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Mongolia’s democracy is in jeopardy. Five people including four died
of bullet wounds of AKA shot by the police aiming at them, more than
119 people wounded, 712 people were arrested and being tortured by the
authority to give false statement. Now I am in danger of being arrested
and being tortured.
Mongolia’s present authority MPRP – the former communist party is
using the dictatorship countries’ method of stealing votes, giving
alcohol to people to cause riot, not to stop the riot, then afterwards
to arrest innocent people and to announce curfew and crack down
opposition and democracy.
I request your help to Mongolia’s democracy and me. I request you to ask international media to cover the real story on this.
People those were discontent with the elections results demanded
where their votes for democracy went from MPRP. They were saying that
they didn’t elect the newly elected MPRP candidates. During this the
authority was watching and sitting idle, and made the demonstrators
angrier by its police acts and non acts. They clashed with police and
attacked MPRP building. When the MPRP building and part of Central
House of Culture were on fire, the authority was simply watching and
sitting idle instead of sending fire brigades until after the fire
finished. It
was shown on several Mongolian TV channels live at that time. The
authority didn’t do anything when violence began. After it was over,
the authority declared state of emergency and robbed the people’s
rights illegally as closing all TV channels except one controlled by
MPRP people. Democratic Party of Mongolia considers that this state of
emergency should be stopped. Mongolia shouldn’t go to one party, one
television channel system.
The cases of declaring emergency after everything was over and then
suffocated democracy and freedom of the people of the country occurred
in many dictatorship countries. This method and technology have been
fulfilled in Mongolia by its present authority. Discontent of many
years of people boiled out. People protected their freedom. People
wouldn’t come out when a chairman calls. That period is not anymore in
Mongolia.
The authorities had time to talk with people in the afternoon. I
sent requests to have talks to the President, Prime Minister and
Speaker of the Parliament when the chaos began. But I met them after 4
hours. I intended to find the right way to solve the problem. But the
authority humiliated the people by declaring state of emergency after
the riot was already over.
In the beginning of demonstration in front of MPRP building the
people were saying that their votes were robbed for 3 times in
elections. Their rights were violated and they wanted to express this.
But the authority answered like this. The authority was simply watching
idle while buildings were on fire, violence erupted, and the police
were shooting escaping people. The authority shouldn’t have declared
state of emergency. During this time I went to Sukhbaatar square for
four times. Nobody threw stones to me. They talked to me. I tried my
best to pacify them. They were asking why the authority were not coming
out as me. I requested and met with the authority of the country after
4 hours in the real emergency situation. But after the meeting as they
humiliate, the state of emergency was declared. Armed forces machines
are only used in war not against citizens. But it is inexcusable that
the authority of Mongolia used fire arms against people instead of
showing state iron face to corrupt bureaucrats, swindlers and those who
robs the freedom of people.
All Mongolian TV channels, except National Public Television which
is chaired and controlled by MPRP members, were closed and curfew has
been in service in Ulaanbaatar since 12AM, July 2, 2008 for 4 days by
the decree of Mongolia’s President who declared state of emergency.
Mongolians are not getting enough information since all live TVs closed
down for the present situation. Some people expressed their protest
against this Sukhbaatar square on July 2nd. People are criticizing in
the streets and in Mongolian websites that the closing of TV channels
as the authority tries to brainwash Mongolians only showing what the
authority wants to show.
What happened is this. There was the Parliamentary Elections on last
Sunday June 29, 2008 in Mongolia. Most Mongolians, all Mongolian mass
media and Democratic Party have plenty of evidence that there were
elections irregularities totaling to influence the elections result for
more than 30% of voted percentage to the candidates during the
elections.
Around 3AM on June 30th, the first vote counting results came from
elections units those counted votes from main boxes. By the result, 64
out of 76 seats at the Parliament were coming to Democratic Party
candidates. At 3.30AM MPRP secretary general Yo.Otgonbayar made an
announcement as MPRP is winning in the elections by preliminary
results. The authority MPRP illegally changed the elections result
beginning from 3AM. MPRP Secretary General kept making same
announcements for every 3 to 2 hours. Eventually on June 30th at 6PM
S.Bayar, MPRP chairman made an announcement as most probably MPRP won
for the elections. The MPRP controlled elections units reduced the
number of winning Democratic Party candidates to 28 at that time. Now
the authority MPRP is still trying to reduce the 28 to lower.
Generel Elections Committee hasn’t announced the official elections
result yet. The General Elections Committee has 8 MPRP members and one
Democratic Party member. Approximately 20 thousand people worked on the
elections constituency units and 26 constituencies of the elections.
Most of the people those ran and governed elections units belong to
MPRP. By law it is prohibited for state unit governors and state unit
social workers to work for elections unit. But in reality all elections
units had irregularities as the state unit governors and social workers
worked for elections units.
After the voting process finished, at each elections unit one person
read aloud the voted candidates’ names and another wrote it down.
Another person is watching the read aloud names. Mostly all of the
three people belong to MPRP otherwise they were cash awarded by the
MPRP during the counting according to observers. Many observers those
were standing far away from them said on TV that if a candidate from
other party than MPRP were circled by voter, the reader read out simply
MPRP candidate’s name which begins with same alphabet rather than the
real circled one. For example if an independent candidate Baasan was
circled the reader reads aloud Batbayar, candidate of MPRP. If it is
Gankhuyag of Democratic Party, it would most probably be read out
Gandhi of MPRP. This was the most influencing irregularities. There
were many other irregularities.
Small examples are: All authority places in Mongolia are governed
mostly by MPRP people. Voters registration process had many flaws as
elections committee registered a household with 28-43 people while in
reality the family has 4 people. Passed away people, 4 year old were
registered as voters. Many numbered people were given 2 voters’ ID
instead of 1 ID or some people were double registered in 6
constituencies.
MPRP and its candidates distributed cash right before, during and
after elections campaign even at 2AM and 3AM in the middle of the night
knocking on family doors on June 29 right before the elections that
began at 7AM. Cash giving from MPRP candidate was videotaped in Uvs
province and broadcast on most TV channels before the elections. Some
people who received cash talked about this on Mongolian TV channels
such as C1.
On the elections day MPRP transport people to elections unit and
gave them cash before and after they voted at the unit and witnesses
talked about it on TV channels. Right before voting is closed at 10PM,
MPRP brought vans full of people to elections units to make them to
vote.
There are many examples such as one elections unit which has 2400
electors accepted additional 1000 votes from a box as voted prior days
of the elections. It gave an opportunity to those 1000 people to vote
again on the elections day in different voting units as many people
said on TV channels including elections observers. Also at many
elections units electricity was cut for hours or for 20 minutes in the
night of the elections. And when the electricity comes, some MPRP
authority people at the elections unit were furiously saying that the
electricity came too soon. Witnesses talked about this on TV.
Moreover, 43 ballots disappeared right before the elections began at
a unit. Ballots were carried in plastic bags, in an apple box in small
private taxis without observers to constituencies from units as they
said there is no enough room in small cars for observers. Observers
suspect the ballot papers were changed or added on the road to the
other building.
On the night of June 30th 4 hours after MPRP chairman and Prime
Minister S.Bayar made announcement of probable MPRP winning, around
9.30 PM many voters gathered at Sukhbaatar square and talked live on TV
channel NTV that the elections was conducted unfair and illegal way.
They were crying and demanding Democratic Party and its leaders to show
up to support their choices for democracy.
On July 1st at 12PM I made a press conference. I told Mongolian
journalists that the elections ballot counting had irregularities,
ballots were changed and the results of Democratic Party candidates’
winning was suddenly reduced from 64 to 28. Surgery was made to the
elections results. The MPRP tried to take the power of the country by
changing the results of the elections. It is violating the
Constitution. All wrongdoers should be evidenced and charged by
Criminal Law. Democratic Party demands to recount the ballot based on
the irregularities. The recounting can be done only by the decree of
the President of Mongolia according to law. Therefore, Democratic Party
would request for this. It was broadcast live on three TV channels, and
all other Mongolian TVs showed it on the same day.
Also on July 1st in Darkhan city, people made demonstration to show
support for Democratic Party candidate Democratic Movement’s secretary
Sh.Tuvdendorj and Sh.Ichinnorov from Civil Coalition. On C1 television
Darkhan’s people were crying and talking that how come the elections
results since their families, relatives, neighbors all chose for the
two candidates. But MPRP candidate Khayankhyarvaa, Darkhan’s governor
whose decision caused Khongor soum of Darkhan province to be fully
contaminated by mercury was elected as the Member of Parliament with
the highest percentage according to the elections constituency’s
result. The people of the constituency expressed their surprise at the
demonstration that they know nobody who voted for him in the province.
They said on TV there should be elections irregularities and demand
recounting of ballots.
On July 1st Democratic Party began to collect signatures on
Sukhbaatar square in Ulaanbaatar whether the law enforcement should
check the elections irregularities.
On the same day in the afternoon Civil Coalition which took one seat
at the Parliament by the preliminary results brought its demand of
ballot recounting by walking in the street. It was shown on TV channels
that the Civil Coalition people led by its leader O.Magnai walking to
General Elections Committee and then they were going to MPRP building
to give its demand on paper. As on live TVs showed, the MPRP building
was protected by the police. The police surrounds the building. People
with flags of Civil Coalition, Civil Movement Party, Republican Party
and National New Party were demonstrating and expressing their protest
against the elections results and demanding recounting of ballots.
At 6PM, on July 1st Prime Minister MPRP Chairman Bayar made press
conference in MPRP building blaming Democratic Party chairman for the
words said at 12PM press conference.
At one point the Civil Coalition leader O.Magnai tried to enter the
MPRP building to give his demand paper, but the guards and police
didn’t let them in. The police forced the demonstrators away from the
entrance of MPRP building. Then there was clash of demonstrators and
the police at the entrance of MPRP building as shown on National Public
TV and Eagle Television live at that time. B.Jargalsaikhan, chairman of
Republican Party went out of the gathered people in front of MPRP
building with a person beaten by the police at one point on NTV.
There was separate peaceful gathering of people on Sukhbaatar square
on that day and I came out to Sukhbaatar square for four times to
appeal people to be calm and peaceful to fulfill the cause of democracy
while there were riots in front of MPRP building which was not on site
from Sukhbaatar square directly.
During that time on the square in front of MPRP building the clashed
angry demonstrators were throwing stones to MPRP building as shown live
on TV channels. Also the police were throwing stones against the
demonstrators. Demonstrators were far outnumbered than the police. The
police were aiming and shooting the demonstrators with rubber bullets.
But the ones who were hit immediately badly wounded in their eyes and
neck and they were entering ambulance car with help of others covered
in blood. It was shown on live TV channels.
Democratic Party immediately requested talks to find ways to stop
the chaos in front of MPRP building and to check on irregularities of
the elections from the President of Mongolia and MPRP chairman.
Eventually around 8PM after fire began on the 1st floor of the MPRP
building, the talks at the initiation of the Democratic Party organized
by the President of Mongolia with participation of MPRP and other party
leaders. At the meeting MPRP chairman S.Bayar said he is blaming a
party chairman who made statement on that day for the chaos. Our party
members asked him to name it. He didn’t directly named. I told him that
no freeman will cause chaos by words of a chairman. Democratic Party
again appealed calmness to people specially the ones in front of MPRP
building during the talks broadcasted live on TVs. The authority didn’t
send any fire brigade to stop the fire in MPRP building on the late
night of July 1 st as shown live on TVs.
On July 1st at 11.30PM Mongolia’s President declared state of
emergency effective 12AM July 2nd for 4 days and by the decree he
closed all TV channels except one, put curfew between 10PM to 8AM, gave
rights to the police to arrest people if necessary, and to prohibit any
gathering of people.
In the night of July 2nd at closed special session of the
Parliament, MPRP chairman Prime Minister S.Bayar announced that he has
evidences who caused the chaos in front of MPRP building.
On July 2nd only open TV channel National Public TV reported that
MPRP building and some parts of Central House of Culture which is
located next to MPRP building burnt down. Arts and items were stolen
from the buildings or burnt down.
On July 1st, during the chaos TV channels broadcasted people’s talks
live and during that many people expressed their thoughts that MPRP
chairman S.Bayar simply should have received the demand of Civil
Coalition and should have said that they would give the answer later
rather than forcing police against the peaceful protestors to cause the
chaos.
Newspapers were warned by the authority not to publish any articles
blaming MPRP. National Public TV is showing mostly only burnt down
building and wounded policemen. The TV doesn’t show any wounded
ordinary people or any information on how many people were arrested.
Mongolian websites and newspapers reported that 712 people were
arrested and apparently being tortured on July 2nd.
I went to hospitals and met with wounded peopleon July 2nd. But
today on July 3rd my access to many things closed. I and Democratic
Party expressed our condolence to the passed away people’s families and
the wounded and injured ones. Also we are very much worried for the
fate of the arrested and being tortured people.
At the talks initiated by Democratic Party and organized by the
President of Mongolia on the night of July 1st MPRP chairman S.Bayar
accused me for the July 1st riot and violence without naming but saying
it was caused by a party chairman’s statement on that day. On the night
of July 2nd S.Bayar said at the Parliament he has evidences on who
caused chaos. It seems now MPRP is ready to arrest and torture me based
on their apparently fabricated evidences prepared by MPRP.
I and Democratic Party have no connection to the chaos and violence
and it was not even begun by Democratic Party. At the talks of July 1st
I told it to S.Bayar and a Democratic Party MP B.Batbaatar suggested at
the talks that the fire of MPRP building was done by MPRP itself as its
members burnt its flags and covered it up to create public anger
against Democratic Party in January 2006 while taking me down from the
Prime Minister’s post.
Democratic Party of Mongolia is for fostering democracy and standing on people’s side for their better future.
Prime Minister MPRP Chairman S.Bayar’s oblique accusation and
present authority’s acts of these days are very similar to how
dictators of former Soviet Union and dictatorship countries suppressed
democracy, purged people and their opposition leaders and justified
themselves as you know.
I request you if possible to let any interested people know on this situation and elections irregularities in Mongolia.
Elbegdorj
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