Protesters in Mongolia try to storm state palace
Al JazeeraThousands gathered to demand action over the economy and surging inflation amid a simmering corruption scandal. Thousands of people have braved freezing temperatures in Mongolia’s capital to protest against alleged corruption in the country’s coal industry and soaring inflation, with some later attempting to storm government house. Protesters, many of them young people, rallied in Ulaanbaatar’s central Sukhbaatar Square in -21C temperatures on Monday, demanding “justice” against corrupt officials and calling for the country’s parliament to be dismissed. Last month, Mongolia’s anti-corruption authority announced that more than 30 officials — including the chief executive of the state-owned coal mining company Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi — were under investigation for embezzlement. The firm controls the Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi deposits, which contain 7.5 billion tonnes of coking coal — an essential ingredient in the steelmaking process and a key component of Mongolia’s state budget revenue.
History of this topic
Mongolians protest alleged theft of coal sold to China
Associated PressDiscover Related
)
