Vandals Steel Prominent Kyrgyz Poet's Monument

BISHKEK. Yesterday evening, unknown vandals had stolen a bust of prominent Kyrgyz poet, Joomart Bokonbaev (1910-1944) at the center of the capital. Deputy minister of education and culture, writer Sultan Rayev told RFE/RL that the monument was built in 1947. The vandals thought that the bust was made of bronze which is in high demand for smugglers of nonferrous metal. The event made an outcry in the parliament today. Even some deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the parliament proposed to prohibit export of nonferrous metal from Kyrgyzstan. The law-enforcement bodies have begun criminal investigation over the rare vandalism.