Revolt abroad ends Cape couple's Peace Corps travels

This can't continue. It absolutely can't.

Lowell Peterson remembers those thoughts running through his mind in his last days as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan.

What was supposed to be a two-year journey for Peterson and his wife, Laurie, ended after only three months in the mostly Muslim, central Asia country.

Their departure in mid-April was followed by a rebellion in the Uzbek city of Andijon that left 173 dead and the Cape Girardeau couple wondering about the remaining Peace Corps volunteers left in the country.

The Petersons, both recent retirees, went to Uzbekistan to serve as consultants for nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs. They never had a chance to do that job.

"The government is withholding the NGOs' grant money. They're being starved to death. When we got over there, we started to understand that," Peterson said.

The Peace Corps only recently returned to Uzbekistan, following the organization's withdrawal after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Now, the international organization faces the decision to pull out again as unrest continues to spread through the country.

Until recently, Peterson said, the Uzbek government granted 12- or 18-month visas to Peace Corps volunteers. Since the Petersons' arrival in January, however, the visa lengths have been cut to 30 or 45 days.

"The government of Uzbekistan is very concerned about outside groups spreading information about democracy. These groups are considered threatening," Peterson said.

Peterson said he recently learned that the 55 Peace Corps volunteers left in Uzbekistan had until June 1 to have their visas renewed or leave the country.

Phone calls to the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., regarding the organization's presence in Uzbekistan were not returned Thursday.

The Petersons returned to the United States April 18 but could not move back into their Cape Girardeau home because it has been rented for two years.

Instead, the couple spent a month with their daughter in Ozark, Mo., and plan to spent the summer in their Minnesota cabin. This fall, they hope to travel to India.

Lowell Peterson said they do not plan to volunteer for another Peace Corps assignment, though the experience was still worthwhile.

"We learned a great deal about ourselves," Peterson said. " We did learn about the country and were able to present an American viewpoint to the people. We saw a part of the world we certainly hadn't seen before."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128