Kyrgyzstan president fears return would cost him his life

KYRGYZSTAN'S ousted president yesterday said he feared for his life if he returns to the country's capital following the violent uprising that claimed more than 70 lives.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev said he feared he would be killed if he returned to the capital, Bishkek, where thousands of grieving, angry mourners yesterday flooded the main square to honour victims of the revolt.

Mourners also gathered on the sprawling Ala-Too Square, where protesters were shot dead at an opposition rally as some stormed the main government building in the Central Asian nation.

Meanwhile, the head of the opposition's self-declared interim government said there was no immediate intention to discuss whether a US air base can remain following the revolt.

The status of the base, which is key to supporting the international military campaign against the Taleban in Afghanistan, has been a significant question since the uprising on Wednesday.

The health ministry said 76 people had died in the violence and more than 1,400 were injured. That figure included 67 injured overnight on Thursday and early yesterday in clashes between looters and security forces.

Roza Otunbayeva, a former foreign minister who once backed Mr Bakiyev and now leads the opposition interim government, visited a Bishkek hospital on Friday and said she and her comrades would not negotiate with Mr Bakiyev, who has fled to the country's south where he has substantial clan support.

Opposition figures in the past have said they wanted the US base, at the international airport serving the capital, to close. But Ms Otunbayeva said the base agreement will be continued – at least for the near future. "Our priority is the lives of the people who suffered. A top priority is to normalise the situation, to secure peace and stability," she added.