Students of Guinea Bissau seize embassy building in Moscow

Students of Guinea Bissau have broken into the building of the embassy of Guinea Bissau in Moscow, demanding their scholarships not paid for 13 months. The ambassador has been working as usual and freely moves about embassy rooms. The students have been feeding the ambassador with hot dogs, fruit and make him coffee, according to Itar-Tass whose journalist has been to the embassy in Simferopol Boulevard street on Wednesday.

The situation at the embassy is rather peaceful. Students have been voicing their demands for scholarships only when journalists turn up to ask questions.

The Moscow Interior Department has reported no incidents of violation of public order on the embassy premises. Kiril Mazurin, press service chief of the Moscow Interior Department, said on Tuesday that the embassy personnel had turned down the assistance offered by Moscow police. No police patrols have been sent to the area of the embassy because the situation is calm there, a source from a local police precinct told Tass.

Meanwhile, the students who are elegantly dressed and have been incessantly talking to their fellow compatriots on mobile telephones, told Tass that the scholarships had been delayed earlier as well. Last April, students also seized the embassy in Moscow and stayed on there until their demands were met.

Throughout last night the students had squatted on the floor in the embassy rooms. "Although we could hardly fall asleep sitting like that we are not going to call off the protest act until our demands are met," the students said.

Source: Itar-Tass