2022 Mongolian protests | |||
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Date | 4 December 2022 – 1 January 2023 | ||
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Status | 2022 12 21 | ||
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Mass protests and riots began in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar on 4 December 2022. The reason for the protest was a corruption scandal involving the theft of $12.9 billion worth of coal.
Mongolian authorities had met with the protesters and promised to investigate the affairs. An investigation committee was announced by the Parliament and several officers suspected of coal theft were arrested. A public hearing is expected to be held on 21 December 2022.[ needs update ] Mongolian authorities also announced plans to reform the mining firm Erdenes Tavaltogol to combat corruption.
Local media reported that the cause of civil discontent was the involvement of many politicians in the theft of export coal. According to unofficial data, about 6.5 million tons of coal were allegedly stolen from Mongolia. It is also noted that in China, those involved in the theft of coal from Mongolia were executed and sent a list with the names of Mongolian officials involved in this case. The protesters demanded that their names be announced. Khishgeegiin Nyambaatar, Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia, said that the government had applied through diplomatic channels to the Beijing authorities for cooperation with the Chinese prosecutor's office investigating the case of coal theft. [4]
As noted, Mongolia exports up to 86 per cent of its goods to China, with more than half of this volume accounted for by coal. The value of coal exports from Mongolia jumped to $4.5 billion in the first 9 months of 2022. [4]
Significant price discrepancies between coking coal sold in Mongolia (~$70 per ton), China (~$140 a ton) and the international market (~$300 per ton) are the main source of the alleged wrongdoing.
Protesters gathered outside Ulaanbaatar's government palace on 4 December and demanded the names of officials who are said to have embezzled 44 trillion ($12.8 billion) in Mongolian tögrög (MNT) state coal export revenues over the past two years. Several protesters held national flags and placards "Stop robbing the people", and "Stop eating and thinking about my future". Several hundred demonstrators decided to continue the protest on Monday, saying they would "go all the way." [5]
In the third largest Mongolian city, Darkhan, they also demanded that the names of the coal thieves be announced and that their property be confiscated. On Sunday, protesters marched through the city, chanting slogans including "Unite Against Thieves." The demonstrators believe that the rights and freedoms of citizens, enshrined in the Constitution, are increasingly limited, and their lives are deteriorating every day. [5]
On 5 December, protesters tried to break into the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar. [6] Christmas trees were burned at Sükhbaatar Square. Protesters briefly blocked the capital's main boulevard, Peace Avenue. [7] [5] The protesters also moved towards the residence of the Prime Minister, but the police blocked the road to it. [8]
Mongolian authorities said they had created a working group to dialogue with the protesters. [5]
It was reported that the government of Mongolia discussed the situation three times and introduced a "special regime" about the state-owned coal company Erdenes Tavantolgoy. The Minister of Economic Development named five former directors of the company as suspects in the theft of coal. [9]
Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene met with the protesters to try and calm public anger about the corruption. He admitted that stolen coal in Mongolia is "a public issue" and it would be resolved in "a more timely manner" "once and for all". [10] [11] [12] He also called for national reconciliation underpinned by parliamentary democratic governance. [13]
Mongolian Parliament Speaker Gombojav Zandanshatar announced the creation of a working group to investigate coal corruption. Parliament's Standing Committee on Economy approved the working group's proposal to have a public hearing which was decided to be held on 21 December, [14] and within the 14-day preparation period, the working group was tasked to organise to collect opinions of citizens and involve witnesses and relevant officials. Relevant personnel were encouraged to testify and provide evidence to the legal authorities risking being criminally liable for concealing a crime. [1]
On 8 December, Internal Affairs Minister Khishgeegiin Nyambaatar announced the arrest of several suspects in the coal theft affair, including Battulgyn Gankhuyag, a former executive director of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi, his wife, sister, and son-in-law. [2] [15]
Several hundred of protesters were reported to still gather at the city's central square to push for reforms and actions from the government. [3]
Mongolia's Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs announced the plan to make Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi goes public to help drive out graft, claimed that "It is expected that this will end the problems of transparency in the mining sector and public officials' corruption." He added that all contracts signed by ETT have now been made public, details of the owners of 25,000 trucks involved in transporting ETT coal have also been disclosed. Mongolian authorities also planned to appoint a top international auditor to look into ETT's finances. [3] [ needs update ]
On 5 December, the United States embassy in Mongolia responded to the protests by urging US citizens to avoid demonstrations and crowded places. [16]
On 6 December, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning responded with regard to this incident, "As a friendly neighbor, China believes the government of Mongolia will properly probe and handle the incident. If Mongolia makes such a request, the competent authorities in China will provide necessary assistance in accordance with relevant laws and regulations." [17]
Local media write that four police officers of the Government Palace were injured, and two protesters were injured in a crash during the assault. The authorities announced a forceful dispersal of the demonstration if protesters did not disperse by 22:00 local time. [18]
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres, with a population of just 3.3 million, making it the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state. Mongolia is the world's largest landlocked country that does not border a closed sea, and much of its area is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to roughly half of the country's population.
The politics of Mongolia takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential multi-party representative democracy. Executive power is exercised by the government, which is headed by the prime minister. The president is the head of state, but holds limited authority over the executive branch of the government, unlike full presidential republics like the United States. Legislative power is vested in parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The economy of Mongolia has traditionally been based on agriculture and livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of Gross domestic product (GDP), disappeared almost overnight in 1990–91, in the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mongolia was driven into deep recession.
Ulaanbaatar, previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. With a population of 1.6 million, it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipality is located in north central Mongolia at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in a valley on the Tuul River. The city was founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre, changing location 28 times, and was permanently settled at its modern location in 1778.
The prime minister of Mongolia is the head of government of Mongolia and heads the Government of Mongolia. The prime minister is appointed by the Mongolian parliament or the State Great Khural, and can be removed by the parliament with a vote of no confidence.
Elbegdorj Tsakhia is a Mongolian politician and journalist who served as President of Mongolia from 2009 to 2017. He previously served as prime minister in 1998 and again from 2004 to 2006.
The Democratic Party is a centre-right political party in Mongolia.
Since its turn towards democracy in 1990, Mongolia has in principle acknowledged the concept of human and civic rights. “Human rights law,” according to one human-rights organization, “is a rapidly expanding area in the Mongolian legal system.” In September 2000, Mongolia unilaterally adopted the so-called “Millennium Goal 9,” which is “to strengthen human rights and foster democratic governance.” Writing in 2012 in the Jakarta Post, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Community who “led the first demonstrations for democracy and reforms in Mongolia,” that “the passion for freedom and human rights” is “palpable in his being.” Addressing an audience at the Asia Society in New York in 2011, Elbegdorj Tsakhia said: “Freedom, human rights, justice, the rule of law, those values can be enjoyed, even by the poor people, even by poor herdsman in Mongolia.” The desire for human rights, he said, “is always there,” in all people. “Sometimes that desire can be crushed by tyranny. But it will rise again. That is Mongolia.”
Tavan Tolgoi is one of the world's largest untapped coking and thermal coal deposits, located in the Ömnögovi Province in southern Mongolia. It has a total estimated resource of 6.4 billion tonnes, one quarter of which is high quality coking coal. It is divided into six sections: Tsankhi, Ukhaa Khudag, Bor tolgoi, Borteeg, and Southwest and Eastern coalfields. The Tsankhi section is the largest part, and is divided into East and West Tsankhi - these have had the most focus recently.
Chinggis Khaan International Airport, also referred to as New Ulaanbaatar International Airport, is the primary airport serving Ulaanbaatar, and is Mongolia's only international airport. It opened on 4 July 2021, replacing Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport.
Mining is important to the national economy of Mongolia. Mongolia is one of the 29 resource-rich developing countries identified by the International Monetary Fund and exploration of copper and coal deposits are generating substantial additional revenue.
Ulaanbaatar Metro is a rapid transit system in the planning stages in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Ulaanbaatar Metro project was approved in 2012, and construction was originally planned to be completed by 2020, however, as of 2023 it is still not open. However, in December 2023, it has been announced that in June 2024, there would be an opening ceremony and the construction of the metro would be completed in 2027 and the metro will be put into operation in 2028.
Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrain is a Mongolian politician who has served as the prime minister of Mongolia since 27 January 2021. He has been elected to the State Great Khural (Parliament) twice since 2016. Prior to becoming the prime minister, Oyun-Erdene was a Minister and Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of the government of Mongolia from 2 February 2019 to 27 January 2021.
Khaltmaagiin Battulga is a Mongolian politician and sambo wrestler who served as the 5th President of Mongolia from 2017 to 2021. He served as Member of the State Great Khural from 2004 to 2016 and Minister of Roads, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development from 2008 to 2012. Before his career in politics, Battulga was a sambo wrestling champion. He was the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2017 presidential election and was elected President with 50.6% in the run-off, the first-ever run-off election in modern Mongolian history. Mongolians are divided about his role in the 2019 Mongolian constitutional crisis.
The 2018–2019 Mongolian protests was a series of mass demonstrations and popular protests against the president and the government after a leak which showed scandals and links of embezzlement with parliament speaker and corruption scandals also unleashed. This triggered the popular uprising and plunged the country into the 2019 Mongolian constitutional crisis.
Events in the year 2022 in Mongolia.
Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve is the current Secretary General of the ruling Mongolian People's Party, beginning his term as Acting Secretary General on July 28, 2016, after the landslide victory in the 2016 Mongolian legislative elections. He was elected to an unprecedented fourth term as Secretary General of the Mongolian People’s Party in 2021 and is regarded to be next generation of leadership of the country. He is a social democratic, center left and progressive Mongolian politician.
Erdenes Tavantolgoi JSC is the largest coal exporter in Mongolia. It is a state-owned company.
Parliamentary elections were held in Mongolia on 28 June 2024 to determine the composition of the State Great Khural. The number of parliamentarians is set to increase from 76 to 126, following a constitutional amendment from 2023.
Khishgeegiin Nyambaatar is a Mongolian politician currently serving as the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar since October 2023, previously having been Minister of Justice. He was elected as a member of the State Great Khural in 2016 and 2020.