Mongolia Brief August 20, 2014 Part III
MPP
Faction Head Meets Japanese Delegation
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, August
20 (MONTSAME) Head of the parliamentary faction of the Mongolian People’s Party
(MPP) S.Byambatsogt and his deputy D.Oyunkhorol Wednesday met with Sonoda
Hiroyuki, Hayashi Moto, Nikai Hidetoshi, the members of the House of
Representatives of Japan’s parliament.
The sides
shared views on the bilateral relations and cooperation. "We have two
neighbours, and Japan is our third largest neighbour," noted the faction
head. "Our countries have been maintaining the good partnership
cooperation for a long time, the Mongolians are always thankful to Japan for
aid and donation, and we will focus on continuing expanding the relations and
cooperation with Japan," Mr Byambatsogt stressed.
He went on that
a restoring of the national economy has become "our goal to reach in a
short time". "It is vital for us to receive Japanese experience and
support, including from members of Japan’s parliament, in creating chances for
the Japanese private sector to make investments to Mongolia," he said.
After this he
asked the Japanese side to draw an attention to an implementation of the
project with Japanese financing on erecting oil refineries in Darkhan-Uul
aimag.
Supporting the
views of Mr Byambatsogt, the Japanese MPs recommended that Mongolia focus
on making value-added products and on increasing their export.
Mr Sonoda
expressed a strong confidence that the Mongolia-Japan relations and cooperation
will strengthen, and underlined an importance of the MPs role in a present
development of Mongolia.
Ms Oyunkhorol
said Mongolia wants to study the Japanese experience in the electoral system,
which allows voters to directly elect their candidates.
Foreign
Minister of Republic of Korea to Pay Official Visit to Mongolia
August 20
(infomongolia.com) At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Mongolia Mr. Luvsanvandan BOLD, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Korea Mr. Yun Byung-se will pay an official visit to Mongolia on
August 25-27, 2014.
In the frames
of the visit, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will pay courtesy calls on the
President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj and the Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag and to
hold official talks with Foreign Minister L.Bold.
During the
bilateral talks, parties will discuss and exchange views covering several
topics such as boosting the Mongolia-Korea “Comprehensive Partnership”
relations; broadening trade, economic and investment cooperation; facilitating
travel conditions between citizens; confirming Mongolia’s position on
situations in Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula; and partnership in the
frameworks of “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue” on Northeast Asian Security forwarded by
President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj and "Eurasia Initiative" proposed
by the President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye as well as Mongolia’s
tasks to join the APEC and participation in the East Asia Summit.
Mongolia and
the Republic of Korea have established the diplomatic relations on March 26,
1990.
Related:
Foreign
Minister of South Korea to Visit – Montsame,
August 20
IOC
Honorary Member Sh.Magvan Turns 87
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar,
August 20 (MONTSAME) A Honorary member of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) Mr Magvan Shagdarjav turned 87 years Wednesday.
Born in 1927 in
Zavkhan province, Magvan served as a member of the IOC in 1977-2007, and then
became a Honorary Member of the IOC in 2007. He also served as president of the
Mongolian National Olympic Committee (MonNOC) in 1969-1979, and has been a
member of the MonNOC Executive Board since.
Mr Magvan is a
co-founder of the National Olympic Academy and the National Olympic Museum
(1987) and Library (1984). Moreover, he served as the Chef-de-Mission of the
Mongolian national team for the Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo (1972),
Sarajevo (1984), Calgary (1988) and Lillehammer (1994) and to the Summer
Olympics in Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976).
For his
significant contribution to sports, Magvan was awarded Centennial Olympic
Movement Trophy (1994); Olympic Solidarity Cup (1995); Order of Merit of
Mongolian State and other countries’ governmental organizations; Olympic Order
(2008); and the State Honored Title of Cultural Figure (2003).
Mongolia
and S.Korea to Cooperate in Land Rehabilitation
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar,
August 20 (MONTSAME) Mongolia will have own training center that prepares and
enforces experts who will perform mining rehabilitation.
It will be
established through a project on fortifying the management of reducing negative
effects of the mining, which will be co-implemented by Mongolia’s Ministry of
Environment and Green Development and the Korea International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA) between 2014 and 2018. The project was certified in a
cooperation protocol signed by Ms S.Oyun, the Minister of Environment and Green
Development, and Mr Choi Heung Yool, the KOICA Permanent Representative to
Mongolia on Wednesday.
In general, the
sides will collaborate in minimizing negative impact of the mining on
environment, introducing environmentally-friendly mining, refining a legal area
for this rehabilitation. It is expected also that the project will give a
chance to perform model rehabilitation on the places where the rehabilitation
has not been done yet.
In frames of
the KOICA’s non-refundable aid, the project will be realized under USD 7.6
million financing.
1000
Students to Study Engineering in Japan
August 20
(Mongolian Economy) According to the bilateral agreement of Mongolia and Japan,
Mongolia will send 1000 students to Japan in order to pursue degrees in
engineering and other technology related fields. The Ministry of Education and
Science is collaborating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
to run this programme that aims to create more highly-educated engineers and
increase the competitiveness of university education. This project began in
June of 2014 and will continue until March 2023.
Students will
receive soft loans from Japan in order to travel and study in Japan. The
Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science, L. Gantumur, said, “We need
more than 30,000 engineers and technology specialists in building road and
railway sectors. We are planning to establish a German university in Mongolia
to meet the needs of high quality professionals by cooperating with both
Germany and Japan.”
As of today,
over 200 students have received degrees from universities in Japan. The
implementation of this project will also help schools such as the National
University of Mongolia and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology
to reach international standards. Soon enough, there will be 1000 more
engineers and technology employees that are much needed in the industrial
sector.
A
representative from JICA in Mongolia said, “Mongolians will be able to receive
education in engineering at international standards for a discounted price or 8.4
times lower than the market average.” Students will take loans for tuition and
life expenses from the government however, after the completion of their
education, their loans will turn into scholarships if they come and work in
Mongolia for five years.
For anyone
interested in being involved within this programme, they can register starting
on August 25 at www.mjeed.edu.mn.
Extreme
sports scene in Mongolia
By A. Oyunzul
August 20 (UB
Post) Extreme sports competition X-games Mongolia took place at the National
Amusement Park in August 17, with a demo show of professional skateboarders
from London, Paris, Tokyo, and Berlin.
The competition
had four categories: skateboarding, rollerblading, BMX, and bike trials, in
which over 80 competitors, aged from 11 to 26, took part. The competition was
the second extreme sports event organized by Mongolian Uukhai Skateboarding
Association.
This year, the
association prepared a small skate park for the event, which had a couple of
quarter pipes, a spine, wedge ramps, a wooden box, and a bench. The judges gave
points up to 10 for each participant.
With dubstep
music blasting, young skaters jumped over 8 to 12 people in front of a crowd of
over hundred, on a hot summer day.
One of the
highlights of the event was that a female skater participated in this year’s
X-Games Mongolia.
In the BMX
contest, it was quite challenging for contestants to do stunts as it was their
first time riding at a skate park, the hosts commented.
BMX is an
off-road bicycle, which costs around 1,000 USD, used for racing and various
stunts. Last year’s champion Turmunkh, 24, noted, “There are many young riders
competing compared to last year. When we are doing shows in the countryside,
there aren’t any BMX riders out there. So you can say that this competition is
a state championship.”
Turmunkh has
been doing freestyle stunts on a performance bicycle for five years, and
started doing professional BMX stunts a year ago.
“It is very challenging
for us to train in Mongolia, because of the harsh weather. In winter, we can’t
train, so when summer comes we forget the stunts we learned a year ago. Our
crew Hand-up’s main goal is to promote extreme sports to the public. But due to
the lack of sponsorship, we’re only riding BMX as a hobby. With a sponsor, we
can lead extreme sports to a professional level,” Turmunkh highlighted.
Turmunkh said
his crew is hoping to build a skate park for young athletes.
Bike trials
were held after BMX, which is relatively new to the Mongolian extreme sports scene.
Trial riding requires extreme bicycle handling skills over all kinds of
obstacles. It was introduced to Mongolia three years ago. Competitors have to
jump over industrial pallets without ever setting a foot on the ground.
Shinekhuu, 26, last year’s runner up, noted that trial bikes are very light
weight, has no seats, and sturdy.
“In the past,
we had to learn trial riding from online videos, now we have the opportunity to
teach young riders,” Shinekhuu said.
After a short
break, high-jump contests began for roller skaters. This year’s high-jump
rollerblading record was set at 105 cm; whereas BMX jump record was set at 100
cm. Skateboarders also had to “ollie”, over a tape, a trick where the rider and
the board leap into the air without the use of the rider’s hand. After a tough
competition, the high-jump skateboarding record was set at 65 cm.
As the local
hard-rock band Rec-on was playing, skaters rehearsed non-stop for the free
style skateboarding contest. The youngest competitor, Erkhembileg, aged 11, was
competing for the first time. He has been skateboarding for a year, and learned
tricks from older skaters. Erkhembileg said, “I learned about this contest just
yesterday, and I hope I can skate well.”
All skaters
were nervous, and falls during tricks was common. Nevertheless young skaters
showcased their talents, and tried their best.
A American
skateboard group, The Carhartt WIP, did a demo show after the competition. The
team has 11 members, including six pro-skaters.
It was the
skaters’ first time in Mongolia, and they are on a mission to document their
journey. The Carhartt supports artists, musicians, and skateboarders in the
USA.
Some 10 years
ago, The Carhartt representatives came to Mongolia for a month, and published a
photo book of the experience named, “Dirt Ollies”. They also released a
documentary film called “Mongolian Tyres.”
Joseph Biais, a
French professional skateboarder of The Carhartt, comment, “We have been
skating in Ulaanbaatar for five days. We also tried to skateboard in the
countryside. Mongolia is a very interesting country, and the city has a lot of
great spots. Mongolian skaters are really into skateboarding, they progress
fast, and aren’t scared of failing.”
Organizers of
the competition mentioned that the number of participants increased this year,
and expressed their hopes that more will take part next year.
D.Boldbaatar
wins Rally Mongolia
By B. Tungalag
August 20 (UB
Post) The Rally Mongolia 2014 international cross-country rally was held from
August 10 to 17. The Rally Mongolia is one of the biggest international rallies
in Mongolia and Asia and has been held for the past 20 years.
Around 100
racers from Mongolia and other countries race in the tournament every year.
Racers reached the finish line after crossing 4,000 km through Ulaanbaatar,
Dundgovi Province, Gobisumber Province, Tsogt-Ovoo, Elsentasarkhai, Khongor,
Undur Shireet, Erdenesant, and back to Ulaanbaatar in a harsh climate.
The rally is
organized in Mongolia with much of the race taking place in the Gobi region.
Mongolian
female racers participated in last year’s rally for the first time.
Four female
Mongolian racers, including G.Battsetseg, Kh.Oyuntuya (also known as DJ Anna
Sui), Ch.Battsetseg and racer of Eco Motorsport travelling club B.Bat-Undral
competed in this year’s rally.
International
Sports Master D.Boldbaatar won a gold medal in the motorcycle race of the Rally
Mongolia.
D.Boldbaatar is
one of the few experienced racers of Mongolia. He has previously competed in
the notorious Dakar Rally twice, representing Mongolia.
Mongolian racer
Yu.Erdenetumur won in the vehicle race contest, Japanese racer Sugawara
Teruhito won the truck race and U.Vanchinkhuu won in the 4×4 race.
Ts.Gan-Erdene
captures Mongolian moments in ‘Closer to the Sun’
By L.
Nandintsetseg
August 20 (UB
Post) Artist of 976 Art Gallery Ts.Gan-Erdene, a member of the Union of
Mongolian Artists, opened his first solo exhibition in Mongolia “Closer to the
Sun” at 976 Art Gallery. The exhibition is on view through September 4.
After
graduating from the University for Culture and Arts of Mongolia in 2001, Ts.Gan-Erdene
was accepted to the Munstr Academy of Fine Arts of Germany. He got a strong
basic arts education in renowned painter Ts.Naragerel’s studio, and became more
skilled after his studies in Germany.
Even though he
now feels at home in Germany, the artist still stays connected to his homeland.
In his paintings he shows exciting landscapes and moving compositions in
Mongolia’s characteristic steppes and deserts. His love of nature developed as
he grew up in a rural setting.
He has
participated in over 100 solo and group exhibitions across Europe, but “Closer
to the Sun” is his first solo exhibition in Mongolia. “I was waiting for
favorable conditions in Mongolia,” Ts.Gan-Erdene replied when asked why.
Work by
Ts.Gan-Erdene shows how interesting and fascinating global, artistic and
cultural exchange can be. His work is in the collections of famous western art
collectors.
Source: www.mass.mn/n/12451
Residents
forced to give up land for UB road project
By B. Mendbayar
August 20 (UB
Post) The expansion of a 4.6 kilometer road from Revolutionists’ Street
(Khuvisgalchidiin Gudamj) to the new terminus of Zuragt and the Bayankhoshuu
intersection is currently delayed due to residents’ reluctance to vacate their
lands.
In May, Express
Zam began the expansion of the previously seven meter wide road to a fourteen
meter wide road with 2.5 meter wide sidewalks of on both sides. Though the
company finished paving the first 2.5 kilometers of the road and opened it
prior to Naadam Festival, further expansion work was hindered due to some
residents’ reluctance to vacate their lands. The expansion of the road, which
was built in the 1980s and has not undergone renovation since, is expected to
be finished by October.
The fences and
land belonging to 156 households covers a lane of the prospective road. The
properties, partially or wholly, will have to be vacated in order to have a
wider road. Accordingly, notices to vacate land has been delivered to
residents. Presently, as the road work continues, some residents are vacating
their land and demolishing their houses and fences. Some residents advocate the
expansion, which will not only repair the now bumpy road, but also expand the
Ulaanbaatar road network and reduce traffic congestion.
A resident of
the sixth khoroo of Songinokhairkhan district, T.Barkhas, said that though it
was hard to suddenly vacate his land after living there for ten years, he did
not linger, for it’s said that development follows roads. Following the
majority, his family started to pull down their house and vacate their lands.
He commented, “The valuation of my real estate and land was not as high as I
expected, but I ought to vacate my land. My family owned a carpentry factory
and a two-story house. We also used to operate a grocery store and a rental
apartment. It was very unfortunate to demolish all of this. Even though we were
regretful, we were the first household to accept the proposal and vacate 183
square meters of our land without hindering the work by demanding to have our
land revaluated and get more money. But some residents are inconsiderate. We
intend to build a new house on our remaining land.”
Refusing to
vacate his land until getting what he feels his land is worth, B.Sangi,
resident of the same khoroo, said, “I’m ready to vacate my land for money. I
have no other property than this land. I will become homeless if I give up my
land. I demanded seventy million MNT from the City Office for Property
Relations, which is the cost of a single room apartment. But the office
refused. Thus we agreed to sell half of my land for 50 million MNT. But the
order to vacate has not been issued yet. If I get the money I agreed to, I will
build a ger on my remaining land and live there. My family owns 245 square
meters of land. The land I’m giving was valued to be worth three million MNT
according to state assessment. Including my house, the total value stood at 24
million MNT. However, I had the land valued by a private company, and the total
value was 38 million MNT. Adding 12 million MNT to the assessment, I decided to
claim 50 million MNT. I’m ready to vacate my land if the office gives me the
money I asked for.”
However,
relevant authorities plan to forcefully evict the residents who hinder the
project in such a manner.
Ten
households yet to vacate
Below is an
interview with a senior specialist at the City Office for Property Relations,
E.Enkhtulga, on the road expansion process.
How many
households have not vacated their lands?
Revolutionists’
Street is a huge street that stretches through three districts, namely
Songinokhairkhan district, Chingeltei district and Bayangol district. A new 4.6
kilometer road has undergone expansion since May 1. Out of 156 residents and
entities whose real estate covers the prospective road, 146 have vacated their
lands. Ten households who are selfish and unaware of their social
responsibility demanded more than market value for their lands and refused to
leave.
How much money
has been spent on the expansion project?
Seven billion
MNT from the city budget has been spent so far.
When will
the remaining residents’ lands be vacated?
We met the
residents two to three times and informed them of the real value of their
properties. However, the residents speak of the significance of the location of
their lands and its market value in response. We cannot give residents the
amount of money they ask for when they demand more money than their properties
are worth. The Property Movement and Privatization Department of the City
Office for Property Relations estimates the value of real estate. After the
value is estimated, we negotiate with residents in accordance with the Land
Law. In doing so, we make sure the the value is accurate in conformity with
relevant laws. The amount of compensation provided for a household who does not
own real estate or lives in a ger is low. Residents have the right to have
their property revaluated by another organization if they think the value we
estimated is not accurate. Some residents who doubt the value we estimated come
to us with a value estimated by another organization. We scrutinize the value
presented. Currently, no resident has appealed to the courts arguing that their
property was inaccurately valued. We plan to negotiate with the ten residents
and have their lands vacated by August 20.
If giving
more money than market value is impossible, how will the dispute be settled?
The expansion
must be complete by October 1 according to the contract. The land vacating
regulation was approved byUlaanbaatar citizens; the Representatives Council calls
for eviction if a resident doesn’t respect public interests. We won’t
push the residents for immediate vacating of their properties. We informed them
several times of the market value of their properties and how much money the
state can give. We also mentioned the possibility of relocation. But they
refused. In case we run into an impasse, we are preparing to evict them. Prior
to eviction, we will deliver notice of eviction in case they don’t vacate their
lands within appointed time.
Is enough
compensation being provided to residents to build a new house?
Residents pull
down their houses brick by brick in order to save the bricks that are reusable.
The compensation is enough to build a new house of the same size. So, residents
can immediately pull down their fences and build a new house before winter
comes. However, these residents are not satisfied with the compensation,
claiming “we could have sold our land at a higher price since it’s located near
a road.” It would be highly appreciated if the residents actively participate
in this city construction project and contribute. In addition, some residents
will leave their land without pulling down their houses if we give them all the
money they’ve demanded at once. So, in order to prevent this, we give them 60
percent as an advance and agreed to give them the rest after they start to pull
down their houses, based on inspections and photo evidence taken by our
specialists.
Source: http://www.mongolnews.mn/i/54044
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