Zhanaozen residents will not be re-settled: Akim of Mangistau oblast

Zhanaozen residents will not be re-settled, Akim (Governor) of Mangistau oblast Baurzhan Mukhametzhanov told Lada.kz. Commenting the option that the majority of the towns residents could be resettled and Zhanaozen town could become a mare rotation camp, the Akim said that this is not an option. “This is a big town with 100 thousand residents. It is impossible to re-settle such a number of people right now. Especially sine many projects have been started or implemented here, several billion tenge were invested. Zhanaozen will be developing futher,” Akim stated. Mukhametzhanov thinks that perhaps “there have been some mistakes made in the migration policy” and “so many foreigners shouldn’t have been settled here”. Migrants from neighboring countries and ethnic Kazakhs willing to return to their Motherland from other countries have been settled in the area in recent years. Akim said that the oblast administration will take all the needed efforts to develop the town further. Clashes in Zhanaozen started on December 16 during celebration of the Independence Day and claimed 16 lives. Over hundred people were injured. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree on implementation of the state of emergency in Zhanaozen that was prolonged to January 31.