Two ministers appointed as dismissal controversy cools.
Dismissal of ministers continued in parliament from the end of January. Social Welfare and Labour Minister L. Odonchimed relinquished his Ministry on February 1 supported by Social policy, education, culture and sciences standing committee. Three quarters of the 54 MPs who attended the plenary meeting accepted L. Odonchimed’s request, leaving a vacancy in the Ministry.
MP L. Gundalai, dismissed as Health Minister, submitted his draft resolution to dismiss Industry and Trade Minister B. Jargalsaikhan to Parliamentary Speaker Ts. Nyamdorj January 31, initiating discussions on a third minister.
Afternoon about 5pm, parliament discussed an issue to dismiss Minister B. Jargalsaikhan. Although MP L. Gundalai proposed to delay the discussion due to present political situation, it was impossible under the law. As of the result of votes, 29 MPs (65.9 percent) from 44 turnouts supported to dismiss the minister B. Jargalsaikhan.
Civic forum wants good governance
More than 800 people attended a civic forum in the Children’s Palace on Sunday, February 4. Titled, ‘Let’s live with principles in Mongolia’, the forum allowed participants to express their views on political reform, economic competition, land and environment protection and citizens’ participation in the country’s development.
President of the Civic Union, D. Enkhbat said in his opening address, it was important to collaborate on ways to create healthy and ethical political leaders, change the state and eliminate civil oligarchic structures to maintain civic democracy.
ACO salaries solved
Parliament resolved Anti-Corruption Office salary issues at the plenary meeting on January 31by approving staff salaries and identifying additional salary by rank. The ACO Chief will receive Tg474, 000.
Time’s out to approve minerals list
A decision has been reached to include fifteen deposits on the list of deposits of strategic importance. In final discussions, the economic standing committee of Parliament made a draft parliamentary resolution to finalise the list on February 5. Standing committee members agreed to exclude Ulaan and Tsav deposits from the original list of 17 deposits.
Initial discussions towards a draft resolution were held last week.
Wireless Internet connection for Ulaanbaatar
Investment from the Mongolian-Japanese ‘Mobicom’ corporation and the ‘Ulusnet’ company which uses WiMAX technology will provide wireless Internet connection and other additional services in the information technology sector in Mongolia.
Mongolia strides to market economy
EBRD says business climate key to strong growth
Mongolia has been included in the Chief Economist’s Transition Report, the leading study of the economies of the region. This follows recognition of Mongolia as a country of operations of the EBRD last October. Head for Ulaanbaatar EBRD resident office, John Chomel-Doe presented the report in Ulaanbaatar Hotel on February 1.
IMF advises manage mineral sector
The International Monetary Fund holds annual bilateral discussions with its member countries. It collects economic and financial information to discuss each country’s economic development and policies with officials under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreements.
Investors discuss Tavan Tolgoi project
The Mongolian Ministry of Trade and Industry hosted a consultative meeting of investors to present foreign investors large mineral deposits to be used in the policy framework for development of heavy industry on January 31.
Delegations of large companies from Japan, China, Russia, Russia and Germany attended to discuss participation in the Tavan tolgoi coal project.
Monitoring units boost fight against air pollution
Donor organizations and foreign embassies said they would assist Mongolia to fight air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, on January 31. Their meeting followed a request from newspaper editors last December, to international donours to rid the city of air pollution.
CAA blinded by smoke
Mongolia’s Civil Aviation Authority reported that the country’s flight aero navigation system was out-of-date and it was necessary to update equipment with new technology and real-time displays.
Vandalism ruins General’s statue
A bronze monument of military general J. Lkhagvasuren, prominent among Mongolians as its ‘Young General’, was destroyed between February 1 to 2 at midnight.
The sword and left hand of the statue, erected in 2000 in Youth Avenue of Sukhbaatar district, were cut off. Sukhbaatar district police are investigating the case.
Russian TV in Mongolia
AIST Mongolia Television held an official presentation in Seoul Restaurant, Ulaanbaatar on January 26 to celebrate its launch last December when it started broadcasting in collaboration with the Mongolian Cable Television, ‘Sansar’.
Concert for new star
Son of circus artist B. Borkhuu of Buryat Circus, B. Amarkhuu, took first place in the Russian Tele-project ‘Narodnyi Artist-3 (national artist)’. He already has status in Russian music-hall entertainment.
He returned to Mongolia as a new star January 26-28 with sponsorship from AIST Mongolia Television.
Mongolian’s to study in Poland
Twelve, third grade students studying Polish at Mongolia’s National University, will visit Poland next week for several months - February 19 to June 17 – through the efforts of NUM Chancellor Ts. Gantsogt and Mongolia’s Polish Ambassador, Zbigniew Kulak.
South Korea attracts Mongolian students
The South Korean Embassy in Mongolia said on January 29 the number of scholarship students studying in the Republic of Korea has increased. Korean Ambassador, Park Jin Ho said the Government scholarships to two Mongolian students have been increased to 10 in 2007.
New military chaplaincy
An old tradition in the Mongolian Armed Forces was revived this month with re-instatement of the military chaplaincy. Lama Kh. Baymbajav’s’s appointment resulted from a Defense Research Institute survey where the majority of commissioned and non-commissioned officers supported re-instatement of the military chaplaincy.
News-in-brief
President N. Enkhbayar will pay official visits to Japan and France from February 20 to March 1. In Japan, he will meet with Japanese Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Japan is the biggest donor to Mongolia and bilateral relations intensified in all sectors over the last decade. In France, Mr. Enkhbayar will meet President Jacques Chirac and is expected to exchange views on bilateral relations and collaboration issues amongst others.
Chairwoman of the Civil Will Party and MP S. Oyun attended the annual World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland last month. S. Oyun presented papers: ‘Democracy after election’ and ‘A Future with a Western design’. World socio-economic and political leaders exchanged views at the event towards determining world development trends.
A cultural leading worker of Mongolia B. Naranbaatar was awarded the 2006 Russian Government state award. Signed by Russian Government Head M. Fradkov, the award was granted in recognition of Mr Naranbaatar’s artistic and professional success and compositions in the Baikal National Song and Dance Ensemble of the Buryat Republic, Russia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs N.Enkhbold awarded Republic of Korea citizen, Kul-ku Lee, a certificate, ‘Honored Cultural Ambassador of Mongolia’, last week.
Mr. Lee, appointed the Honored Envoy of Culture in November 2006, is the first person to receive the certificate through his efforts with the Mongolian Education Promotion Fund established in Seoul to create opportunities for Korean businessmen to invest in the Mongolian economy and to organize Mongolian-Korean business meetings. Mr. Lee supported four disabled Mongolian children in the Republic of Korea through the ‘Lions’ Club. He is a member of the Korea-based Mongol Studies Society.
The Czech Republic’s ‘Primoza’ company will construct a town, ‘Silver Prague’ in Ulaanbaatar for 224 families. It will consist of three five-floor apartments for young families, two seven-floor apartments for medium-income families, two three-floor apartments for seniors and pensioners and a building for the Mongolian-Czech business center. $10million will spend on the town. Many people will be provided with jobs during construction of the town.
Khovsgol Aimag Governor’s Office established a local area network which gave its staff new computers and internet connection. It has made staff management easier with exchange of information through the LAN. The ‘ESM’ company implemented the programme with finance of Tg30 million.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences, State secretary B.Mishigjav said, “2006 was a fruitful year for the education sector”. Last year an education law was amended and a master plan drawn up to develop the sector from 2006 until 2015.
He said, “Secondary schools transitioned to a 11-year training system and in 2008-2009, the 12-year training system will be introduced. In 2007, activities would improve teachers’ qualifications and training methods”. Every five years rural-based teachers would receive allowances equal to their six-month salary and directors and managers would receive increments every five years. Performance-based indicators would be discussed with teachers in 2007.”
An Information Technology Entertainment Centre will be established in Mongolia to raise awareness of the sector and to create an environment for the latest technology. Head of Information and Communication Technology Authority Ch. Saikhanbileg; A. Director General of National Information Technology Park Batjargal and Executive Director of ‘Mobicom’ corporation F. Shiga signed an agreement last week. The centre will open in June.
The Mongolian Embassy in Turkey, the Honorary Consul of Mongolia in Izmir and the administration of Sabanji Museum organized a‘Chinggis Khan horse race’ for horses aged five years and above, last week.
The victorious horse was a gray named Kirinhan, from Izmir and owned by Ersan Uzbelgeg. The Cup was handed to him by Charge de Affairs of Mongolia in Turkey, R.Jadambaa.
The Intellectual Development Fund of Ulaanbaatar would grant scholarships to students to foster their creativeness, knowledge and abilities on the 114th anniversary of leader of the Mongolian people’s revolution, D. Sukhbaatar. The Fund said students applying for scholarships needed ‘A’ marks for two or more quarters and to have presented scientific reports at conferences. They could apply to the Democratic Socialist Student Union in Ulaanbaatar.
The first Mongolian-Japanese consultative meeting was held on environment protection policy in Tokyo last week. It was co-chaired by head of sustainable development and strategy planning department of the Ministry of Environment of Mongolia, A. Enkhbat and chief of department for environment of the Ministry of Environment of Japan, H.Minamikava. Opinions were shared on issues concerning bilateral cooperation in the environment protection field; ways to reduce air and soil pollution in Ulaanbaatar and how to combat desertification. The next meeting would be in Ulaanbaatar late 2007.
The department of ‘The Voice of Russia’ radio station, broadcasting in Mongolia, announced a contest among Mongolian radio listeners to promote, ‘2007, the Year of Russian Language’ an initiative of Russian President, V. Putin. The Society of Mongolian-Russian Friendship, the Russian Cultural and Scientific Centre in Ulaanbaatar and the ‘Novosti Mongolii’ weekly newspaper of the MONTSAME News Agency are organizing the contest. Winners will be announced during the Mongolian-Russian Friendship Month to be launched in October.
A Mongolian team of eight sculptors led by Th.Monkh-Erdene, has been awarded prizes for best craftsmanship for ice works, ‘Tsam Dance’ and ‘Borte Chono’ and for snow works, ‘Steppe wind’ and ‘Expectation’, at the 21st international snow and ice festival in Harbin, China. The festival was attended by 63 teams from 12 countries.
An exhibition titled, ‘Look of Asia’ will be featured in Prague by embassies of Asian countries in May and June. It is a step to showcase 15 Asian countries. The organizing council will be led by the Philippines Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
Mongolia’s University of Sciences and Technology held a conference titled, ‘E-Library’, to promote establishment of electronic libraries as a priority in the Mongolian educational sector.
Librarians from all branches of the University in rural areas attended the conference and were provided with information on E-libraries and given an opportunity to exchange opinions on urgent problems facing establishment of libraries.
University library director Ph. Ch. Gulinara said the University plans to have an E-library in three years. At present, about 300,000 books have been included in electronic catalogues. The conference would recommend steps to solve issues in the transition to an electronic format.
Mongolian skier U. Maral won a bronze medal in the free performance category of the mountain skiing competition of the Sixth Asian Games in China’s Changchun city of Jilin.
This was the second medal won by a Mongolian at the Asian Games. In 1990, a Mongolian skier won bronze at the Second Games.
A photo exhibition, featuring German fashion design, ‘Style of periods’, opened last week in the Fine Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar. Arranged under the cultural cooperation between Mongolia and Germany the exhibition displays the best photos of German photographers, interesting concepts and new thinking. The opening ceremony was attended by the famous German design photographer Mrs. Sibille Bergemann. She will manage training for Mongolian amateur design photographers on February 5-6 in the ‘Mongol Costume’ centre.
Mongolian athletes will take part in 14 international and 13 domestic competitions planned by the Mongolian Association of Free Style Wrestling.
Sportsmen trained in the Olympic Town of Mongolian-Russian joint ‘Erdenet’ industry will compete in the February championships.
Mongolian athletes will represent their country at international competitions to be organized in Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, France, and Uzbekistan as well as at the Asian championship in Kyrgyzstan scheduled in May. The world championship in September in Azerbaijan will provide the main competition for Mongolian athletes.
