VZCZCXRO4904
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0431/01 0980847
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 070847Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0560
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3596
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1414
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1281
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1850
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2391

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000431 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON SOCI TX
SUBJECT:  TOWN MEETING TURKMEN-STYLE 
 
REF: ASHGABAT 0023 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The administration of a building where 
foreigners and well-off Turkmen reside recently decided to 
hold a town meeting to inform residents of a switch from 
private satellite dishes to communal cable TV.  Since this 
has been a contentious issue in Ashgabat, it appears that the 
administration saw this as a way to prevent problems with the 
residents, all of whom could certainly afford to live 
elsewhere. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Townhall meetings often are held more for people to 
vent than to share or provide information.  Regardless the 
purpose, town halls serve important civic functions.  They 
can help those in charge to gauge sentiment, making it easier 
to be responsive.  They also promote stability by giving 
people an avenue to express their views and thereby serve as 
a safety valve.  In dealing with customers, it also makes 
good business sense. 
 
NOT HAPPY CAMPERS 
 
¶4.  (SBU) One of the more unpopular presidential initiatives 
has been the removal of private satellite dishes from 
apartment buildings to please the president's sense of 
aesthetics (reftel).  Residents worried that this would 
signal the end of their prized access to international 
(mostly Russian and Turkish) TV programming and the game 
shows, variety programs, soap operas, and sitcoms to which 
Turkmen have become addicted.  What this would actually mean 
to the average viewer in terms of program choice and cost was 
the source of endless speculation.  Local governments seemed 
to tread a fine line, needing to implement the president's 
wishes while not stirring up discontent.  A go-slow approach 
that at first moved dishes to the back sides of buildings 
where they could not be viewed from the street, and then 
assurances to residents that the number of channels would not 
be diminished and costs would remain low (for now), seemed to 
be the preferred tack. 
 
TOWN MEETING 
 
¶5.  (SBU) On April 4, the administration of an elite 
apartment building, where some American Embassy employees 
live, held a meeting to inform residents of the impending 
switch from private to communal satellite dishes and cable. 
The building is owned by the Ministry of Oil and Gas. 
Residents include expat businesspeople and diplomats, as well 
as well-to-do Turkmen.  Days before, notices in Russian and 
Turkmen (although not in English, which many of the foreign 
building residents read), were taped near the elevator 
announcing the meeting.  EmbOff spoke with several residents 
who were interested in attending and wondered what the 
switchover would mean for them. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)   Only about 11 residents showed up for the 
meeting, including EmbOff.  In addition to providing 
information on the switchover, the meeting was also clearly 
designed to give residents an opportunity to vent.  The 
representative of the building administration explained that 
the private satellite dishes  would be removed in three days, 
and the building would have four communal satellite dishes 
that would provide access to 700-800 channels, including 60 
in Russian.  These would be available to each apartment for a 
$120 flat fee.  One attendee asked why they had to pay a fee, 
when other buildings were getting cable for free.  The 
representative explained that this was an elite building, and 
they had to pay.  If residents preferred, they could get the 
four Turkmen channels and five Russian ones for free.  If 
they wanted anything more, they would have to ante up. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Then ensued a long discussion about payment.  Some 
people were concerned about having to pay. 
 
ASHGABAT 00000431  002 OF 002 
 
 
Others wondered if those who didn't pay would be able to 
cheat and still get the 700-800 channels.  And who would pay 
for diplomats - their embassy or international organization? 
A resident, who is a lawyer, said the building should pay. 
People wanted to keep the dishes they had already paid for, 
rather than let them be carted away by the city workers who 
would come to disconnect them.  After listening to this 
discussion, the exasperated representative said that people 
could make a scandal if they wanted, but further complaints 
should be taken to the mayor's office.  He and his staff had 
nothing to do with this process. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) COMMENT:  In one resident's view, the meeting was 
an attempt by the building administration to prevent 
problems, by offering residents a forum to receive some 
information, ask questions, and express concerns.  Perhaps 
they decided to be proactive because some foreigners live in 
the building, but no special effort was made to alert the 
foreign (generally English-speaking) residents.  Although 
powerless to change the inevitable, more than likely the 
building administration realized that springing the change on 
residents, all of whom would have the money or ability to 
live elsewhere, would not make good business sense.  END 
COMMENT. 
HOAGLAND