A staff member of an international organization in Kyrgyzstan was asked to leave the country and is now in Andijon. Removed from his headquarters in Bishkek, and the only foreign national stationed in Osh, this is seen as only precautionary. Other international organizations in Osh have not made the same decision for their foreign staff members.
Foreigners with proper visas and documentation have been able to cross the main Osh-Dostlik border. However, Kyrgyz who have tried to cross at Osh or rural border posts have had very limited success.
Russian news this morning reported that telephone service in the Osh region have been shut off, but a member of an international organization in Andijon was able to call their office in Osh this morning on the LAN line.
Peace Corps Uzbekistan is working with the American Embassy to arrange Uzbek visas for PCVs in Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Talas regions. IF they decide to evacuate the PCVs, the embassy will be at the border to help get them across and head straight to Tashkent. They have no plans to use the Ferghana Valley region as the consolidation point for the Kyrgyz PCVs.
The Korasu Bazaar in Osh is a major trading post for goods sold in Andijon bazaars. If cross border trade is restricted, prices are bound to rise and the already limited income of people here will be squeezed even more. I plan to check with taxi drivers and bazaar merchants about how this has affected them so far.