Mongolian Adventure's Mongolian Riot Part 1 : Colorado Music, Arts, and Outdoors : Cairn

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A Mongolian Riot

Written by Julie Larson

A peaceful protest against the Mongolian Parliamentary election results, held on June 29, turned into a full-scale riot the night of July 1 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

Background

Mongolia became a democratic nation in 1990, after the fall of the Soviet communist rule. The country elected the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), the former communist party, to power in the first free election of 1990. The first noncommunist government was elected in 1996, but the MPRP regained power again in the 2000 elections.

Many Mongolian citizens are claiming that this year’s elections have been rigged and are calling for an investigation into the election. This year’s main election issue is focused around the development of Mongolia’s wealth of natural resources.

Mongolia’s countryside is rich in mineral resources, especially copper. The extraction of these resources is expected to generate significant wealth. The question now is: wealth for whom? The Democratic Party believes the mineral rights should be given to corporations for development, while the MPRP intends to maintain government control of the resources. This heated debate fueled citizen protest as the ethics of the recent elections came into question. There is a lot of money at stake for the people of Mongolia and the MPRP.

The Riot

The protest appeared organized and peaceful as I approached the headquarters of the MPRP, just off the main square in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar around 5:30pm. Over the next hour, the crowd began to grow more passionate, and actions began replacing words. The following series of photos documents the protestors as they chanted, removed the MPRP flag, and confronted the Mongolian riot police.

Later in the evening, the MPRP headquarters was gutted by a fire set by protestors hurling bottles of alcohol through the windows of the building. Police attempted to control the riot by firing rubber bullets and teargas into the crowd and using their batons when in close range. As vehicles were set ablaze nearby, the MPRP headquarters was looted and the fire spread to the nearby Mongolian Modern Art Gallery and the performing arts auditorium.

This morning, the casualty count remains low and a state of emergency has been instigated. Mongolians are not allowed to congregate in public places and are under the careful eye of the Mongolian military forces and police. The next section of photos was taken the morning after the riot. Ulaanbaatar will remain in a state of emergency for the next three days.

While Mongolia has endured political unrest for years, the use of violence is quite uncommon. Many Mongolian civilians are shocked by the events of last evening, and are visiting the ruins of the MPRP headquarters and the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery. It is uncertain how the political unrest will affect the nation’s annual Nadaam Festival celebrations scheduled for July 11-13.