(24 Mar 2005) SHOTLIST
1. Riot police lined up in central square (presidential Headquarters in background)
2. Rear shot riot police with shields standing by as crowds march past carrying pink banners (signifying their loyalty to the opposition)
3. Various of demonstrators marching
4. Wide shot square, crowds gathering
5. Opposition leader addressing crowds
6. Pan across crowds gathered in square for rally, they cheer
7. Mid shot crowds
8. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Opposition leader:
"We are trying to keep the peace at the moment. The most important thing is that we are not provoked, because it is possible that they might let drunk people come here on purpose. I've already seen some of them here myself, so we need to avoid fights between individual people - this is what we need to worry about. I think however that the crowd will be very well behaved and if the security services act within the confines of the law, everything will be all right.''
9. Marching crowds
10. Interior office, opposition leader Zhenishbek Nazaraliyev, loads gun
11. Cutaway mobile phones on desk
12. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Zhenishbek Nazaraliyev, Opposition leader:
"If there's going to be gunfire and fighting then I will certainly participate. If we split into two opposing sides then my side will be the strongest. We will respond to anything that comes our way.''
13. Exterior square demonstrators throw stones at pro-government forces with shields
14. Crowds running
15. Man walking and talking
16. Various of square and clashes
17. Crowds running
18. People in square
19. Riot police lined up

STORYLINE

Protesters stormed the presidential compound in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, as protestors continued their demands for President Askar Akayev to step down.

About 1,000 protesters managed to clear riot police from their positions outside the fence protecting the building, but they did not enter the area immediately around the building.

Clashes broke out between the protesters and pro-government forces, who threw stones and sticks and brandished truncheons to threaten the demonstrators gathered near the presidential headquarters.

A column of about 5,000 opposition supporters moved down Bishkek's main avenue, passing the facade of the presidential and government headquarters and halting in the city's main square adjacent to the white stone building, which was surrounded by helmeted riot police with truncheons and shields.

It was the first major rally in the Kyrgyz capital since opposition supporters seized control of key cities and towns in the south.

Opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev said the crowd would behave well "if the security services act within the confines of the law".

However, another opposition leader, Zhenishbek Nazaraliyev, was less conciliatory: "If there's going to be gunfire and fighting then I will certainly participate," he said.

Many of the demonstrators had come from a rally on the outskirts of Bishkek, where protesters roared and clapped when an opposition activist asserted that Akayev's foes would soon control the entire Central Asian state, which has been plunged into political crisis over disputed parliamentary elections.

Protesters retaliated by throwing stones and sticks at hundreds of blue-armband clad men in civilian clothes who stood close to the demonstrators and began beating truncheons against shields.

The men in armbands moved in and chased protesters away from a platform in a central square adjacent to the building housing the presidential and government offices, but demonstrators charged back and drove them away again.





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