Kyrgyz police disperse protesters

Police used tear gas and stun grenades Thursday to disperse thousands of opposition protesters who had marched to the president's office in the Kyrgyz capital to demand his resignation.

Some 7,000 demonstrators had gathered in front of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's compound, chanting "Bakiyev go!" It was the ninth day of anti-government protests.

The poor ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia has been plagued by political tension since street protests forced longtime president Askar Akayev out of office in March 2005.

Bakiyev, who was elected after Akayev's removal, has been under growing opposition pressure amid accusations of corruption and cronyism. He further angered the opposition in December when he reversed several constitutional amendments and regained the authority to form his own Cabinet.