After riots in the western Kazakh town of Zhanaozen claimed at least 13 lives, the city has experienced an uneasy calm after a heavy deployment of police. RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondent Kazis Toguzbaev traveled to Zhanaozen and the nearby Aktau on December 19.
Uneasy Kazakh Calm
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On the streets of Zhanaozen, a burnt-out banner featuring Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
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Since the riots there has been a huge deployment of police and security forces to restore order.
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On the streets of Zhanaozen, police officers are carrying out random security checks.
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One Zhanaozen resident, Sandugash Amanzholova, says that she could not find her husband, who was detained by police on December 16.
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Casing from a shotgun pellet. The Kazakh authorities have said the police were left "with no choice but to shoot."
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This Zhanaozen resident says there is now no food in the stores.
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Much of the violence in Zhanaozen was focused on the city's central square.
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Close to the central square in Aktau, a protesters' banner reads "Kazakhs, Wake Up!"
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There has also been a heavy deployment of police in Aktau, where pro-strike rallies drew hundreds of people on December 18.
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These residents of Aktau were symapthetic with the oil workers' protests.
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Protesters in Aktau present a list of their demands.
