Officials and migration experts in southern Kyrgyzstan are concerned over the growing numbers of illegal immigrants into that part of the country, according to the UN news agency IRIN. The officials warned that the immigrants, who come primarily from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in search of work, are causing reductions in local wage rates and worsening the socioeconomic situation, which could result in destabilization. According to these officials, 4,000-5,000 Uzbek citizens are working in the areas near the border of the two countries, earning less than $1 a day, if they are paid at all. Reportedly, Kyrgyz farmers are particularly interested in the cheap labor. An official of the NGO Center for Support of Civil Initiatives told IRIN that the Uzbek government wants to combat the problem by strengthening controls along the border, but the Kyrgyz side finds this approach unhelpful. (akipress.org)