opposition supporters were in control of five government buildings in Dzhalal Abad after security forces fled the city.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which described the elections as flawed, has appealed to both sides for calm.
Fighting first broke out on Saturday when riot police stormed the city governor's headquarters, captured earlier in the week by opposition supporters. They made 20 arrests. They also stormed a building occupied by the opposition in Osht. Here, more than 200 were arrested, many of whom had been living in a tented compound in the town centre, built as a permanent protest.
But the government appears to have miscalculated opposition support. By Saturday night thousands were on the streets of both towns, and protesters also gathered in Bishtek.
Crowds surrounded the police headquarters early yesterday morning, breaking into the building. The prisoners arrested the day before were set free and offices set on fire with petrol bombs. Police officers ran to the roof, firing shots in the air. A truce was negotiated, during which they were allowed to leave the roof, before the building was burned down.
The protests then moved to the mayor's headquarters. Soldiers were deployed to guard the building, but they fled without opening fire and protesters captured the building.
The government offered to have talks with the demonstrators, but opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev last night said these would be a waste of time unless the president himself was involved.
"The authorities' decision to use force against people won't bring any good. It will just provoke anger," he said. - Additional reporting: Reuters