Mongolia Brief November 5, 2014
President’s
Office Receives SDC Reps
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) Chief of Staff of the Office of the President P.Tsagaan
met on November 4 with representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation (SDC).
The head of the
delegation--the Vice Director of SDC Mr Deepak Elmer--said SDC implements
number of good projects in Mongolia and underlined successful initiatives of
the President Ts.Elbegdorj in direct democracy, civil participation promotion,
and budget transparency. He also stressed that he will continue working in
close cooperation to support the President’s initiatives.
In response,
Mr. Tsagaan noted that the leader of the country launched many fruitful
initiatives, and said that, in the scope of civil participation and budget
transparency initiatives, the President had submitted to parliament the budget
transparency law and it will take into effect from January of 2015 onwards.
"We are truly pleased with all the projects and works implemented by SDC
in Mongolia and we look forward to more close collaboration," he said and
wish the organization successes in its future endeavors.
Draft
Law on Childcare Service Supported
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) Parliament’s Standing Committee on social policy,
education, culture and science supported on November 4 this draft with 78.6
percent approval vote of total 13 members.
The law was
initiated by the President Ts.Elbegdorj and submitted to the Speaker last
Friday. Considering this law as one of the most pressing issues of today’s
society, parliament discussed it immediately. The Government, Union of
Mongolian Production and Service Cooperatives, also children’s rights
organizations and NGO’s have already expressed their full support for the Law
on Childcare service.
Speaker
Receives Cuban Ambassador
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) The Speaker of parliament Z.Enkhbold received Tuesday the
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba Omar Lauro
Marrero.
The Speaker
congratulated H.E. Mr Marrero for being appointed the Ambassador to Mongolia
and expressed a satisfaction with a development of relations between Mongolia
and Cuba over the past 54 years since the establishment of diplomatic
relations. Then the Chairman of the State Great Khural passed his
official invitation to the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba Mr
Raul Castro to pay a visit to Mongolia in 2015 on the marking of the 55th
anniversary of the diplomatic ties, and noted that the visit would give an impetus
to the cooperation of Mongolia and Cuba.
The Ambassador
Omar Lauro Marrero thanked the Speaker for receiving him and delivered to him
the greetings of the Chairman of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power.
He also expressed a satisfaction with the relations between the two countries
and stressed that the inter-parliamentary collaboration will serve in further
development of the bilateral ties.
The Speaker
said Mongolia wishes to extend the agreement between Mongolia and Cuba on
mutually recognizing education certificates, academic degrees and diplomas, as
the term of the agreement has expired.
Mongolia and
the Republic of Cuba established diplomatic relations on December 7 of 1960.
Enkhbold
Receives Ambassador of Belarus
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) The Speaker of parliament Z.Enkhbold received November 4
the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Belarus to Mongolia Mr
Stanislav Chepurnoi.
Mr Enkhbold
congratulated the Ambassador on his presentation of credentials to the
President and said that, in the last two years Mongolia and Belarus opened new
pages in their relations and cooperation. For instance, the Belarus Prime
Minister M.V.Myasnikovich paid an official visit to Mongolia, the first meeting
of the Mongolia-Belarus inter-governmental committee ran in Ulaanbaatar in 2013
and a second in Minsk, and several Mongolian Ministers paid visits to Belarus.
The Ambassador
H.E. Mr Chepurnoi thanked the Speaker for the audience after which the two
sides shared opinions on Belarus education, agriculture, hi tech and mining.
Aimags
Heads: Our Localities Develop
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) Administrators of localities called a conference on
November 4 to highlight their implementation of the Government's obligation to
transform the aimags’ centers into cities and problems they face.
The Governors
of Arkhangai, Bayankhongor, Govi-Altai, Govisumber, Dundgovi, Sukhbaatar, Khovd
and Uvs provinces said their localities' centers have been changing in the last
two years, many streets, roads and apartment districts have been constructed. A
favorable for business environment has been created thanks to providing of
heat and electric power which used to be main difficulty, they added.
It is a great
achievement that not only the aimags’ centers but also soums have started to
develop according to standards of modern communities besides the 19
soums, which are being renovated into model communities, there are also other
soums who are on their own are changing for better, stressed the
Governors. Another great achievement is that a migration from countryside to
Ulaanbaatar has shrunk. "A major part of migrants in the past 20 years was
from the most remote aimags. However, by the first nine month of this year,
2,000 people of Uvs, 1,000 people of Khovd and 130 families of Sukhbaatar aimag
have returned to their birthplaces," they said.
Living
environment in these provinces has greatly improved thanks to changes over the
budget management that allowed the aimags' administrations to plan their
budgets together with people and to spend and distribute revenues in accordance
with their own decisions, the Governors said.
Innovation
Setback
By E. Zorigt
November 5
(Mongolian Economy) There were 30 sessions at last month’s Mongolian Economic
Forum, covering a wide range of topics pertinent to the country. There were a
number of well attended sessions, including “Innovation is a Solution,” which
revealed a community with a thirst for entrepreneurship and innovation that is
stifled by an inadequate Innovation Law.
Four years ago,
the Innovation Law was first developed to put into practice the knowledge
offered by Mongolian scientists and foster their global recognition. This law
is seemingly still in the draft phase. Meanwhile some of the regulations that
would be required to enforce the Innovation Law simply do not exist.
“Some 10
regulations need to be released for the enforcement of the Innovation Law,”
said B. Lkhagvadorj, officer at the Ministry of Education and Science.
Three key
regulations are awaiting approval, said Lkhagvadorj, which would provide the
solution to several issues, such as the foundation of the Innovation Council
and tax exemption for start-ups.
The Innovation Fund was supposed to be established under the Innovation Council by the government, according to the law, but no such council has been formed. Another issue is the absence of regulations for the enforcement of the Innovation Law. The law has a number of clauses supporting innovative business requiring the development of the Fund and Council.
The Innovation Fund was supposed to be established under the Innovation Council by the government, according to the law, but no such council has been formed. Another issue is the absence of regulations for the enforcement of the Innovation Law. The law has a number of clauses supporting innovative business requiring the development of the Fund and Council.
“Mongolia never
used to manufacture vegetable oil, but now it is being manufactured by our
company,” said D. Ganbold, chief executive at Mongol Altan Khos. “Our
production is considered to be innovative in the food sector of Mongolia.
Unfortunately, there is still no clear response from officials at the Ministry
of Economic Development because they are divided into two groups as they are
arguing with each other about whether our production was innovative.”
Lots of Ideas, but No Money
Entrepreneurial
dreams can often translate into profitable businesses. Innovative ideas, if
they are good, will be financially rewarded. Some entrepreneurs who attended
the innovation session were saying that they did not have the financial backing
for their ideas. For example, research and development company Monchemo
initiated a few projects such as the “Horse” project, a device that extracts
calcium from horse bones. These projects have not gone ahead due to a lack of
funding.
“Good
innovation cannot survive in the market if financial issues have not been
tackled. So, the government needs to focus on funding the innovation projects
that will raise its reputation globally,” said M. Ariunaa, general director at
Monchemo.
During the
session, some manufacturers faced comments suggesting that they should not wait
for money to come from the government. Those who criticised them said that the
manufacturers should expose themselves to the capital market to attract
investment. Some domestic manufacturers are not interested in sourcing their
own funding as they lack knowledge of the market.
Some believe the only hope for innovation
is the government.
“Socks and
gloves manufacturers are funded by the proceeds of bonds under the name of
contributing manufacturers to replace imported goods,” said Ariunna, “but we
cannot be supported by the government even though we manufacture innovative
products. If there was an innovation-minded person in a working group that
selected the projects to be funded from the proceeds through tender,
Mongolians’ dreams could come true in the future.”
A huge sum of
money is needed to fund innovation in various sectors. But if done so,
comapnies could profit by providing Mongolian consumers with high-quality goods
that outperform imports.
“As rapidly as
Mongolia’s economy develops, mining-led domestic sectors are purchasing large
volumes of goods from abroad. So, it can be said that some 30 percent of total
purchases should be made in terms of offset. This will create a condition that
will bring industry and service to the country, which would be equivalent to 30
percent of total purchases”, said D. Nergui, director at the School of
Economics and Business Management at the Mongolian National University.
The Path to Opportunity
“Mongolians
have the opportunity of being recognised globally. Why would we not conquer the
global market through the production of our own chip design,” said Ts.
Natsagnyam, a state prize winner and young engineer and the session’s
chair.
Mongolian
scientists unanimously agreed at the forum that Mongolia could development
computer chips using local expertise and raw materials. One question brought up
was whether the current market system somehow actually suppresses innovative
businesses in Mongolia. According to Natsagnyam, Mongolia will have to make the
best of the domestic markets first if it hopes to move forward to foreign
capital markets.
The innovation
session revealed that there is a thirst for entrepreneurship but some would
rather remove competitors rather than directly compete with them. Finding a
balance between government support – perhaps in the form of subsidies or tax
breaks – may be what the country’s budding innovators need to release their
product to market. But firstly, finalising the Innovation Law may help the
industry gain some momentum.
Speaker
of Parliament Meets with Newly Appointed Ambassadors of Belarus And Cuba To
Mongolia
November 5
(infomongolia.com) On November 04, 2014, Speaker of the State Great Khural
(Parliament) Zandaakhuu ENKHBOLD received in his office the Ambassadors of
Belarus and Cuba to Mongolia.
During his
meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Belarus to Mongolia, Mr. Stanislav Chepurny, Speaker Z.Enkhbold congratulated
the newly appointed envoy and recalled the Belarusian Prime Minister’s visit to
Mongolia in 2013, the first Intergovernmental Commission Meeting between
Mongolia and Belarus held in Ulaanbaatar followed by the second meeting in
Minsk both were successfully organized in 2014. Also, he mentioned that some
Ministers of the Government paid working visits to Belarus as a result of
growing bilateral cooperation. Furthermore, parties exchanged views on advance
technology of Belarusian education, agriculture, and mining sectors.
Mongolia and
the Republic of Belarus have established the diplomatic relations on January
24, 1992.
In his meeting
with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba
to Mongolia, Mr. Omar Laura Marrero, Speaker Z.Enkhbold also extended his
congratulation to newly appointed head of mission and emphasized that the two
countries will be celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties next year. In this regard, Speaker conveyed President
Ts.Elbegdorj’s invitation to the head of state of Cuba, Raul Modesto Castro to
visit Mongolia in 2015 and noted this visit would play an important role to
boost bilateral collaboration.
Mongolia and
the Republic of Cuba have established the diplomatic relations on December 07,
1960.
Government
Bonds worth 4.5 Billion MNT Successfully Traded at MSE
November 5
(infomongolia.com) In accordance with the Financial Regulatory Commission
Resolution No.389 dated from October 21, 2014 and the Decree No.169 of CEO of
Mongolian Stock Exchange dated from October 23, 2014, Government bonds worth
4.5 billion MNT (Tugrug) were successfully traded at Mongolian Stock Exchange
on November 04, 2014.
Mongolian
Ministry of Finance approved supply of buy orders of 12-week Government bonds
worth 4.5 billion MNT with 15.795 % annual interest rate on primary market bond
trading at Mongolian Stock Exchange.
Bellow member brokerage companies
participated in the bond trading are as follows:
Gendex 14,500
MABJ 7,772
Golomt
Securities 5,353
TDB Capital
5,315
Gatsuurt Trade
5,000
Tenger Capital
3,109
BDSec 1,926
Deu Securities
Mongolia 1,000
Tulgat
Chandmani Bayan 509
Standard
Investment 464
Monsec 62
Asia Pacific
Securities 10
Total 45,020
Vice
Director of French National School for Judiciary Visits Mongolia
November 5
(infomongolia.com) On November 03, 2014, Deputy Minister of Justice
Ts.Uugangerel received in his office the Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Mongolia, Mr. Yves Delaunay and
accompanying delegates from French legislative institutes.
At the meeting,
Vice Director of French National School for the Judiciary (National School of
the Magistracy) Mr. Anthony Manwaring and former Advocate General at Court of
Appeal in Paris Mr. Daniel Lecrubier were present, where parties exchanged
views on current bilateral cooperation in the sector and further measures to
carry out.
In particular,
sides sought possibilities on obtaining of information from French School of
the Magistracy and conduct trainings for judicial personnel, and notably judges
and prosecutors.
French
delegates are visiting Mongolia on November 02-05 and in the frameworks, they
were introduced with activities of Training and Research Center affiliated the
General Prosecutor's Office of Mongolia as well as Inter-Sum Prosecutors’
Office located in Mandal Sum of Selenge Aimag.
Ulaanbaatar
Hosts Mongolian Entrepreneurs Forum 2014
November 5
(infomongolia.com) The School of Business, National University of Mongolia in
collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, Startup Mongolia NGO, and with
support of the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, United
Association of Mongolian Employers NGO, and JCI Mongolia are organizing
Mongolian Entrepreneurs Forum 2014 at Chinggis Khaan Hotel in Ulaanbaatar on
November 10-11, 2014.
The Forum is
expected to be a platform for promoting knowledge about entrepreneurship, to
take entrepreneurship education (courses and research) to a new level, improve
the legal environment for new businesses, build a national strategy to develop
entrepreneurship, to link organizations in the field, and to seek ways to solve
challenges for Mongolian entrepreneurs.
At the Forum
presentations will be delivered by Empretec Programme officer Alejandro Rubias
Hernandez, Head of the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) Russia,
“Youth Business Russia” Programme Manager, Boris Tkachenko and Executive Director
at the Center for Entrepreneurship Development in Japan, Kikuko Harada.
- Empretec is a
United Nations Programme established by UNCTAD's Division of Investment and
Enterprise.
- Founded by
HRH The Prince of Wales, the IBLF Russia is an independent, not-for-profit
organisation currently supported by over 100 of the world’s leading businesses.
- Center for
Entrepreneurship Development in Japan is established under Global
Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) as an international initiative that introduces
entrepreneurship to young people in six continents.
Parliament
of Mongolia Resolves to Dismiss Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag from Office
November 5 (infomongolia.com)
On October 17, 2014, 28 Members of the State Great Khural (Parliament) representing
Mongolian People's Party have submitted a Letter of Request to the Speaker of
Parliament to withdraw the Prime Minister of Mongolia on the basic ground that
the incumbent Premier N.Altankhuyag cannot lead the government affairs.
According to
regulations since the Speaker accepts the proposal, the State Structure’s
Standing Committee at the Parliament should revise the issue and was scheduled
to meet on October 22, 2014, but the “Justice” Coalition (MPRP-MNDP) requested
a 5-day postponement, after which the Democratic Party Group had also requested
a 5-day postponement, which was scheduled on October 31.
As the legal
period of postponements is expired, the State Structure’s Standing Committee
met today on November 05, and following the discussion, 11 members out of 17
have agreed with 64.7% of votes to dismiss the Prime Minister of Mongolia and submitted
to the Parliament.
On November 05,
2014, the Parliament of Mongolia held a plenary meeting with 66 members
attended out of 76 Parliamentarians to revise whether to dismiss or not the
incumbent Premier. The session started with hearing positions of some Parliamentarians
followed by a statement delivered by Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag.
Consequently,
36 members out of 66 with 54.5% of votes have agreed to dismiss the Prime
Minister of Mongolia N.Altankhuyag from office.
Following the
votes, Speaker Z.Enkhbold read the final resolution and according to law, the
Deputy Prime Minister D.Terbishdagva will temporarily chair the Cabinet until
new Prime Minister is elected.
Related:
Prime
Minister resigned – Montsame,
November 5
PM
Altankhuyag is stepped out of his position by SGK vote – business-mongolia.com, November 5
Reform Government ousted
with a 54.4 percent vote – news.mn,
November 5
Ulaanbaatar-Austria
to collaborate on waste-to-energy project
November 5
(news.mn) Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar E.Bat-Uul received
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria to Mongolia Irene
Giner-Reichl, and other officials on Wednesday.
At the meeting,
the mayor and ambassador talked about requirements for a waste-to-energy
project in Ulaanbaatar, the current development of waste management, and future
plans for the central heating and power system of the city.
The Ulaanbaatar
action plan for 2013-2016 outlines implementing a program to improve waste
management and build no less than two recycling plants in the city.
Following the
plan, waste removal processing to clear 2,000-2,500 tons of garbage at once
using landfill techniques is planned for the garbage dumps of Narangiin enger,
Moringiin davaa and Tsagaan davaa.
The mayor
suggested that the ambassador collaborate on waste disposal; cleaning facility
sediment; food, clinical, industrial, oil and agricultural waste management;
and to launch a waste-to-energy project.
Ambassador
Giner-Reichl accepted the city mayor's suggestions and expressed readiness
to collaborate with Ulaanbaatar.
Related:
Ulaanbaatar
and Austria may cooperate in waste management – Montsame, November 5
Mongolia
elected as Executive Member of AAEA
The General
Election Commission of Mongolia has been elected as an Executive Member of the
Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA).
The decision was
made at the General Assembly of the Association of Asian Election Authorities
in New Delhi, India, on October 29, 2014. The General Assembly of the AAEA
made changes to the rules of the association and admitted the Russian
Federation, Maldives, and Uzbekistan as new members.
According to
its rules, the Association of Asian Election Authorities elected the Election
Commission of India as chair of the organization for the next two years, the
Philippines as Vice Chair, and Mongolia, Bhutan and S. Korea as Executive
Members.
The General
Election Commission of Mongolia will act as an Executive Member until the next
General Assembly meeting of the AAEA in 2016.
Mongolia was
represented by Secretary of the General Election Commission of Mongolia
B.Altanjargal and other delegates at the General Assembly meeting in New Delhi.
Related:
Election
committee becomes AAEA Board member – Montsame,
November 5
New
Ambassadors present credentials to President
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) The leader of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj received the
credentials from Ambassadors of the Republic of the Congo, the Arab Republic of
Egypt, the European Union, Hungary, and the Republic of Cyprus on November 5.
After the
ceremony the President received the Ambassadors. One of them, Mr Daniel
Owassa from Congo conveyed the Congolese President’s greetings to Mr
Elbegdorj and said that our two counties' bilateral relations slowed in
the last few years but he is ready to work on enhancing them. Mr Elbegdorj
wished Mr Owassa a success in his mission and expressed his belief that the
Ambassador will pay close attention to enhancing of the relationship.
The Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Mongolia
Magdi Mahmoud said the people of Egypt know that Mongolia "is a shining
example of a successful democratic transition". This year Mongolia and
Egypt mark the 51st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,
"and we will further move forward the relations". The President noted
that in 2015 Mongolia will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the democratic
parliamentary elections and conveyed his sincere greetings to the President of
Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
At a meeting
with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to
Mongolia Hans Dietmar Schweisgut the President noted that Mongolia and the EU
are celebrating the 25th anniversary of cooperation this year, within which
Mongolia and the EU successfully developed the bilateral relations in a scope
of the "Third neighbor" policy. "The EU has become Mongolia’s
Third biggest trading partner. In April of 2013, the EU-Mongolia Partnership
and Cooperation Agreement was signed and it was a great pivot to enhancing of
mutual cooperation. I convey my warm greetings to Mr. Jean-Claude Junker on the
occasion of his election the President of the European Commission".
The President
noted during his meeting with the Hungarian Ambassador to Mongolia Ms Cecilia
Silas that the two countries expect a marking of the 65th anniversary of the
diplomatic relations. Ms Silas sounded Hungary’s request to reconstruct
its embassy building in Ulaanbaatar. She also noted that a working visit
of the President Ts.Elbegdorj has been a success and that the two sides will
cooperate in a realization of the matters agreed during the visit.
Mr Elbegdorj
and the Ambassador of Cyprus to Mongolia Mr Agis Loizou noted about the
possibilities of bilateral cooperation in education, trade and investments. The
dignitaries also agreed that the collaboration in education sphere will be of
great efficiency.
GDP
increases by seven percent
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) The Gross Domestic Product of Mongolia amounted to MNT
11,093.5 billion by the first nine months of 2014 in an assumption of
comparable prices from 2010, showing an increase of seven percent against the
same period of 2013.
The National
Statistics Office reports further, that this increase reflected positive changes
of 15.4- percent in agricultural sector, of 15.3-percent in the industrial and
construction sectors, and consists of rise in mining and expiring sectors (5%),
agricultural industries (1.8%), and in other service industries (0.2%).
As for the
mining sector, the exploitation of copper concentrate increased 38 percent, of
gold by 10.9 percent, and of but of iron ore concentrate doubled.
In terms of
annual prices, the GDP totaled 16,517.3 billion Togrog in the nine months of
2014, showing a 18.8-percent increase against the same period of 2013.
City
Solution Forum acts to reduce traffic congestion
November 5
(news.mn) With support from the non-profit, worldwide community JCI,
Ulaanbaatar 's young and active community members will take part in the City
Solution Forum, which will be organized in Ulaanbaatar, on November 14th, 2014.
City Solution
Forum, calling for ”One issue, one experience and one solution”, will create a
platform to raise a discussion on reducing traffic jams in the city, and seek
solutions to the problem.
The project
aims to solve a problem that the city takes on every year, raise public
awareness and increase civic involvement, generate diverse positive impacts on
communities, call for young citizens' participation through social networking,
collaborate with state and non state agencies, and bring the best foreign
experiences to focus on UB's issues annually.
This year, the
project is focused on helping the public, businesses and communities pay
attention to how to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
The forum will
discuss city practices for reducing traffic jams and their results,
international practices to ease traffic congestion, initiatives and ideas, and
expert studies and solutions.
The project is
sponsored by JCI Mongolia, the City of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian National Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Roads and Transportion, Traffic
Police Department, investors, businessmen, public transportation companies,
taxi services, the Asian Development Bank, and local media outlets.
State
Structure Standing Committee lacks confidence in the PM
November 5
(news.mn) Today's Standing Committee meeting on State Structure reviewed the
call for the resignation of the PM and majority of the committee members
showed no confidence in the PM in advance of the petition's submission to
parliament.
With the
presence of 17 members out of 19 on the Standing Committee, the meeting vote
showed no confidence.
All MPP caucus
members and five out of the 11 members to vote no confidence in the PM were DP
members including MPs R.Burmaa, D.Erdenebat. And MPs of the Justice Coalition
L.Tsog and G.Uyanga voted for resignation.
DP caucus
member R.Burmaa stated that she voted of her own free will while D.Erdenebat
claimed that he missed the reject button.
Last month, 28
MPs delivered the petition calling for the resignation of the PM, on October
16th. The issue was scheduled to be discussed by the Standing Committee on
State Structure but was delayed until today, as the Justice Coalition and DP
caucus took a break from the issue for meetings of their parties.
The issue of whether
or not to show confidence in the PM divided the DP caucus in two.
'The
Nutcracker' coming in February
November 5
(news.mn) “The Nutcracker”, one of the world's most famous ballets, will be
staged at the Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, in a new
version in February.
Solo dancer of
the Boston Ballet Company, State Honored Artist D.Altankhuyag, will perform in
the new version of “The Nutcracker”, with support and under the initiative of
the City Governor and the Ulaanbaatar Citizens' Representatives Khural.
The adaption of
E.T.A. Hoffmann's story and Russian composer Tchaikovsky's score, “The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, was first premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in
St. Petersburg in 1892.
There will be
an audition for children to perform in the ballet. The Mongolian Ballet
Development Foundation will hold a press conference about the audition at Hall
A at the Capital City Governor's Office, at 11:00 am, on Thursday.
WHO
sends Ebola testing kits to Mongolia
By M. Zoljargal
November 4 (UB
Post) The Ministry of Health (MOH) received 100 Ebola virus testing kits from
the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.
The tests were
made in Germany and use a technology called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), to
detect Ebola infection. The cost of the each test kit is 1,500 EUR.
WHO Mongolia
Representative Dr. Soe Nyunt-U highlighted that Mongolia has become the first
nation in Asia to receive the testing kits from the WHO, and reminded the
authorities to keep up preparedness efforts, even though the virus hasn’t
broken out in the country.
WHO officials
promised to keep assisting Mongolia in prevention against Ebola and assured
that the tests are able to detect infection with 97 to 100 percent accuracy.
The MOH has
ordered hazardous material suits that will be delivered to Mongolia shortly,
according to Minister N.Udval.
The government
has so far budgeted over 400 million MNT for measures to prevent the outbreak
of Ebola in Mongolia.
Ministry
officials also denied the rumor on social media that there was a case of Ebola
virus infection in Mongolia, and reminded the public to seek accurate and
updated information from the official website of the ministry.
MPP
suggests additional cuts to the 2015 state budget
By Ch. Khaliun
November 4 (UB
Post) During a two-day meeting, the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) discussed
the draft on the 2015 state budget and other related drafts, agreeing that
reductions to extra expenses were called for.
Deputy Head of
the MPP D.Oyunkhorol believes that the budget’s current expenses should be mitigated
by 150 billion MNT, the grant of 20,000 MNT issued to every Mongolian child
should be raised to 30,000 MNT, and that minimum wages and pensions should be
increased by 30 percent.
The MPP
believes that costs for these increases can be covered by decreasing the
expenditures of the government’s special funds. There are 41 special funds
totaling 2.5 trillion MNT. By amending drafts on ten of these special funds,
the party feels that 135 billion MNT could be provided to the state budget, and
cut government expenditures as well.
The MPP opposes
an increase to internal mission expenditures, and is calling for a 10 percent
reduction in the number of state employees. These measures would make it
possible to save 11 billion MNT and 8 billion MNT respectively, according to
the MPP.
MP and head of
the MPP working group on budget, Ch.Khurelbaatar said, “The MPP does not see
the state budget for 2015 as a budget for overcoming the financial crisis.
“The draft on
2015′s state budget states that current expenses will be increased by 800
billion MNT, and investment will be mitigated by 500 billion MNT.
“We were facing
an economic crisis in 2008, and overcame it in 2009. At that time, we reduced
expenses by 25 percent and solved this problem without reducing investments.
But this time, the government is doing exactly the opposite. They are reducing
investments and increasing expenditures,” added Ch.Khurelbaatar.
Ch.Khurelbaatar
strictly voiced his objection to the draft, stating that it will compromise
budget revenue by quadrupling revenue from fines and interest. “This means that
inspection, control, and state bureaucracy fines will increase by four times,”
added Ch.Khurelbaatar.
In previous
years, 58 billion MNT was earned from fines, but the current draft on budget
states that over 200 billion MNT will be generated from fines.
The MPP is
critical of other issues in the draft, including a call for service
expenditures for the reception of foreign guests and representatives to be
increased by 10 billion MNT.
The MPP has suggested
many changes to the 2015 state budget and says that it will cooperate with the
government and Ministry of Finance on implementing those changes.
Gang
of wildlife smugglers arrested
By M. Zoljargal
November 4 (UB
Post) A group of ten poachers were caught on October 24 in Bayangol District
while carrying 162 Saiga antelope antlers, an endangered species of the world.
The antlers
might have been smuggled from Russia to Mongolia with the intent of
transporting them to China, according to a preliminary investigation by the
District Prosecutor’s Office No.2.
The officials
of the Authority Against Organized Crimes believe that the suspects could be
members of an illegal network of transnational wildlife smugglers.
The Saiga
antelopes became extinct in Mongolia by the 1950’s and their only natural
habitat is currently in Kazakhstan. Officials therefore suspect the alleged
network to be linked in Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and China.
The suspects
are currently detained at Prison No.461 for violating laws on wildlife hunting
and possible trans-border smuggling.
The total
damage of the case is estimated to be 162 million MNT, reported the preliminary
assessment.
If the suspects
are proven guilty, they will be sentenced to either a 486 million MNT fine or
three to five years in prison.
The fine for
killing a male Saiga antelope is two million MNT and for the female, it is 2.2
million MNT, in accordance with the Wildlife Ecological and Economic
Assessment.
Officials also
reported about a similar case that occurred earlier this year. A smuggler of a
velvet deer antler and the man who bought it in Ulaanbaatar were apprehended by
the police last spring.
They were
sentenced to two years and five months in prison, while their cars have been
confiscated and their private apartments have been auctioned off to compensate
for the damage.
Private
sector calls for action from Parliament members
By B. Mendbayar
November 4 (UB
Post) Representatives of several private sector organizations have issued a
declaration urging Parliament members to take into account public suggestions
on the means to overcome ongoing economic difficulties.
As the draft
bill on the 2015 state budget and guidelines for next year’s state monetary
policy have been submitted to Parliament for discussion, private sector
representatives have remarked that listening to the public’s suggestions is an
appropriate means to resolving the current economic crisis.
The Mongolian
National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mongolian Employers’ Federation,
National Council of Private Sector Support, Mongolia National Mining
Association, and Business Council of Mongolia worked together on the statement
submitted to Members of Parliament.
The declaration
said, “Judging from the budget and monetary policies for 2015, no positive
prospect can be observed regarding the means to resolve current economic
difficulties, support the private sector, and create economic growth. The
monetary policy is too general, tending to evade responsibility, and includes
clauses that are not included in relevant laws (maintaining macro-economic
stability is not Mongol Bank’s role); whereas, the budget policy is based on
export prices of mining products, as usual, and insufficiently focused on
expanding and increasing domestic manufacturing, especially non-mining
exports.”
The private
sector organizations have proposed that parliament members take the following measures:
- Take decisive measures on reducing the underground economy, boosting the nation’s treasury fund by immediately approving the Economic Transparency Law and Tax Amnesty Law before the end of the year, boosting investment through reviving economic growth and business stimulus.
- Take decisive measures on reducing the underground economy, boosting the nation’s treasury fund by immediately approving the Economic Transparency Law and Tax Amnesty Law before the end of the year, boosting investment through reviving economic growth and business stimulus.
- Support
manufacturing and businesses, and carry out tax reform through introducing the
“Four 5” principle to the taxation system during the fall session of
Parliament.
- Get
accustomed to the practice of immediately approving – regardless of sequence –
laws and regulations that are influential in improving and modernizing the
business environment and overcoming economic difficulties.
- Initiate the
transfer of some state functions and objectives to non-governmental organizations
and professional associations. Immediately discuss and approve relevant laws
and regulations.
- Implement
improvements to the monitoring of excessive budget spending and allocation by
introducing an independent internal budget audit system in all government
organizations, starting in 2015.
- Exempt
manufacturers and entities – who dared to obtain loans during this time of
economic difficulty – from differences in due payments resulting from loan
interest and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Direct Mongol Bank to take
measures such as either having the payments paid at foreign exchange rates
estimated in the budget, or extend loan terms to ten years in granting the
exemptions. Approve laws and regulations necessary for these operations.
- Taking into
consideration that the operations of many funds established under state
ownership are unsatisfactory and that the misappropriation of property occurs
often at those funds, take measures to increase the responsibility and
effectiveness of the funds by transferring management of the funds to private
sector organizations under contract.
- Modify
government resolutions and methods for estimating the selling prices of export
mineral products, upon which royalties would be imposed, in accordance with the
Mongolian Minerals Law and principles accepted in international trade.
Provinces
battle alcoholism
November 4 (UB
Post) Dornod and Khentii Provences have started taking measurements against alcoholism.
The Minister of
Health recently started developing a new bill and program to bring effective
measures against alcoholism and change the public understanding about vodka.
The Anti-Alcoholism Law is being revised, and appendix law and clauses on the
fight against non-communicable disease are being developed as part of the
national program to reduce alcoholic beverage consumption.
In order to
reflect ideas of the rural area representatives on the bill and program, to
introduce information about the bill, and to create a comprehensive content for
the program, the Ministry of Health organized several discussions throughout
provinces and a regular discussion was held in Choibalsan of Dornod Province at
the end of last month.
According to
latest statistics, Dornod and Umnugovi Provinces had the highest alcoholic
beverage consumption per person in Mongolia.
A.Enkhtuya,
State Secretariat at the Ministry of Health, B.Byambatogtokh, expert at the
Policy Implementation Regulatory Department of the Ministry, G.Tsetsegdari,
advisor at the National Social Health Center, Kh.Khulan, Head of the Health
Department of Dornod Province, S.Ganbat, Governor of Dornod Province,
administers of Dornod Province, and representatives of police exchanged their
views on alcohol usage issues during the regular discussion.
After the
introduction on steps to reduce toxic usage of alcohol, the representatives
shared their ideas on the most important issues that should be reflected in the
bill.
Alcohol free
Dornod program
The administers
of Dornod Province have organized the Alcohol Free Dornod program since last
April, based on the Alcohol Free Khentii program, which influenced over 258
citizens whose lives were dependent on alcohol. The program helped 193 people
recover from alcoholism. The Alcohol Free Khentii program, which cost 50
million MNT, is said to have reduced crime rate in the province by 32 percent.
The Alcohol
Free Dornod program enrolled over 50 people to treatment, with support of the
Health Department and NGOs in Dornod Province. The Citizen’s Representatives
Meeting of Dornod allocated 21 million MNT to the program.
In accordance
with the guidance of the State Specialized Inspection Agency and Police
Department, seven restaurants, 20 cafes, 22 bars, and 105 shops were involved
in an inspection, out of which, 51 entities received precaution, and the
special alcoholic beverage sale permit of nine entities were terminated.
Speaking about
the new bill against alcoholism, Ministry expert B.Byambatogtokh said, “The law
and resolutions against alcoholism were mostly on fighting against alcoholism
after a crime has been committed, but in the new program, there are more
clauses on preventing crime. The reason why we chosen Dornod Province to hold
the regular discussion is that Dornod leads the per capita alcohol usage in
Mongolia and the administers of Dornod are implementing the Alcohol Free Dornod
program.”
“During this
regular discussion we considered effective measures to implement the alcohol
free program in rural areas and we plan to sum up the results of the discussion
and establish a National Committee. After that, we will process the program
again and summit it for approval before the New Year,” B.Byambatogtokh added.
Dornod
Province’s police officer B.Ariunsanaa said, “Even though crimes committed
under the influence of alcohol decreased, alcoholism didn’t drop in our
province.”
After the
regular discussion, the Health Department of Dornod started conducting
detoxification and dependence reduction treatment for free, and a psychiatrist
gave lectures on the toxic usage of vodka and its damage.
In relation to
the new foreign policy with Russia and China, the alcoholism rate in provinces
with border points are expected to increase due to the expanded economy and
trade relation, say experts.
Source:
http://www.ikon.mn/n/bsm
Reviewing
the first eco-industry bone processing plant
November 4 (UB
Post) Vice Minister of Agriculture and Industry B.Tsogtgerel reviewed Burden
Gobi LLC’s bone processing plant at the company’s request for assistance with
necessary funds.
According to
President of Burden Gobi LLC U.Baatarsuren, 65 percent of the construction work
and technology provision of the bone processing plant has been completed by the
company with two billion MNT, and now they need 2.2 billion MNT to begin
processing several tons of bone wastes a day which will “turn bone ashes into
money”. The plant is located some 40 kms from Ulaanbaatar city center, in 32
khoroo of Songinokhairkhan District.
Vice Minister
B.Tsogtgerel commented, “Four to five companies have started establishing bone
processing plants. Having several companies will cause them to fight over the
market. We can’t deny potential issues concerning resource and supply issues
for doing sustainable operations. Only one or two industries will be supported
by the government. The government is prioritizing supporting organizations that
have been operating for some time and have seen results, rather than supporting
new entities.”
Burden Gobi LLC
was founded in 2005 for foreign trade and tourism. Currently, the company is
running operations in mining, road, construction, inter-state transport and
shipping services, financial intermediary, trade, and tourism. Burden Gobi LLC
is aspiring towards becoming a group with complex industrial operations. To
execute this objective, the company is investing in the industrial sector and
begun laying foundations for the bone waste processing plant, colored stone
factory, and a tailoring factory.
Burden Gobi
LLC’s bone waste processing plant is capable of conducting primary processing
for 36 tons of bone and produce 16 tons of bone meal, a type of garden
fertilizer, in a day at full capacity. This plant is expected to become the first
eco-industry in Mongolia. The plant will reprocess processed bone oil, meal and
bone ash to manufacture final products including soap bars, shampoo and beauty
products, as well as porcelain and souvenirs.
Vice Minister
B.Tsogtgerel informed about some statistics related to bone and its processed
products manufactured in Mongolia.
“During
socialism, Mongolia used to have a distribution network that collected and
supplied all bones that became unusable [to industries]. Now, the number of
livestock has increased dramatically. Considerable amounts of bone are being
thrown out in relation to the population increase. It’s said that 50,000 to
70,000 tons of bone is thrown away in Mongolia. This is a significant amount of
resource and studies show that Mongolian bone quality is much better than other
countries’. Mongolian bone meal contains high concentrations of calcium
potassium and other minor mineral elements, which is probably due to feeding
livestock with more organic and nutritional feed,” he said.
According to
B.Tsogtgerel, various types of products will be produced from bones, including
high-quality fertilizers, which will later be inserted into animal feed.
“Burden Gobi
LLC’s plant claims to process 36 tons of bone a day. In a year, they will
process 7,000 to 8,000 tons of bone. If Mongolia sets to export 50,000 to
70,000 tons a year, two to three plants are enough for procurement since
Mongolia has adequate raw materials. For starters, bone oil, meal and ash can
be exported. Although bone is expensive at the moment, it becomes almost free
waste. Transportation network is poor for procurement. It would cost less and
with less waste if networks for supplying raw material are used. Bone is useful
for all sectors and can be used in pharmaceutical preparations in the future,”
said B.Tsogtgerel.
Bone processing
plants make it possible to completely utilize Mongolia’s valuable resource and
raw material of animal origin. It is also significant for manufacturing
products to replace imports and even for exporting it to boost foreign exchange
reserves.
Source:
http://mongolnews.mn/1csq
Ts.Bayasgalan:
On the stage is where I feel happiest
November 4 (UB
Post) Below is an interview with actress
of the Mongolian State Academic Drama Theater (SADT), Ts.Bayasgalan, a
passionate artist who has dedicated everything to the performing arts and the
stage. Even during heavy storms in the respective market, she has endured and
strived her way up.
Ts.Bayasgalan is the first Mongolian actress
to have promoted performing arts of Mongolia internationally. With her skills
accumulated from many years of experience in the industry, she seized the Grand
Prix from the International Monodrama Festival in Kosovo in April this year, a
prize which she’s never dared to dream, with her “I am Edith Piaf” monodrama
earlier. Recently, she participated in an international festival in Kyrgyzstan
and returned to Mongolia. She is currently making plans to host a monodrama
festival in Mongolia.
Can you share some of the good news from
your trip abroad? Is it true that you’ve received invitations from many
countries to partake in international festivals?
I returned
after participating in IMPULS International Theatre Festival held in Bishkek,
Kyrgyzstan from October 16 to 23. This wasn’t a contest but a festival where
artists who’ve won prizes at international competitions participate. I was able
to perform many great plays, including “Mother’s Field” and “AMOK”, and study
their stage lighting and other features. I was the fourth person to perform at
the festival. Many journalists and art historians came to watch. A journalist
who didn’t understand the Mongolian language cried while watching my
performance. That person invited me to the next year’s festival as a special
guest. I came back from Kyrgyzstan with a lot of luggage and good news.
While accepting
invitations from international competitions and festivals, I sought for
opportunities to include artists of the SADT. Furthermore, an international
monodrama festival will be organized in Mongolia next year. At this festival,
“The Odyssey” play will be performed by a German artist, “Hamlet” by a Polish
artist, “AMOK” by a Kosovar artist, and “Mother’s Field” by a Kyrgyz artist.
I suggested
“Open Couple” drama for the annual festival held on Astana Day [a day
celebrating Astana becoming Kazakhstan’s capital city]. The organizers will
decide after reviewing videos. Director Ch.Naidandorj directed “Open Couple” by
Dario Fo in a very unique way. Although many countries have recreated this
drama, Mongolia’s version is completely different and unique from all of them.
When you enter competitions, do you take
care of your expenses yourself?
That’s right.
However, I don’t participate for my own benefit but to represent Mongolia as
well as the SADT. I still haven’t repaid a loan I took to take part in the
International Monodrama Festival in Kosovo and yet, I took another one to go to
Kyrgyzstan. It is difficult.
It was reported that the government granted
you prize money for winning the Grand Prix from the International Monodrama
Festival. Haven’t you received that prize money?
I still haven’t
received it. In 2008, the state started paying attention to performing arts and
decided to grant prize money of 65 million MNT if someone wins a grand prix of
this type of competition. Unfortunately, they still haven’t given it. Maybe
because of inadequate funds, difficult economy, or government reshuffle.
What about the certificate for the
government award?
I’ve met the
conditions. I haven’t received a certificate. I don’t know why people
misunderstood and publicized that I got 65 million MNT on websites. Someone
criticized that I received money when other people have been awarded with much
bigger awards. Sorry to inform but at the moment, I haven’t received a single
dime from tax payers’ money.
If there’s
anyone interested in helping us, artists, with participating in future
international competitions and festivals as representatives of Mongolia, please
do contact me. It isn’t easy to take care of all the expenses by yourself.
You achieved to engrave your name in the
monodrama development of Mongolia. Did you ever think that you would make it
this big?
Honestly, I’ve
never dreamed of this. I’m very thankful to the Center for Professional Play
Actors, folk actress S.Sarantuya and Gegeen Muza (Sacred Muse) Academy. I was
able to reach international levels thanks to their suggestion to try out for “I
am Edith Piaf”. About two to three years ago, I only imagined myself playing
“Anu Khatan” on stage until the day I would get replaced and “kicked out” from
the film.
Have you heard that “Anu Khatan” film is
being sold on international markets? Unfortunately, it’s widely spread that the
author of the film, B.Shuudertsetseg, omitted the director’s name and replaced
it with her own.
I don’t even
want to think about the names beginning with A and Sh.
Were you initially assigned with Anu
Khatan’s role for the film?
I wasn’t that
great. I used to even work at receptions to help with raising adequate funds
for filming. Later, it struck me hard when I was tossed away. Because I was
lucky enough to feel this huge impact, I made a lot of effort to overcome it
and improve my skills. I realized that I didn’t like losing. I strived to produce
a monodrama and was acknowledged internationally.
Apart from losing your role in “Anu Khatan”
film, have you had any other major set backs?
I did and I
overcame it. It happened 18 years ago. I lost faith in the man I thought I
would spend the rest of my life with and severed our ties, only taking my most
precious treasure, my son. I raised him alone for 18 years and made him into a
person not inferior to anyone. My son is a sophomore at the Mongolian
University of Science and Technology, majoring in civil engineering. He’s
growing into a fine man. My ex husband and I officially divorced three years
ago because he often went on business trips overseas.
You seem to experiment with a variety of
interesting new things. You performed “Melody from Heaven” outside in its
natural environment, right?
The play
“Melody from Heaven” is a truly beautiful and artistic piece that was inspired
from lullabies of Mongolian mothers. Most of the scenes can be understood by
both young and old audiences. I want to perform this monodrama many times and
deliver it to many people but I can’t manage it. I performed this piece only
once with Mother Nature, where I was able to touch flowers, lean on trees and
speak to the stars in the sky. This sort of performance gives the most pleasure
to actors and actresses. People who’ve previously seen the drama performed on
stage talked about how different it felt to watch it in the wild. Regrettably,
we didn’t film it but I’m sure there’ll be more opportunities to perform again.
Do you consider yourself greedy?
I’m not
extremely greedy. I’ve been driving my car for six years and yet I don’t
consider changing it. Although I can make a lot of money by performing my two
independent monodramas, I’m not too diligent about it. I’m not greedy about
money. My only desire is that Mongolian actors and actresses are able to
perform monodramas and get international acknowledgement.
How can actors and actresses make money?
I don’t usually
do commercials or films. I want to keep acting in the theater. When I was
performing the most recent play, “Open Couple”, I experienced my greatest
happiness. It was a fruitful piece for an actress.
When working in groups, what is the most
important thing for you?
I only
cooperate with people who are sincere and honest.
What do you consider sincerity?
You’ll feel it
straight away. I’ve been studying all sorts of roles for many years. Basically,
I’m a sociologist who studies people. I can instinctively feel honesty, lies,
good and hidden intentions. Luckily, I’ve only met good people. I probably find
sincere and loyal partners as I don’t greed over money and treat others with
sincerity.
What are your future plans?
I will be
participating in a festival held in Moldavia on November 24. Over twenty
artists will be participating. The festival will not only be featuring
monodramas, but every type of play. In February 2015, I will participate in a
festival in Hannover, Germany. I was invited to a competition in Macedonia, to
be held in April 2015, but I haven’t made my decision yet. Despite my desire to
compete in international festivals and competitions, I don’t think I can afford
the trips as I’ll have to bring the stage and music staff through my own
means.
Source:
http://mongolnews.mn/1cqq
Ulaanbaatar
congratulates silver medalist of World Youth Draughts Championship B.Munkhjin
By B. Tungalag
November 4 (UB
Post) Deputy Governor N.Bat congratulated Mongolian draughts players B.Munkhjin
who won a silver medal in the U10 girls’ category of the World Youth Draughts
Championship and B.Misheel, who placed 11th.
The
championship took place in Tallinn, Estonia, from October 26 to November 1.
According to
the request of the Mongolian Draughts Federation, the travel and other expenses
of B.Munkhjin and B.Misheel for the participation in the competition were
provided by the Ulaanbaatar City Administration.
During the
meeting, N.Bat congratulated the two girls and said, “We are always ready to
support our athletes who compete in regional and international tournaments”.
B.Munkhjin
competed against 28 players from 12 countries, and won second place. The gold
medal went to a player from Belarus and a Russian competitor won third place.
A total of 128
young draughts players from 14 countries competed in the championship.
B.Munkhjin
defeated players from Russia, the Netherlands, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan
in her last five rounds.
She previously
won a gold medal at the 7th Asian Draughts Championship, which took place from June
10 to 15, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Rapper
Gee: Money is not the only measure of profit
By B. Tungalag
November 4 (UB
Post) Mongolia’s most successful rapper
and hip-hop artist Gee recently announced his second concert “For What” which
will take place on November 14 at UB Palace. Gee gave a brief interview to
journalists about his new concert.
What is the difference between your first
and second concert?
I released five
albums. I will select the best songs of those five and perform them with live
music. The band X-Vit will play the music. Click Click Boom crew will also
attend my concert.
Why did you name the concert “For What”?
There is a song
of mine named “For What”. This is where the name came from. I want people to
understand something when they listen to my songs. So come and find out why I
am performing a concert and for what.
I heard the ticket price is 18,680 MNT. Why
is this so specific?
My concert’s
sponsor is the audience. I accounted all the expense of the concert and it is
28,200,000 MNT. I divided 28,200,000 MNT by 1,500 people. The answer is 18,680.
I will give them a change back if they give me 20,000 MNT for it.
If you sell your tickets for 18,680 MNT,
what’s the profit for you?
Everyone asked
me “Why are you organizing a profitless concert?” Money is not the only measure
of profit. My fans are feeding me of course. I thought one day, “Why can’t I
make a concert for them?” if they are feeding me. I don’t want to go after money
because I am young. I will have enough opportunity to make money.
You have a lot of fans. Does the Royal Hall
of UB Palace have enough space?
The Royal Hall
is the biggest hall, which is for standing audiences. I am not going to perform
opera or a pop concert. It will not be right if the audience has to watch a
hip-hop concert sitting on a chair.
Illegal
construction raises concern in Zaisan
November 4 (UB
Post) Since the disorderly assignment of land in Ulaanbaatar, people have
started to build what they want, wherever they like. The latest example is an
interesting building that began construction in the center of Buddha Park.
The capital
city, Ulaanbaatar, is situated between four mountains and has a more than 300
year history. The most auspicious place, Bogd Khan Mountain, has become a
popular and expensive location for homes and businesses.
Historic and
spiritual sites like the Zaisan Memorial and Buddha Park, in the area of Zaisan
Tolgoi, are surrounded by a metropolis of modern buildings.
The new
fountain that opened at Zaisan Hill Complex this summer makes the area more
attractive. It feels like the city council has started to pay more attention to
city planning and a building’s architectural design, now that so many
construction projects have sprung up in the city.
One hundred meters from Buddha Park, to the west of the Zaisan Hill Complex, there is a building housing drinking water tanks. The land is under state protection and the building has been there for ages, which is why the Zaisan Hill Complex and Buddha Park didn’t encroach on its land.
One hundred meters from Buddha Park, to the west of the Zaisan Hill Complex, there is a building housing drinking water tanks. The land is under state protection and the building has been there for ages, which is why the Zaisan Hill Complex and Buddha Park didn’t encroach on its land.
The drinking
water storage tank building, which protects the groundwater resources of the
Zaisan area, has long been affiliated with Mongolian State University of
Agriculture. Since the time a former president of the university gave the land
to an individual, problems have arisen.
When we went to
the construction site to get some information, a few guys there told us that
the construction work is taking place under a person named Batbaatar. Residents
in the area say that Batbaatar is building a private home. Since the
construction was taking place on a protected area, authorities and officials
halted construction on October 21. But after eight days, the construction work
resumed.
The State
Professional Inspection Agency even forbade construction, yet it is interesting
to note that Batbaatar has permission to finish the work by December.
Every
construction project must follow regulations and meet safety and building
standards. At illegal construction sites, workers are often not professional
builders. As a result, they do not follow the standards for safety.
Moreover, the
appearance of any building is important to the city’s landscape, and when we
asked to see plans for the building, the people on the site had none.
Generally, to
construct any type of building, the plan must be approved by the authorities.
But it appears that the construction law of Mongolia does not apply to
Batbaatar and his house.
What kind of
person is Batbaatar, who continues to build his building even after state
officials have forbidden it?
Many new,
attractive buildings can benefit the city’s landscape, but there is no city
planning policy that provides for the safety and comfort of citizens before
developers.
Moreover, there
is lack of public space in the city, where children and seniors can spend their
free time. It is troubling to know that some people are able to build private
residences on what little protected land is left in Ulaanbaatar.
Source: Unuudur
Strict
state policy is needed to improve traditional industry
November 4 (UB
Post) Mongolians have been engaged in the livestock industry for many years and
we have benefitted from it. But in recent years, many unskilled herders have
lacked knowledge about breeding livestock and how to communicate with nature,
herding sheep and goats with motorcycles.
Even if three
million Mongolians like to eat meat, unfortunately, there are very few herders
who are very skilled in caring for livestock.
Looking at
recent research, 170,000 herder households had 349,000 herders, out which
157,000 were young herders, from the ages of 16 to 35 in 2009. But at the end
of 2012, the number of young herders decreased dramatically by 53,000. Experts
concluded that if the state doesn’t do anything to support the young herders,
Mongolia will lose young herders after 20 to 30 years.
The Mongolian
University of Agriculture offered a herder class in 2012, and 35 students
graduated from it. But the following year, only nine students enrolled and the
class was closed.
Fifty percent
of our herders are around 34 years old, but they don’t have knowledge about
tending livestock or pasture vegetation. In total, 113 million hectares can be
used, but hay cutting is done on only 1.8 million hectares.
A total of
300,000 tons of meat and 500 to 600 million liters of milk are prepared each
year in Mongolia. In addition, leather, wool and cashmere products valued at
over 20 million USD are able to be produced in Mongolia. Unfortunately,
domestic products don’t have a wide reach and herders don’t think about
producing such large quantities. Specialists blame this on Mongolian
“laziness”.
The livestock
industry makes up over 20 percent of our GDP. Even if other sectors drop, the
livestock industry can survive alone. So, the participation of herders is very
influential.
But nowadays,
herders only think about receiving support from the citizens of Ulaanbaatar and
lose the old tradition of preparing hay in the summer and fall. Instead of
celebrating holidays all summer, it would a better to be prepared for winter’s
harsh conditions. Many have become used to asking us for candles and matches as
soon as winter comes.
Of course,
state policy requires supporting herders.
The Ministry of
Labor and the Center for Employment Services provide the following services:
enhancing
livestock tending skills, increasing herder income, organizing groups and
committees, and offering financial support. As a result, 900 residents from 450
herder households in 90 soums have become involved in this program and have
maintained their livelihoods.
Sixty five
percent of 482 people who were eager to establish state supported SMEs were
herders, and 1.5 billion MNT in loans were issued to them. These herders were
enrolled in guaranteed health insurance, received national identity cards, and
got wool and cashmere subsidies. But the funding for the National Mongolian
Livestock Program (Mongol Mal) is decreasing year by year.
To compare
herder households by their number of livestock, 67 percent of them have up to
200 livestock, which means one in every three households has less than 50
cattle.
In recent
years, the number of households with 100 cattle or less decreased, and
households with more than 200 cattle increased. This suggests that households
with fewer cattle sell off their livestock and move to the city.
The state needs
to work out concrete and unwavering policy to keep herders in business.
Source: Unuudur
‘City
Views of the World’ takes you on tour
By B. Narantuya
November 4 (UB
Post) Blue Moon Art Gallery is hosting “City Views of the World” from November
3 to 13, an exhibition featuring Mongolian impressions of cities around the
world.
Simple and
beautiful views from Ulaanbaatar, Tokyo, Beijing, Seattle, Istanbul, Munich,
Venice, Paris, Dubai, Ufa, Washington, D.C., and Berlin are now on display at
the gallery.
Dedicated to
the 375th anniversary of Ulaanbaatar, “City Views of the World” presents the
work of master artists.
The work in the
exhibit is all painted in watercolor or oil paint, and the canvases explode
with color.
“Journalists
read a lot and learn many words, while artists learn colors. Most of the
paintings were done on location. We call it a study. Especially when outdoors
doing studies and painting – for example, a city view – artists must take in
the scenery very quickly, because the view is temporary. Once we capture the
landscape and colors, we keep it inside of us. The view is temporary, because
after a while, the clouds and sun change their position. As a result, the color
and shadows change. So it is very important for an artist to learn color,” said
one of the artists who presented his view of Paris.
There is a
growing interest in travelling to visit beautiful cities around the world. This
exhibition will give you ideas for the best places to take in the scenery of
these cities from locations favored by the travelling artists in the
exhibition.
The gallery
will honor the best painting in the exhibition, selected by viewers and
visitors to their Facebook page, awarding a prize to the painting that receives
the most likes and shares.
Blue Moon Art
Gallery aims to encourage artists, share the gallery’s creative vision, and to
introduce Mongolian fine artists to the world. As a result, they have organized
26 exhibitions, showing thework of over 800 artists and honoring 17 of them.
Stock
Exchange news for November 5
By B.
Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar,
November 5 (MONTSAME) At the Stock Exchange trades on Wednesday, a total of
3,350 shares of 7 JSCs were traded costing MNT four million 101 thousand and
640.00.
"Genco
Tour Bureau” /3,000 units/, “Makh Impex” /140 units/, “Material Impex” /99
units/, “Darkhan Nekhii” /47 units/ and "Tavan Tolgoi” /40 units/ were the
most actively traded in terms of trading volume, in terms of trading value were
"Material Impex” (MNT one million 643 thousand and 400), "Darkhan
Nekhii” (MNT 823 thousand and 600), “Atar Orgoo” (MNT 612 thousand), “Makh
Impex” (MNT 518 thousand and 140) and "Genco Tour Bureau” (MNT 259
thousand and 500).
The total
market capitalization was set at MNT one trillion 549 billion eight million 919
thousand and 901. The Index of Top-20 JSCs was 15,499.17, increasing 99.66
units or 0.65% against the previous day.
Comments
Post a Comment