Uzbekistan Revisited

Wow, this is an amazing story.  Seems more info - a video (albeit government censored) - has gotten out about the protest/revolution/massacre that occured in the Andijon region of Uzbekistan while I was serving as a PCV there.  This event proved the straw (or thousand tons of bricks) that broke the camel's back and ultimately led to all PCVs being evacuated and PC completely shutting down there.

Interestingly, one of the new Moldovan Volunteers who arrived about a 2 weeks ago said she was supposed to go to Uzbekistan to re-open the post there in January, 2006 - only 6 months after the post was closed.  To me, this seems a bit hasty.  I say this NOT because I think Uzbekistan would be a nation too dangerous for PCVs.  I say this because PC host-countries must invite PC to work there, and only as of June 2005 the Uzbek government was refusing to renew our visas so we could continue to work there, to answer their phones or open the door when PC staff called, and they even failed to respond to an official communiqué from the US ambassador.  Does this sound like the kind of host you want to have for two years?

I do think it is important for PC to re-establish itself in Uzbekistan, but it should be done at the right time and in the right way to prevent yet another evacuation.