The press service of the regional directorate of the Ontustic border service under the National Security Committee told the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency today that seven citizens of Uzbekistan were detained on Tuesday [27 January] in Maktaaral District of the SKR. The press service said that the foreigners were returning home after earning money in Kazakhstan; they were bypassing checkpoints, and "four of them have no documents".

Another four citizens of Uzbekistan were detained the same day in Saryagash District of the SKR. They did not have migration control cards on them; in other words, they also had entered Kazakhstan illegally, the press service said.