Section: Policy

"The first Genghis Khan's lifeguard-warrior" film is displeased by regions "enlargers".

The showing of a film "The First Genghis Khan's lifeguard-warrior" was canceled in the Ust-Ordyn Buryat Autonomous District recently. The head of the Alavarsky Region Andrey Botyakov referred to the reason of hall preparation for another event. Then the showing was tried to organize in police-station. Its head has agreed first but he refused providers after phone call from the district DIA (Department of Internal Affairs) "due to the carrying out of operation "Vihr-Antiterorr".

The leader of the film distribution team Radghana Dugarova informed "Gazeta": "When we tried to find out why they have forbidden the film showing, we were asked to say our last names and in what purpose we came". Later the members of the film distribution team knew that the Head of the Administration was visited by District officials. "I think the film showing was canceled due to this visit, although I do not understand how the film could hinder plebiscite preparation", Dugarova says.

The Ust-Ordyn Autonomous District and Irkutsk Region merging referendum is set on 16th April this year. After the merging they are promising to create national and cultural autonomy with "budgeting of programs oriented to preservation and development of the Buryat national culture". According to the Russian Federation Constitution, national and cultural autonomy status may be specified in new subject regulations but Federal Act about that kind of autonomies emphasizes theirs exterritorial nature. "In practice the question is about formation of a social organization which can not have attachment to the specific territory", the member of the Buryatia Scientists Social Organization and the head of the Law Faculty of Buryat State University Yuri Fedorov believes.

We remind that the Russian regions merging process began from the Perm Region and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Area in 2003. For the success in merging Komi-Permyak Area Governor Yuri Turgenev was essentially raised in position, he has been named for the Minister of Natural Resources of Russia. Federal center is not stopped by additional expenses. Thus, 20 billion rubles were detached only from Federal budget for the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Evenkia and Taimyr merging.

Next areas for the merging were not only under-populated and economically depressive regions like Koryakia but national republics. The idea of Adygea and Krasnodarsk Territory merging was promoted last year but after mass actions of the adygs this project realization was put off until better time.

For merging of Ust-Orda Autonomous District with Irkutsk Region federal center has not only zealous local officials which are prohibiting people to go to cinema but also well-known political analysts. Thus, the Public Chamber member Andronik Migranyan came to Irkutsk last week. The political analyst spoke about Chinese "yellow danger" because of which near-borders must be strengthened. However according to observers, situation is going to be conversely worsened due to the merging - native population will migrate to Buryatia. "It is not possible to restore population in the district quickly, as it was in giant building projects epoch", the leader of the "Open Buryatia" Association Aldar Badmaev believes. "And if merging must be done anyway then it is better to restore historical fairness and to join the district to Buryatia in borders of 1937 when the Republic of Buryat-Mongolia was divided into three different subjects by Stalin's order. And a number of the Buryat-Mongolian regions were handed over to the Irkutsk Region so that adjoining borders were eliminated. By the same way wedge of Krasnodar Territory was entered between Adygea and Karachayevo-Cherkessia in due time".

According to Badmaev the cancellation of the first Buryat film showing proves that promised national and cultural autonomy is only a name for "enlargers". "By this single step authorities completely cross out theirs demagogy about our culture preservation and increase the number of opponents against merging", he said to "Gazeta".

Situation could be changed by legislative initiative from regional parliaments. But it is necessary at least three months for the bill entry in the State Duma and passing of all coordination while the subject merging referendum is taking place in two months. And till then Ust-Orda is not allowed to go to cinema.