Altantuya’s dad slams ex-Mongolian honorary consul to Malaysia

SHAH ALAM: Altantuya Shaariibuu’s father today questioned the integrity of a former honorary consul of Mongolia to Malaysia, who acted as a liaison officer between the family and the authorities here.

Shaariibuu Setev said his doubts about Syed Abdul Rahman Alhabshi were based on several incidents that took place over the course of his dealings with the latter in his daughter’s murder investigation.

Shaariibuu Setev says the court in his daughter’s murder trial delivered a judgment, but not justice.

On Aug 29, 2008, he said, Syed Abdul Rahman sent an email to the Mongolian foreign affairs ministry stating that he was a member of the then-ruling party and seeking to dismiss all speculation of the involvement of Najib Razak, who was deputy prime minister at the time.

In his witness statement today, Shaariibuu said the email was translated for him by a Mongolian lawyer after a ministry official, Ganbold D, provided him with a copy.

He also claimed Syed Abdul Rahman had invited him to his home in Kuala Lumpur, where he showed him a large photo of himself with Najib soon after the acquittal of Abdul Razak Baginda for abetment in Altantuya’s murder.

“He told me that they (Syed Abdul Rahman and Najib) were good friends,” Shaariibuu told the High Court when examined by lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo.

Shaariibuu, a retired professor, said Syed Abdul Rahman had also insisted that he hand over records of Altantuya’s flight tickets and bank statements as well as several photographs of her.

“I was under the impression that they were to be used for the criminal trial,” he added. “I do not know whether all those documents were sent to the relevant authorities or used in the trial.”

Shaariibuu said he had also discovered that Syed Abdul Raman and a Mongolian ministry official known as Aruinbold were working against the interest of him and his family.

“Aruinbold organised an exhibition,” he said, but did not provide further details in his testimony.

Shaariibuu said he had asked the ministry to remove Syed Abdul Raman from his position, which was later done.

He said he had been surprised at the court decision to convict policemen Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri of Altantuya’s murder as neither knew his daughter or had reason to kill her.

He said the prosecution had also refused to appeal against Razak’s acquittal without defence being called.

“My counsel (the late Karpal Singh) filed a judicial review, but the application was dismissed and we did not appeal to the Court of Appeal,” he added.

Shaariibuu said he felt that his testimony was brief, and that the parties involved had asked him very limited questions during the criminal trial.

He filed the civil suit in the hope of getting justice, he added.

“The criminal trial delivered a judgment, but not justice. I seek answers from this honourable court,” he said. “I believe the defendants caused the unlawful killing of my daughter.”

Altantuya was murdered in 2006 in the jungles in Puncak Alam near Shah Alam, Selangor. She was shot in the head before her body was blown up with explosives.

Sirul and Azilah, who were Najib’s personal bodyguards, were found guilty and sentenced to death for her murder by the Federal Court in February 2015.

Razak, who was an aide to Najib, was charged with abetting the duo but later acquitted without his defence being called.

Shaariibuu, his wife Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s son Mungunshagai have named Razak, the government, Sirul and Azilah as defendants in their suit.

They allege that there was a conspiracy in Altantuya’s murder, and are seeking RM100 million in damages including dependency claims.

By V Anbalagan

www.freemalaysiatoday.com

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Endangered Mongolian khulans reappear in NW China

A number of Mongolian khulans have been spotted at the northern desert in Qitai County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is listed as nearly endangered species by the IUCN.

The Mongolian khulan, also known as Mongolian wild ass, is endangered due to human poaching and deteriorating environmental conditions. 

The flocks of khulans are very alert and hard to approach. A local ranger found the flocks were foraging when he was patrolling the area. Most of them were adult assess and in good health condition. 

The Mongolian khulans are running. /VCG Photo

This herbivorous mammal mainly distributes in Mongolia, China, Iran, Australia and some other countries. They like to live in groups and feed on grass, trees, shrubs in the desert-steppe, semi-desert and deserts habitats.

In recent years, Qitai County has made great efforts to improve the living environment for wild animals by smashing poaching of wild animals, adding places of drinking water and so forth. In addition, many other wild animal species including Siberian ibex and Argali sheep have also frequently appeared in the area.

Source:CGTN

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Mongolia launches 10-mw solar power plant

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A solar power plant with an installed capacity of 10 megawatts has been officially launched in Mongolia's central province of Govisumber, Mongolian state television reported on Monday.

Mongolia's total renewable energy capacity stood at 275 megawatts at the end of 2018, according to the Ministry of Energy.

The 10-megawatt solar power plant was officially put into operation on Sunday in Sumber soum, an administrative subdivision in Govisumber, said the project's operator ESB Solar Energy.

"The construction of the Green Climate Fund-funded power plant took six months. The power plant can generate 17.1 million kWh of electricity per year to the country's national power grid," the company said.

The Green Climate Fund is a fund established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to help developing countries in their efforts to adopt renewable energy.

Mongolia, which enjoys more than 250 days of sunshine a year and boasts a potential wind capacity of 1,100 gigawatts, has set a goal of supplying 20 percent of its energy through renewables by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030.

The share of renewable electricity in Mongolia's overall energy consumption rose to 16 percent on average in 2018, said the Ministry of Energy. Enditem

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Mongolian Legislators Again Submit Letter Asking Parliament Speaker To Step Down

Majority of Mongolian lawmakers on Friday submitted an official letter calling for the dismissal of Parliament Speaker Miyegombo Enkhbold, due to an alleged abuse of power.

The letter, signed by 39 lawmakers in the country’s 76-seat unicameral parliament, was sent to Enkhbold after an amendment on dismissing the parliament speaker came into force on Friday.

“We submitted the letter in connection with a scandal.

“That some senior officials of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, including Enkhbold, allegedly used their government positions as a tool to run in the parliamentary election in 2016,’’ Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, one of the lawmakers, said at a press conference.

A majority of Mongolian lawmakers earlier sent an official letter to Enkhbold, urging him to voluntarily step down, which Enkhbold rejected.

The amendment on dismissing the parliament speaker, initiated by Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga, was later approved.

According to the amendment, the parliament speaker must step down if more than half of the 76 lawmakers submit a proposal asking him to leave.

The amendment is the sixth legal ground to dismiss a parliament speaker.

The other five are death, severe disease, appointment to another position, being found guilty of a crime, and decision of dismissal from the constitutional court.

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Moscow Analyst Says Mongolia on Its Way to Becoming ‘Ukraine of the East’

Paul Goble

            Staunton, January 23 – For a pro-Kremlin commentator to suggest Mongolia is “just like Ukraine except in the East” is both intriguing because it suggests the Russian leadership is applying the model it has for post-Soviet republics to other former communist countries and disturbing because it indicates what Moscow might do in response.

             In an article for the pro-Kremlin Rex news agency, Aleksandr Zapolskis argues that developments in Mongolia are going in the same direction as those in Ukraine – and that more generally both countries, along with others in the region, show the fatal weaknesses of democratic arrangements the West has promoted (iarex.ru/articles/63568.html).

                At the end of the 20^th century, the Russian analyst says, the West insisted that post-communist countries adopt democratic systems with divisions of powers and competitive party systems; but that effort is now collapsing because in ever more places such regimes are failing to deliver either because local elites subvert them or because they are simply incapable of doing so.

            That failure has been much in evidence in Eastern Europe and in Ukraine, but despite the fact that it has not attracted much attention from the international media, it is occurring in Mongolia as well as the population is coming to recognize that the democratic regime is only a cover for elites who are robbing the population of its present and future.

            A corruption scandal that broke out three months ago was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, he suggests. It showed that 124 of the 134 most important businessmen had close ties to the regime and profited because of these corrupt relationships and that the regime was refusing to clean house, with ministers refusing to resign and parliamentarians refusing to allow their fellow members to be tried.

            While the attention of the world has been focused elsewhere, Mongolia is proceeding along “almost the Ukrainian path,” with the regime increasingly out of touch with the people and the people outraged that supposedly democratic arrangements are not giving them a better life but only enriching elites.

                Since the start of this year, Mongolia has roiled by protests. Given that 46 percent of the population lives in the capital, “in fact all the events have been limited to Ulan Bator.”  Increasingly, Zapolskis says, those taking to the streets are demanding not just a change in the cast of characters who control the state and economy but regime change of a more radical kind.

            What will happen if the government falls and how Mongolia’s two largest neighbors, China and Russia, will respond remains very much an open question. But one aspect of Zapolskis’ critique of democracy, an aspect he doesn’t mention, deserves perhaps even closer attention.

            The problems he points to in Mongolia, with clans controlling the economy and the government unresponsive to the population despite the existence of democratic forms, apply with equal or even greater force to the Russian Federation. At some point, perhaps, even Russians will follow the Ukrainians and the Mongols in seeking the unfulfilled promise of democracy. 

 

 

Source:https://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/01/moscow-analyst-says-mongolia-on-its-way.html?fbclid=IwAR3wXImOso_ysEhZ9sBaFcOXyHf1BmjMS3E7DI4A1a3EuWZS53uZKi4FpY8

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Murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's family want justice in Malaysia lawsuit

SHAH ALAM (AFP) - The family of a Mongolian woman whose killing was allegedly linked to Malaysia's toppled leader are hoping for justice in a civil lawsuit that started this week, their lawyers said on Friday (Jan 25).

Altantuya Shaariibuu was shot dead and her body blown up with military-grade plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

Her death is said to be part of a scandal involving claims an associate of ousted prime minister Najib Razak arranged huge kickbacks for the purchase of French submarines in 2002.

Allegations have long circulated that Najib - then deputy premier - and his wife Rosmah Mansor were involved in the killing. Both have denied the claims.

Two government bodyguards were convicted of the murder and sentenced to death, with one subsequently fleeing to Australia. Altantuya's lover Abdul Razak Baginda, a close aide to Najib, was also tried but acquitted of abetting the crime.

In 2007, Altantuya's family, led by her father Shaariibuu Setev, filed a RM100 million (S$33 million) lawsuit against the government, the bodyguards and Abdul Razak.

The case was delayed until the criminal trial wrapped up, but finally got under way this week.

"(We) will do everything that we can to uncover the mystery as to who ordered her murder," Ramkarpal Singh, a lawyer for the family, told AFP.

"Mr Shaariibuu and his team are confident that justice will prevail."

Beginning his testimony in the case on Friday, Altantuya's father said: "She told me she was in a relationship with a big man in Malaysia and his name was Baginda."

He will continue testifying at the High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, on Monday.

Malaysian authorities reopened the investigation into Altantuya's murder last year, months after Najib was ousted in a shock election that saw his former boss Mahathir Mohamad return to power.

In a potentially major breakthrough, the bodyguard who fled to Australia, Sirul Azhar Umar, has said he is willing to assist any new government investigation into the case.

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Interview: Mongolian disabled children to enjoy China-aided health services: minister

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian children with disabilities will be able to enjoy comprehensive health services from the China-aided development center for disabled children in Ulan Bator, Mongolian Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sodnom Chinzorig said Thursday.

"Today, we all witnessed a historic event in Mongolia-China relations. I am very happy to attend the handover ceremony of the development center for disabled children," Chinzorig told Xinhua during the ceremony.

Chinzorig described the center built with the non-refundable aid from Chinese government as the greatest gift from China and a landmark project in bilateral cooperation in public welfare.

He said that the medical center is the largest, most modern and a fully functional treatment and rehabilitation place for disabled children in Mongolia.

The comprehensive center will be officially put into use in March or April this year, Chinzorig said, noting that the Mongolian government will pay special attention to its operation.

The medical building, covering an area of about 14,990 square meters, consists of three floors above ground and one floor underground. Equipped with 250 beds and advanced medical devices, the development center can provide medical treatments for 250 outpatients a day.

According to the minister, there are some 130,000 people with disabilities in Mongolia, 11 percent of them are children. Enditem

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'I never met her': Former PM of Mongolia Najib denies links with slain Mongolian model Altantuya

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak reiterated on Wednesday (Jan 23) that he has never met slain model Altantuya Shaariibuu, after a witness testified that she saw a photograph that they had taken together.

“That is slander. Lies. I never met her. I swore in a mosque about this,” Najib told reporters in Cameron Highlands, where he is helping Barisan Nasional to campaign in a by-election.

Earlier in the day, 37-year-old Burmaa Oyunchimeg - who is the cousin of Altantuya and the first witness to testify in a civil lawsuit on the murder – said the slain woman was in a relationship with political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.

The witness said she first met Razak, who was married, when Altantuya introduced him to her at a hotel in Hong Kong towards the end of 2004.

"At that time, I was living in Hong Kong and she (Altantuya) had come from Mongolia for a holiday to visit me."

"When she introduced me to him (Razak), she told me that he was a friend, but later told me that they were in a relationship," said the witness.

The witness said the second time she met Razak was in Shanghai in January 2005, when both she and Altantuya flew in from Hong Kong and they met Razak at the airport.

The witness said the third meeting was in March 2005 in Singapore, adding that Altantuya and Razak had already arrived there before her.

NAJIB AND ALTANTUYA SEEN TOGETHER IN PHOTOGRAPH

Ms Burmaa said after she and Altantuya flew back to Mongolia from Singapore in March 2005, Altantuya showed her a photo of herself, Razak and a then deputy prime minister.

“I remember I saw a picture of three people, two men and Altantuya. I asked her who they were, and she said one was the deputy prime minister and the other was Razak who worked with him and do business together.”

"I asked her if they were brothers because of the same name. She said no, but they were best friends, business partners and worked together,” she said.

Sometime in 2006, the affair between Altantuya and Razak was said to have soured.

Altantuya came to Malaysia together with her sister and cousin to track down Razak, who had refused to see her.

On the night of Oct 19, 2006 at around 8pm, Altantuya appeared outside Razak’s home. On seeing her, two policemen from the Special Action Unit seized her and forced her into a car.

They drove her to a forested area in Shah Alam, Selangor. 

They threw her onto the ground and fired two shots into her head.

Altantuya Shaariibuu was the mistress of Abdul Razak Baginda, an associate of former prime minister Najib Razak. (File photo: AFP/Saeed Khan)
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/najib-razak-altantuya-never-met-mongolian-model-11158172

They then strapped military grade explosives onto her body and detonated them, blowing her body to bits.

Razak was charged with abetting her murder but he was freed by the High Court in 2008.

The policemen, Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri, who were once Najib's bodyguards, were found guilty and sentenced to death in 2015.

Azilah is currently on death row at Kajang prison while Sirul fled to Australia before the sentencing and is being held in a detention centre.

In 2007, Altantuya’s family filed a RM100 million (US$24.17 million) suit against Azilah, Sirul, Razak and the Malaysian government.

Najib has repeatedly denied knowing Altantuya or that he had any part in her death.

The Pakatan Harapan government announced last June that they would reopen investigations into the murder.
The trial continues on Thursday with Altantuya’s father providing his testimony. 

Altantuya Shaariibuu's father, Shaariibuu Setev. (Photo: Bernama)
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/najib-razak-altantuya-never-met-mongolian-model-11158172

Source: Bernama/CNA/aw(hm)

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Mongolia: Warning of a “kids’ crisis” as influenza outbreak grips

Ulaanbaatar/Beijing/Geneva, 24 January 2019 – An outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) in Mongolia has been called a “kids’ crisis” by the Mongolian Red Cross Society, with children under five accounting for more than two-thirds of cases reported up to 18 January.

Health services are increasingly stretched. According to the Ministry of Health, an average of 139 influenza patients are hospitalized every day. Of these, almost 90 per cent are infants and children under the age of five. Hospitals in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, usually have the capacity to admit 977 children but are struggling to find beds for more than 1,500 children currently hospitalized in the city. As of 24 January, four children have unfortunately died of influenza.

“This influenza outbreak, along with extreme cold, air pollution, poverty and the risk of pneumonia, are combining to pose deadly risks, especially for young children,” said Bolormaa Nordov, Secretary General of the Mongolian Red Cross. “This is absolutely a ‘kids’ crisis’.”

“The situation is alarming because the peak of the influenza season is still two months away. We are also concerned that the coming Lunar New Year (5 to 7 February) will see many people on the move across the country, providing an opportunity for the outbreak to spread even further,” said Bolormaa Nordov.

The proportion of people affected so far – 73 cases in every 10,000 people – is well above the average of the two previous flu seasons. Across the country, nine per cent of people visiting healthcare providers have influenza. However, in some areas this figure rises to 23 per cent, triggering some provinces and districts to prepare for local quarantines. If the national figure climbs above 15 per cent then a local and national quarantine could be ordered, according to the Ministry of Health’s contingency plan.

The Mongolian Red Cross is working with the government to respond to this unfolding emergency. The Red Cross has provided portable beds to one overwhelmed hospital in Ulaanbaatar and is readying to deploy trained volunteers and staff to high risk areas. The Red Cross is also running a country-wide social media campaign designed to provide people with information they can use to avoid getting sick and to protect their families.

About IFRC
IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 190 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working to save lives and promote dignity around the world.www.ifrc.org – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube

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Mongolia launches campaign to boost banking sector development

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has launched a campaign to promote the development of its banking sector, local media reported Wednesday.

The campaign is part of the activities to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the development of the banking sector in the country, the Bank of Mongolia said in a statement.

As part of the six-month campaign starting Tuesday, several related activities will be held across the country by the central bank in cooperation with commercial banks.

"The banking sector is playing a vital role in financing the economic development of any country," Nadmid Bayartsaikhan, president of the Bank of Mongolia, said at the inauguration ceremony of the campaign.

The campaign called "Development of Banking Sector in Mongolia-95" aims to increase public participation and get feedback from customers in order to improve banking operations and overcome challenges in the banking industry, said Bayartsaikhan.

Currently, there are some 1,400 branches of 14 commercial banks operating in Mongolia. Enditem

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Inner Mongolia's GDP grows at 5.3 pct in 2018

HOHHOT, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region reported GDP of 1.73 trillion yuan (255 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, up 5.3 percent, authorities said Wednesday.

According to the region's statistics bureau, last year, value added in the primary industry rose 3.2 percent to 175.4 billion yuan, and that in the secondary industry reached 680.7 billion yuan, up 5.1 percent.

Value added in the tertiary industry grew 6 percent to 872.8 billion yuan. The tertiary industry was also the largest contributor to the region's GDP last year, accounting for over 50 percent of the total.

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Inner Mongolia offers bilingual options on all government websites

China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has started offering bilingual options on government websites at all levels of administration in the region.

The region has created Mongolian-language web pages covering all levels of government and local departments closely related to people's livelihood, according to the general office of the regional government.

Creation of the websites started in 2017. The websites are under unified management and include news links, service guidelines and external links to other government websites.

The launch of the websites is expected to facilitate Mongolian-speaking people's access to public services and help the government improve service quality, according to the office.

China has more than 6.5 million people of the Mongolian ethnic group, mainly in Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai. Over 2 million people of the Mongolian ethnic group in China speak the language. 

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Mongolia fog envelops investor view

ongolia bond positions turned underweight in global emerging market strategies, as tens of thousands of Ulaanbaatar protesters in bitter winter cold called for lifting the “fog” in a play on words combining the initials of the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) and the Democratic Party (DP). The action followed another spate of scandal revelations, including the parliamentary speaker selling government positions and insider abuse of a decades-old discount mortgage lending scheme, where connected officials and families were able to earn tenfold returns on cheap money.

With the popular discontent new splinter parties plan to enter parliamentary elections in 2020, and MPP Prime Minister Ukhnaagin Khurelsukh and his cabinet are likely to face another vote of confidence after an attempt narrowly missed in November, just a year after a predecessor was ousted for corruption. He claimed wealthy business executives were behind the move, but independent media commentators now urge resignation as the only route to safeguarding democracy. Russia and China, combining their infrastructure and raw materials interests in an “economic corridor,” also impose governance strains. Despite 6% gross domestic product growth, Mongolia’s trade surplus with them was down 35% to $925 million through the third quarter of last year.In October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released another $35 million under its 3-year $430 million program anchoring $5.5 billion in overall bilateral and multilateral assistance, amid banking system and foreign reserve warnings. At the same time, Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto announced a delay in the $4.5 billion expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper joint venture, where the state has a one-third stake. With mechanical challenges the first output may not come until late next year, and the operation could again be complicated by profit-sharing demands reflected in the country’s dozen-place drop in the latest World Bank Doing Business rankings. Metal and coal export reliance spotlight these flagship projects, with limited diversification into other industries like processed textiles from cashmere. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates almost $2 billion in earnings potential from garment added value, and is advising local herders and cooperatives.

Ratings agencies maintained their “B” grade, with 6% range growth again expected in 2019 on inflation just above that level. The budget ran a primary surplus last year, and the central bank adopted a tightening stance in September, after selling 10% of $3 billion in reserves to support the depreciating tugrik currency against the dollar. The IMF review cautioned on a return to 20% annual credit extension even with the institution of macro-prudential limits, such as maximum debt service ratios for consumer and mortgage loans. It noted that bad asset classification and recapitalization exercises were incomplete, and that the Financial Action Task Force continued to assign low anti-money laundering scores. Continued decline in world gold and copper prices and the Chinese shift to national coal production will widen the current account deficit, and fiscal loosening this year can pose medium-term public debt danger should the sovereign attempt to re-access markets under higher global interest rates, the IMF report implied.In November, the IMF also fielded a mission in Uzbekistan, and flagged economic “overheating” with 5% growth and 15% inflation, as the current account surplus slid to a 3% of GDP deficit. Sudden price, trade and exchange rate liberalization under President Shavkat Mirzoyev sparked energy and water shortages, and agriculture suffered bad weather. Public wages were hiked 10% to compensate, as the central bank raised rates above 15% to fight government-directed credit expansion. Quasi-fiscal operations, especially through the Reconstruction and Development Fund, left a 2.5% deficit in 2018.And 2019 tax reform is a priority to close the gap, including better collection of value-added and luxury levies. State enterprise restructuring and divestiture is also on the agenda, with possible sales on the 25 year old Tashkent Stock Exchange. With 125 listed companies, only 10 are liquid, with daily turnover under $100,000, according to frontier market specialists. Price-earnings ratios are under five times, and foreign investment in banks may soon be authorized, while public and private equity launches are in preparation through Hong Kong and London. Government leaders were in Germany in mid-January on a road show touting financial services, tourism, food processing and auto-making prospects, although specific deals were foggy.

Source:By GARY KLEIMAN

http://www.atimes.com/mongolia-fog-envelops-investor-view/

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Mongolia's foreign exchange reserves reach 3.5 bln USD by end of 2018

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's foreign exchange reserves rose to 3.5 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2018, the highest level in six years, the president of the country's central bank said Tuesday.

The figure is up almost 20 percent from the previous year, Nadmid Bayartsaikhan told local media.

The growth was attributed to the implementation of the three-year Extended Funding Facility of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Mongolia and higher commodity prices in international markets, Bayartsaikhan said.

The IMF program was approved in 2017, aiming to stabilize the economy and establish the basis for a more sustainable and inclusive growth.

Mongolia's foreign currency reserves have more than doubled since the start of the program, according to the Bank of Mongolia.

"But our country's gross external debts stands at 27.9 billion dollars, which indicates that the country is still under heavy external debt risks. So, we need to focus more on consistently increasing foreign currency reserves," Bayartsaikhan said, noting that the appropriate level of foreign exchange reserves is a guarantee of any country's financial independence.

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Never ending Saga of Mongolian model killed in Malaysia continues-translator for Altantuya's family passes defense challenge

A translator hired to facilitate the RM100 million civil suit filed by the family of slain Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu has been approved by the High Court in Shah Alam.
Lawyers representing Altantuya's former lover Abdul Razak Baginda, and the government, had challenged the competency of Enkhjin Batbilig as a translator...

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Mongolia beefs up fight against African swine fever

The third consultative meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Republic of Cuba was held in Havana on January 18-19, Montsamereport. 

The meeting was co-chaired by D.Davaasuren, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, and Marcelino Medina, first Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.    

Mr. Davaasuren held a meeting with Mr. Fernando Bermudez, first Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Environment and discussed about launching cooperation between scientific, technological and research institutes. Furthermore, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba for cooperation in conservation.  

Moreover, the State Secretary got familiarized with activities of the Diplomatic Academy and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology which is leading in the world with its production of pharmaceuticals and vaccines and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation.

The Cuban side proposed to cooperate with Mongolia in health and biotechnological sectors, especially in the fields of treatment of diabetes, prevention of heart attack, elimination of hepatitis B and Delta viruses and the supply of vaccines against bovine foot-and-mouth disease and parasites.  

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India and Mongolia Sign a Powerful MoU at ICMEI

India and Mongolia moved further in their relationship and will work together in the promotion of art and culture as the Embassy of Mongolia and International Chamber of Media and Entertainment Industry signed a MoU to enhance the relations.

"History has been written- we are working together on these different segments as they are our specialization including print, radio, television, cinema, animation, Performing and Fine Arts, tourism, hospitality, education, environment, solar energy, skill development, PR events and advertising, Fashion and Design and Journalism. We have been imparting training in these fields through Asian Academy of Film & Television. The MOU will speak now for all time to come," said Dr. Sandeep Marwah President of Marwah Studios and ICMEI while signing the official document.

"It is a great pleasure to work with Dr. Sandeep Marwah, ICMEI, Marwah Studios and his complete team. My country has gained a lot today by signing of the MOU at International Headquarters of ICMEI. It's like a permanent bond with ICMEI," expressed H.E. Gonchig Ganbold Ambassador of Mongolia to India.

Dr. Sandeep Marwah handed over the first scholarship of short-term course of Asian Academy of Film and Television to Ambassador Ganbold for the deserving student from Mongolia, which also includes boarding and lodging for three months.

A visit of media team to Mongolia, festival of Films from Mongolia, joint venture in feature film and short film with Mongolian film makers, promotion of Mongolia as a film location, Tourism in Mongolia, etc. are some of the decisions taken at a joint meeting on the visit of the Ambassador to the office of ICMEI.

Dr. Marwah informed H.E. Gonchig Ganbold about the student committee on Mongolia at Asian School of Media Studies, which undertook a research work in the field of cinema and fashion. This research work was an initiative of the Indo Mongolian Film and Cultural Forum that was created last year by the Embassy of Mongolia and ICMEI jointly. Marwah also presented the research paper to the Ambassador.

H.E. Ganbold also addressed a group of students and media persons; he expressed his desire to build a wonderful relation between two countries who have enjoyed cordial relations for almost 1500 years.

As planned and approved by Dr. Marwah, a radio interview at Radio Noida 107.4FM and a television interview at MSTV were recorded for a specific slot to promote the ties between the two countries. Later H.E. Gonchig Ganbold honored Dr. Sandeep Marwah for his untiring contribution to Indo Mongolian relations.

About ICMEI 

International Chamber of Media & Entertainment Industry (ICMEI) is the only chamber devoted to Media & Entertainment Industry, not only nationally but globally. The aim of the chamber is to bring Love, Peace and Unity through Art and Culture.

About AAFT 

AAFT is the premiere film & television institute of India. AAFT - Asian Academy of Film and Television is one of the first ten best film schools of the World. For more information, visit: http://www.aaft.com.

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Mongolia kicks off Chinese New Year celebrations

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Singers, musicians and figure skaters from China kicked off the celebration of Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, with a performance here on Saturday.

The performance is part of a cultural event entitled "Happy Chinese New Year," which was organized by Chinese embassy in Mongolia and the Chinese Cultural Center to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival or Year of the Pig.

Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Xing Haiming and Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports Ganbold Ganbayar attended the opening ceremony.

"People of our two countries celebrate the Lunar New Year widely. This year, the Chinese Lunar New Year would exactly coincide with the Mongolian Lunar New Year, known locally as the White Moon," Xing said.

Calling the year of 2019 "special" for both countries, Xing said the year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mongolia, expressing his hope that the two countries will further deepen bilateral ties and wide-ranging cooperation to benefit both peoples.

For his part, Ganbayar described the cultural event as an important one to strengthen friendship between the two peoples, and wished all Chinese people a happy Lunar New Year.

The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China, and falls on Feb. 5 this year.

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Mongolian lawmakers approve amendment to law on dismissing parliament speaker

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — The Mongolian parliament on Friday passed an amendment to the law on dismissing the parliament speaker, paving the way to remove current parliament speaker Miyegombo Enkhbold from his post due to the allegation of abusing power.

The draft bill initiated by Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga was approved by a vote of 89.8 percent in the 76-seat parliament, according to the parliament’s press office.

According to the amendment, which will come into force on Jan. 25, the parliament speaker must step down if more than half of the 76 lawmakers submit a proposal to ask him to leave.

It will be the sixth legal ground to dismiss the parliament speaker. The other five, namely, are death, severe disease, appointment to another position, guilty of a crime, and decision of dismissal from the constitutional court.

Audio recordings were made public last year that some officials of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, including Enkhbold, allegedly used their government positions as a tool to run in the parliamentary elections in 2016.

In mid-December, more than half of the lawmakers sent an official letter to Enkhbold, urging him to voluntarily step down. They also have boycotted plenary sessions and meetings of standing committees of the parliament over the past six weeks.

However, Enkhbold said he will not resign and insisted he has done nothing wrong. “The demand is contrary to the law on dismissing a speaker of the parliament,” he told protesters last week.

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