March 11, 2010

Hundreds of people marched from the Cultural Center to the main square around 2 p.m. on March 11. The protesters were demonstrating against the authorities in power, and according to local media, this could mark the beginning of a "spring syndrome" for the year.

The organizers of the protest called for a "Congress meeting" of all civic movements in a "tribunal" to judge the authorities as "billionaires born from the state house." The first meeting was held at the Cultural Center of the Mongolian trade unions. From there, protesters marched to the main square demanding the resignation of Justice and Interior Minister Ts.Nyamdorj in light of recent shootings in border guard units. Also in the protesters' crosshairs due to recent problems with umbilical cord diseases that claimed the lives of four newborns, Health Minister S. Lambaa. The protesters demanded a government response by April 19.

During the protest, all streets providing access to Peace Avenue were temporarily blocked by traffic police. Participants in this peaceful demonstration dispersed after their demands were heard for nearly two hours.

On Wednesday, authorities from the Metropolitan Police Department met with O. Magnai, one of the activist leaders of civic movements, to hand him a memo asking him to control the demonstration and organize it without incident and within a legal framework.

The metropolitan police office had declared a heightened risk status and had prepared well before the protest to prevent any public disorder that could have occurred during the march.

On July 1, 2008, a protest organized to challenge the results of legislative elections had turned violent. Sukhbaatar Square had been the scene of violent riots that resulted in the deaths of four people, shot in the street by police forces. A four-day state of emergency was declared following these events.

Charlène Nomadays

SEO writer from the very beginning at Nomadays, Charlène has become content manager and head of communications, accompanying the adventure since its inception with passion and loyalty. After living seven years in Asia – from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea – she has made travel a way of being in the world. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensitive, committed, and responsible vision of tourism. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.