Asian Gypsy - All Things Mongolian

GIA Director nominated as the next Foreign Minister

2009-11-04T14:29:00.000+08:00

R.Bold, director of the General Intelligence Agency, has been nominated by PM S.Batbold to take over the PM's previous position as the Foreign Minister. Before being appointed the head of the GIA, he served as Mongolia's ambassador to the US during 2003-2007.

Swine flu update

2009-11-02T15:50:00.000+08:00

The total number of confirmed cases of H1N1 has reached 632 as of Sunday, of whom 514 are in UB city. There have been 7 deaths so far. Health Minister S.Lambaa has been criticized by the media for not taking preventive measures soon enough and for downplaying the rate at which the infection was spreading. During his recent meeting with WHO officials, he admitted that the swine flu cases may reach epidemic proportion. Mongolia received 45,000 tamiflu vaccines recently from WHO.

Su. Batbold instated as the 26th Prime Minister of Mongolia

2009-10-30T13:24:00.002+08:00

"You've no idea how hard it is to hold on to this thing"
President Elbegdorj (centre) gazes on thoughtfully as Su.Batbold (left) is handed
the PM's seal of office by the Deputy PM, N.Altankhyag (right).

The Parliament convened yesterday to ratify the nomination of Su. Batbold, MPRP's candidate to take over the Premier's seat. With 93.9% of the MPs voting in approval of his nomination, he was instated as the 26th Prime Minister of Mongolia in an official ceremony yesterday. He gave up his position as the Foreign Minister after a somewhat confused debate amongst the MP's on whether the PM could hold a concurrent post as the Foreign Minister. So the obvious next question is, who will be the next Foreign Minister?

More on Louis Vuitton

2009-10-29T14:52:00.002+08:00

LV promo shot. Photo source

Came across an article on Louis Vuitton Mongolia here. The article includes a set of promo photos with herders and LV bags. Interesting and exotic to those who know nothing about Mongolia perhaps. Absolutely ridiculous to us who live here. Why the kid (meaning the baby goat)? Herders with LV bags that are probably more expensive than their entire herd? If this is an attempt at photographic surrealism and a social commentary on the absurdity of consumerism, it does its job very well. But I doubt that is the case here.

Visit the article source for more fun photos.

Su.Batbold nominated by MPRP for the PM's seat

2009-10-29T14:32:00.000+08:00

Su.Batbold, the PM nominee. Photo from News.mn

MPRP's party conference on Wednesday evening unanimously voted for Su.Batbold, the Minister for Foreign Relations and Trade, to take S.Bayar's place as the Premier. Su.Batbold's name has been presented to the President for his seal of approval today.

While S.Bayar will step down as the PM, he has expressed his intention to retain his party chairman position. If the MPRP governing board approves of his decision, perhaps it will be one way for S.Bayar to ensure that everything he has worked hard to accomplish isn't undone by his successor. At the same, this move is greeted with some hesitation by members of the press, as it may lead to power struggles and internal party politicking.

The Foreign Minister Su.Batbold is a diplomat and the former CEO of Altai Trading Co.Ltd, a conglomerate that owns Altai Cashmere and Chinggis Khaan hotel. He started his political career in 2000 as the deputy minister of Foreign Relations and has been in Parliament since 2004.

PM Bayar to resign

2009-10-27T11:22:00.004+08:00

PM S.Bayar made an official request yesterday morning to resign from his post as the Prime Minister, citing health reasons. The MPRP governing body received his request, and will present it to the Parliament during its next session. The MPRP will also nominate a candidate for the Premier's seat during their next party session on Wednesday, and present the nominee to the President. The newspapers have been speculating on the possible candidates, including M.Enkhbold, former PM and current Deputy PM, who lost his position as the PM in 2007 to S.Bayar when MPRP removed M.Enkhbold from his party chairman post.

Hardly an ideal situation for Mongolia, as for me personally, S.Bayar is a better PM than many of the possible candidates mentioned in the press. Bayar's resignation may also bring into question the stability of the coalition government. While the MPRP and DP sides both agree that the coalition government should remain, MPRP's choice for a PM candidate will be the deciding factor for its future.

MPRP wins Chingeltei by-election

2009-10-20T11:44:00.000+08:00

According to news.mn, MPRP candidate and the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, D.Zorigt took 60% of the votes in Sunday's Chingeltei district by-election and has been handed his temporary MP status. In second place was the head of "Electors' Education" NGO, R. Burmaa with 30% of the votes. On a side note, Javkhlan, the boyish folk-singer, got 3.8%.

Swine Flu in Mongolia

2009-10-15T12:36:00.001+08:00

As of today, there are 12 people diagnosed with the swine flu in UB. Countrywide, the number is 17, including the 12 UB cases and other suspected cases. Since the first UB cases were reported on Tuesday, various H1N1 warnings and health advisory emails, messages and news reports have been published. Walking down the street this morning, I saw a lot of young people wearing their fashionably black face masks.

Luxury Brand Explosion in Mongolia

2009-10-13T11:41:00.000+08:00

If you live in UB, you must've seen the gigantic Sean Connery Louis Vuitton ad plastered across the wall of the Shangri-La / Central Tower building facing Sukhbaatar square. The makeshift banner-wall is now down, and the LV shop facade has emerged ready for its grand opening soon. Yves Carcelle, chief executive of LV, had this to say:

“Sometimes in our industry there is a tendency to follow your ego and sometimes open stores where you don’t have the market, or stores too big for your potential -- we never do that,” Carcelle said. “When we open a big store, we know that there is a market, we know the financials. So we never have to close a store for economic reasons.” [Source]

A bold statement to make. I have to admit at the same time, I have little knowledge of the luxury goods market in Mongolia. I do know that those who can afford and do purchase branded items are also those who can afford to fly to Europe or Beijing to purchase them. It is just as much about the purchasing experience as it is about the brand.

Interesting fact about LV is that it is one of the most pirated brands in the world, which is why LV only markets its products through its brand stores and not dealers.

In other news, Salvatore Ferragamo is also looking into opening a branch in Mongolia.

2010 will also see the opening of other luxury brand stores, including Hugo Boss, Ermenegildo Zegna, Emporio Armani and Versace. Gucci has already started advertising its new scent on TV, so perhaps they're not too far in line.

While these brands have very different target consumers in their more developed markets, here in Mongolia, they may have to compete for the same 300 or so customers who can afford their products and are brand-conscious enough to purchase them.

Related article on Mongolia Web News here.

Oyu-Tolgoi deal to be signed on the auspicious double-Nyam day

2009-10-05T12:23:00.001+08:00

The government is going to sign the $4 billion Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine agreement tomorrow at 11am.

Mongolia’s government may approach international financial Institutions, including the World Bank, to help it raise the $820 million needed to maintain a 34 percent equity stake in the project, Montsame said, citing the parliamentary economic committee Chairman T. Bayarsaikhan.

The government missed a Sept. 30 dateline for signing the accord because of a need to translate the agreement into English to avoid interpretation issues, Bayarsaikhan said, the news agency reported. [Source]

All fine and dandy. Except for their choice of October 6th for the signing of the agreement. This day is when Baljinnyam and Dashnyam days coincide in the Buddhist calendar. It apparently happens once a year, and it is on this particular day you might find couples queuing outside the wedding palace from 4am to get married and hopefully be blessed with the double-nyam auspiciousness. The ceremonies are held every 30 minutes at the Wedding palace, so you can imagine the insanity that goes on there on this particular day. Kwik-e-wedding-day. Nobody's yet to carry out a statistical survey to see if marriages officiated on this particular day have higher success rates.

I have not been able to find any references to these days in the Tibetan buddhist / astrology websites I hastily googled. Never mind the fact that the government is given to observing religiously auspicious days, it would be funny if they'd deliberately been delaying the signing of the agreement just for this reason. Of course, not something they should ever admit.

If anybody knows why the -nyam days are all that well and can point me to a reliable source, I would really appreciate it.

Update: Thanks to jngl of Mongolian Music blog, here's an explanation of the double-Nyam concept posted in Mongolia Web News.

In Mongolian Buddhism several deities are worshipped and regarded as divine beings. Each one is in charge of specific issues relevant to human beings. According to the Mongolian Buddhist mythology, two of these deities, the god of "wealth and prosperity" (Baljinnyam), and his partner the god of "cheerfulness and energy" (Dashnyam), meet twelve times a year on specific dates. Each meeting has its agenda of subjects which they will discuss.

Only one specific meeting date once a year, has an agenda which is completely favorable to humanity. The subjects they will discuss on this date are happiness, prosperity, good health and the wealth of humanity. This year the lucky date is the 17th day of the middle month of Autumn according to the Mongolian Buddhist calendar (October 6, 2009) and it is therefore a very special day for Mongolian Buddhism and for the Mongolian people. [Source]

Pop star Bold to play in Sydney

2009-10-02T16:34:00.002+08:00

I never have much to report on Asian Gypsy from Sydney, but maybe this could pass as news for now.

According to Gegeen.com, Mongolian pop star Bold will be coming to Sydney on 29th of November for a one off performance. Apparently, it's been organised by Association of Mongolian Students Studying in Australia and New Zealand (a mouthful, I know. Couldn't find a link or any info about them). They will also premier Bi Chamd Hairtai 2, a recent blockbuster in Mongolia. The tickets are 50 AUD for concession, and whopping 80 AUD for non-concession, plus 20 AUD for the movie. I read some complaints already regarding the ticket price, comparing it to Britney and Beoynce tickets which apparently got for no less than 50 bucks (I have no idea personally).

Mongolia Town in S.Korea

2009-09-29T12:20:00.000+08:00

JoongAng Daily ran an article on the Mongolian town in the Central Asia street in Seoul, South Korea. A number of Mongolians run small businesses and stores catering to the needs of their compatriots, there to seek their fortunes. Excerpts:

One big business impediment is the Korean government’s crackdown on illegal aliens, the anonymous shop-owner said. “Every time there’s a government inspection, sales take a dive,” she complained.

“The government came around without any warning, and I saw several customers running away in the middle of their dinner,” Cho said.

People on the street and in Mongolian Town appear cautious and aware of newcomers. And they seem to take particular note of people hauling around large digital cameras.

Read the full article here.

Enkhbayar to run for Parliament?

2009-09-24T11:50:00.001+08:00

It looks likely that N.Enkhbayar, former President of Mongolia, will be named the MPRP nominated candidate to run in the up-coming Chingeltei district by-election. Many saw Enkhbayar's candidacy in the by-election as inevitable, while others may have seen it as below him, having served as the President of Mongolia for 4 years. Nowhere to go in politics from there but down. Speculations abound. What will happen if he wins, which looks likely if one were to believe the rumours of a deal between the DP and MPRP.

Update: Enkhbayar's pulled out of the race. D.Zorigt looks likely to be his replacement in the upcoming by-election.

Khusugtun: Central Asian blues

2009-09-17T15:32:00.000+08:00

Through the always interesting Mongolian Music blog, I discovered Khusugtun.
This one's a bluesy number called "Khusugtun"

Old Photos: Marshal Choibalsan and others

2009-09-17T13:33:00.000+08:00

Marshal Choibalsan

Inter-city transport, perhaps?

From flickr user "the new trail of tears" set: Old Mongolian Cars

Musical awesomeness

2009-07-01T13:18:00.000+08:00

This here is Ch. Munkh-Erdene, an accomplished board harp (or Yatga / Ятга) player, performing a piece by a renowned Mongolian composer B.Sharav.

Bloomberg Interview with Ts. Elbegdorj

2009-06-23T10:28:00.000+08:00

Bloomberg interview with Elbegdorj on the Rio Tinto mining agreement

3 Hazara students selected for the Tsahim Urtuu scholarship

2009-06-05T09:29:00.000+08:00

Further to my post in April about Tsahim Urtuu scholarships for Hazara Mongol students, 3 students have been selected for the 5-year scholarship from the Hazara community in Afghanistan to study in Mongolia. Further details are available on their website.

Wiretapping to be discussed

2009-05-26T12:18:00.000+08:00

News.mn reports that 4 of the Great Khural standing committees will convene today to discuss the state budget for 2010-2012. What drew my interest and concern was a bit about the Internal Security, Foreign Policy Committee meeting. The committee members will meet to discuss possible changes to the Communications law, which includes legalizing wiretapping of mobile communication for law enforcement purposes.

No information at the moment is available on the committee's section of the Parliament website, which is regularly updated with transcripts of meetings and other documents. The proposal, prepared by the Government, may be rejected by the Parliament according to news.mn. While the news article doesn't go into further detail, it sounds like warrantless surveillance to me. More details to come as and when available following the standing committee's meeting.

DP Victory celebration

2009-05-26T09:56:00.000+08:00

DP supporters gathered at Sukhbaatar square with the party flags yesterday afternoon around 3 to celebrate Ts.Elbegdorj's victory over N.Enkhbayar. Unfortunately, from up here, this is the closest I could zoom in to Elbegdorj's triumphant hands-in-the-air. He's the lone person coming down the stairs from the Chinggis statue towards the crowd. If you zoom in, you'll get this:

The speeches ended after about an hour and the crowd dispersed quietly.

Happenings

2009-05-25T22:46:00.000+08:00

According to news.mn:

Nothing has been officially announced as yet but it is certain that Elbegdorj has won in six Ulaanbaatar districts and in eight aimags. Incumbent president N.Enkhbayar, seeking reelection, has been favored in three districts of the capital and 13 aimags ...The victory must be especially sweet for Elbegdorj as this vindicates his consistent stand that last year’s results did not reflect the popular mood. It has also shown that charges of him being responsible for instigating the July 1 incidents have been rejected by people.[Source]

Thankfully, UB is in a peaceful post-election mood, summery and green. Speaking of which, summer is upon us in May, with little warning or time to prepare ourselves psychologically. Or maybe it's just me, unprepared for the drastic seasonal changes after a few years spent in the relative climatic monotony of Singapore. Change, indeed. What awaits us now that Ts. Elbegdorj is set to take the symbolic throne of politics in Mongolia. Foreign investors will be quietly monitoring the post-election developments, I'm sure, to see if Elbegdorj's past "anti-foreign, populist" inclinations return to further complicate the mining agreement finalization.

What lies in store for N.Enkhbayar now, is what I am also curious about. During the noon press conference where he graciously conceded defeat to his opponent, he was asked if he would run in the Chingeltei by-election for the Parliament seat Elbegdorj is leaving behind. He simply replied with "An interesting idea".

No doubt N.Enkhbayar's defeat signals much more significant political changes than Ts.Elbegdorj's victory does at this moment in time. Many feel that Mongolians simply chose to vote for the lesser of two evils.

President Elbegdorj

2009-05-25T13:10:00.000+08:00

Despite the fact that the official election results have not been announced by the General Election Committee, PM S.Bayar and President Enkhbayar held a press conference earlier (around 12.40pm), admitting defeat and congratulating Ts.Elbegdorj on the win. Based on the preliminary results, Elbegdorj is ahead by 35,000 votes. Final results from 7 aimags have yet to arrive.

For more updates and articles on the Mongolian presidential election 2009, go to MongoliaOnline.com's politics section.

Panorama 2: Terelj

2009-05-15T18:16:00.000+08:00

360 degree Panorama of Terelj taken on May 10. Constructed from 14 images. It had snowed the day before and there was still some on the ground.

UB panorama

2009-05-15T10:39:00.004+08:00

North UB panorama shot, taken from near Sukhbaatar square. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Mongolian gazelles

2009-05-15T10:19:00.002+08:00

There's been a report about a couple of naturalists having seen a herd of a quarter of a million Mongolian gazelles (or зээр in Mongolian) in eastern Mongolia. I wasn't sure what to make of it first. Given that "recreational" hunting is the hobby of new Mongolians, I would've thought the gazelles would be a species under threat by now (they are a low-risk, near-threat species). The report is from 2007, so I don't know what the situation is like nowadays and I am not sure why it took the article 2 years to make it to the news. [Read the BBC article here]

But according to the Wildlife Convervation Society:

A survey was conducted of 80% of the Eastern Steppe region (~50% of the total gazelle range). Densities varied regionally between 3 and 11 gazelles/sq. km. The overall population was estimated at over one million Mongolian gazelles. [Link]

So it is, after all, a credible report. In other news, the presidential election is on the 24th of May.