Mayor's Office Ambushed By Protesters At Almaty, Kazakhstan's Largest City
NDTV
Kazakhstan Protests: More than 200 people were detained during protests that swept across the country following a New Year increase in fuel prices.
Protesters gathered at the mayor's office in ex-Soviet Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty on Wednesday as unprecedented protests over a hike in energy prices spun out of control.
Police fired stun grenades and tear gas at a crowd of several thousand protesters, some armed with batons and shields seized from police, but were unable to prevent the protesters from entering the building, an AFP correspondent said.
More than 200 people were detained during protests that swept across the Central Asian country following a New Year increase in prices for Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is widely used to fuel cars in the west of the country, police said on Wednesday morning.
Thousands took to the streets in the largest city Almaty and in the western province of Mangystau, saying the price rise was unfair given oil and gas exporter Kazakhstan's vast energy reserves.
