R.Friedland flew to Oyu Tolgoi this morning

Robert Friedland, chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, also known as "Toxic Bob" flew to Oyu Tolgoi deposit in South Gobi aimag this morning, sources close to Ivanhoe told to MonInfo news service.The Ivanhoe Mines Mongolia Inc, runs chartered flight between the mine site and Ulaanbaatar. It takes about one hour to reach the site.

Known for his flamboyant style and adventurous business dealings, he is not well liked in Mongolia after reportedly saying " ‘So we’re coming in from outer space and landing at Oyu Tolgoi… And the nice thing about this: there’s no people around; the land is flat, there’s no tropical jungle; there’s no NGOs. We’re only 70 kilometres from the Chinese border. It does not snow here. You’ve got lots of room for waste dumps."

In 2006, Mongolian civic groups burned his effigy during street protests.Since then, the "king of the Canadian Juniors" kept a very low profile in Mongolia.

It is not clear how long he will stay in Oyu Tolgoi with other potential investors or wait for Oct 6, 2009 signing ceremony. He is known for his support of esoteric religion of Lamaism, Mongolian Buddhism. Ivanhoe Mines Mongolia Inc funded restoration and building a local Lamaist temple and Stupa in Khankhongor area where Oyu Tolgoi is situated. It is not coincidence that Ivanhoe and Rio agreed to "auspicious" full-moon day of Oct 6, 2009.

By Ganbat, reporter of MonInfo News Service