Kloop.kg reports that some members of Kyrgyzstan parliament have proposed to make amendments to the country’s law on the border commissioners, under which the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) could be able to given small and combat weapons to residents of border areas.
The draft law on making amendments to the law on the border commissioners was reportedly put up for public discussion on May 19.
The bill notes that only citizens having the status of a border commissioner will be able to get weapons.
Under the country’s legislation, only citizens, who permanently live in border areas and work on the basis of employment contract, can obtain the status of a border commissioner.
The bill also stipulates conducting training courses on bearing and using weapons for border commissioners.
Kyrgyzstan reportedly adopted the current law on the border commissioners in 2015 in order to ensure the state integrity by involving residents of border areas who are given the status of the border commissioner. Such residents provide information support to the country’s border service. To-date, 140 border commissioners have reportedly been registered in Kyrgyzstan.
Recall, the latest clashes took place along the disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in late April.
Villagers from opposing sides hurled rocks at each other on April 28 and border guards joined the fray with assault rifles, machine guns and mortars on April 29.
It was the worst violence in decades along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border that killed 55 people and wounded more than 270 people on both sides.
The border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been the scene of unrest repeatedly since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
Border talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began in 2002. The countries share 976 kilometers of border – of which only 504 kilometers has reportedly been properly delineated, leading to tensions for the past 30 years.
