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The Kyrgyz parliament Thursday held an emergency session after the deadly shooting of lawmaker businessman Bayaman Erkinbayev a day earlier, demanding the government's security chiefs resign or get sacked.
Lawmakers were debating a motion calling on President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to sack Interior Minister Murat Sutalinov, National Security Service chief Tashtemir Aitbayev, Security Council head Miroslav Niyazov and Prosecutor General Busurmankul Tabaldiyev for failing to ensure public security.
Parliament speaker Umurbek Tekebayev blamed the security chiefs for performing poorly in maintaining public security and providing safety to lawmakers and said the hunting for murderers has proven inefficient.
Tekebayev also said the parliament had obtained a "list of 10 deputies whose lives are in danger" and that Erkinbayev's name was on it.
In an effort to better protect the lives of parliamentarians, Tekebayev said the parliament is going to make revisions to the MP status law soon to allow MPs to carry weapons.
Interior Minister Sutalinov briefed parliament on the investigation into Erkinbayev's murder, adding that he would resign immediately if required to do so.
However, President Bakiyev told the meeting that it was too early to ask the security chiefs to resign, as they need time to investigate a series of murder cases. He demanded security chiefs all take personal charge of the investigation and brief him on progress on a daily basis.
As a well-known Kyrgyz lawmaker and successful businessman, Erkinbayev was actively involved in the March violent protests which ousted veteran President Askar Akayev and brought Bakiyev to power.
Erkinbayev was shot dead outside his house late Wednesday in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Since the March revolution, several social activists, business people and MPs have been murdered in a series of shooting incidents, causing fear among local residents and giving rise to days of chaos.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2005)
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