Kyrgyzstan's central government pledged to help ethnic Uzbeks vote in a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday, encouraging participation by a minority group that has supported the interim administration, AP reported. The impoverished former Soviet nation was thrown into chaos this month when mobs of ethnic Kyrgyz went on rampages across the south, killing hundreds of ethnic Uzbeks and sending hundreds of thousands fleeing for their lives. Officials have blamed the violence on supporters of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the country's former president who was toppled in a bloody uprising in April. Sunday's referendum is a key step toward legitimizing the interim government and turning the country into a parliamentary republic. Ethnic Uzbeks have mainly supported those who took power from Bakiyev, and would not oppose a constitution allowing them parliamentary representation. Nearly half of the ethnic Uzbek population fled after deadly attacks by Kyrgyz mobs. Uzbeks have accused the mostly ethnic Kyrgyz troops and police of collusion in deadly rampages and raids in Uzbek neighborhoods in recent days have heightened their distrust of authorities. Some witnesses reported that government troops ripped their IDs off during those raids. -- SPA
