Hundreds of foreign students leave Kyrgyzstan after mob attack

Although the police were on site, they were unable to stop the violence.

Bishkek:

Hundreds of students from Pakistan and other Asian countries are leaving Kyrgyzstan after an angry mob attacked their hostels this month, but some hope to return when the situation calms down.

Hundreds of young Kyrgyz men broke into a dormitory in the capital Bishkek in the early hours of May 17 and attacked foreign students there. The reason for this was a fight between several Kyrgyz men and foreigners that had taken place a few days earlier.

Although the police were on site, they were unable to stop the violence.

“They broke into our … dormitory. It was a terrible moment and the worst nightmare for all of us,” said Imran Yousaf, a pathologist at the International University of Kyrgyzstan.

He said that despite the students’ attempts to barricade the entrances and hide, the attackers beat and assaulted several students, including some women.

“We were very surprised and psychologically traumatized when people came in,” Yousaf said. “I don’t know what kind of provocateur is responsible for this hatred among them.”

The Pakistani government has organized additional daily flights from Bishkek and many students are taking this opportunity to return home, at least temporarily.

Kyrgyzstan’s medical schools have become increasingly popular in recent decades among aspiring doctors from India, Pakistan, and some other Asian and Arab countries, partly because of their relatively low tuition fees and living costs.

The Kyrgyz government has tried to allay the fears of foreign students and has held meetings with their leaders, Yousaf said. He expressed hope that the expats will return in a few months. Police have arrested more than a dozen of the suspected attackers.

“The Kyrgyz government has taken wonderful steps. Our student council was invited to the Kyrgyz parliament along with the president, there was a one-on-one meeting and I hope, Inshallah (God willing), with hope in my eyes and logic on my back, that this situation will ease in the coming days,” Yousaf said.

“I tell all my friends: Don’t think that Kyrgyzstan is bad,” said another student, Hamza Yasin.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)