Situation in Kazakhstan amid protests MOSCOW, Jan 5 Public transport in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, will start working on Thursday morning and will function as usual, unless unforeseen situations occur, Sputnik Kazakhstan reports with reference to the CTS company, which is responsible for the operation of transport. «Public transport will start operating from 7 am and will run as usual, unless unforeseen situations occur, «the statement says. Earlier, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, against the background of protests in the country on Wednesday, introduced a state of emergency in Nur-Sultan from January 5 to 19. In the capital, during the state of emergency, entry and exit from the city will be restricted, gatherings will be banned, and weapons will be confiscated from individuals. In the early days of 2022, residents of the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau in the Mangistau region — an oil-producing region in western Kazakhstan — protested against the double growth prices for liquefied petroleum gas. The formed government commission announced that it was ready to reduce gas prices. However, the protests spread to other cities as well. In Alma-Ata, on January 4 and 5, protesters clashed with security forces, the police used gas and stun grenades. Throughout Kazakhstan, the Internet was turned off, the broadcasting of a number of TV channels was temporarily stopped. The President introduced a state of emergency in Mangistau and Almaty regions, as well as in Alma-Ata until January 19. On the morning of January 5, Kazakh President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev dismissed the government and said that the Cabinet was especially responsible for allowing a protest situation. He stated that he is now the head of the Security Council of Kazakhstan. According to Tokayev, the hooligan elements were well organized during the riots, he stressed that the authorities would act as harshly as possible against offenders during the protests. The President also promised in the near future «to come out with a new package of proposals.» Follow the situation in Kazakhstan in the online report & gt; & gt;
