TAXIMEN STAGE ANOTHER PROTEST ACTION
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Today morning some 500 taxi-men drove from Artsakh Street to Republic Square with flashing signals. Remind that they protest against a government decision banning the use of 10-year-old cars as taxis. They also complain of high taxes, yellow license plates and taximeters to be fixed in taxis.
The police patrol tried to stop the protesters in Artsakh Street. This made the protesters divide into two groups. The first group stayed there and the second directed to Republic Square. Surely enough, groups of policemen and “red hats” stopped them and ordered to leave the square saying the taxis were holding the traffic.
Mayor Haykaz Matevosyan persuaded the protesters to disperse and wait until the issue is tackled by relevant bodies. He promised not to stop private taxi-drivers for ten days if they took his advice and went home. Nevertheless, the protesters didn’t yield. They wanted the authorities to realise that they wouldn’t work under their conditions.
Soon a delegation of four taxi-men accompanied by Heritage Party MP Larissa Alaverdyan had a meeting with the government representatives and deputy Minister of Transportation. During the meeting the parties agreed not to disturb taxi-men by January, 2009. Meanwhile, the government will decide on what issues to meet the protesters halfway.
On departing from the government building taxi-drivers arranged to meet on January 16 to see if their request has been addressed.
