Ousted leader reappears

KYRGYZSTAN’S ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev made his first public appearance yesterday since being toppled in a popular uprising, slamming his opponents and refusing to step down.

Bakiyev, who fled the capital Bishkek last week amid protests against his rule that left at least 81 people dead, addressed a crowd of thousands of supporters in his home village of Teyit in southern Kyrgyzstan.

He was greeted near his family home by throngs of supporters cheering his name.