So they have been cleaning up the riot scenes and report to have removed 5 tonnes (!) of rock and stones. News.mn cites this as another evidence of a pre-meditated attack, as the nearby construction site could not have held 5 tonnes of rock. Reminds of people who bring tomatoes and rotten eggs to concerts and games.
And now the hunt for the guilty has begun. J. Batzandan, chair of Civil Movement, and O.Magnai, deputy chair of Civil Movement party, are being questioned for their part in the riots. The police took Batzandan's statement, and has detained him at "Gants Hudag" detention centre, where he is reported to be on a hunger strike. O.Magnai is to be questioned today. It looks as though criminal charges may be pressed against them.
Meantime, Ts. Elbegdorj, defiant as ever, denies rumours that he is being replaced as DP party chairman. E.Bat-Uul's profile on the other hand has improved significantly due to his foresight in urging for a closed Parliamentary session. E. Bat-Uul is next in line for the party chairman seat.
The National Chamber of Commerce & Industry is organizing a charity concert on 8 July at UB Palace club to raise funds for the arts / cultural institutions that suffered losses during the riots. The concert is very inappropriately named "The Flame of Arts Will Never Be Extinguished" (literally translated, it reads "The Fire of Arts").
In a Saturday interview with the press, PM S.Bayar has said that despite their differences, the political parties are trying their best to cooperate and find a lawful and peaceful solution to the election disputes. He speculated that the attack on the MPRP building may have been pre-meditated, as the rioters stole hard disks containing many important information and documents. He has also expressed his concern for the country's youth, citing the number of underaged involved in the riots. Bayar stated that the MPRP is prepared to cooperate with other political forces and carry out vote recounts in constituencies with disputed results, or even hold a re-election if need be. Lastly he mentioned that he does not blame or target any political party for causing / inciting the riots, but added that the situation may have been caused by the petty attitudes of certain politicians. (Source: Unuudur).
The foreign press have started looking for the underlying causes to Tuesday's riots. Some links:
- AFP - "Poverty and unemployment: a trigger for Mongolia poll protests"
- Daily Nation - "FROM THE FAR EAST - Mongolia joins the train of electoral mayhem"
Ok, this article isn't really about the underlying causes of the riots. I just found it amusing at parts, interesting at parts and pointless and even rude at others.
A quote: "Good thing they are not attempting world domination dressed in jeans and T-shirts, and armed with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Genghis Khan would definitely not approve."
Some quick maths: 5 tonnes of concrete/stones would be 2-3 cubic metres. Far from an unlikely amount for a construction site. If we talk about dug-out pavement tiles (correct word?), cobblestones etc., it's maybe about 50 square metres (assuming 5cm average thickness of the tiles), or the equivalent of 7*7 metres. Also a rather modest amount for a several-hour long riot. 50 tonnes would seem a lot, but a mere five?
I guess they recycled their ammunition. From the videos, there were at most about 50-60 people throwing stones at the police at any given time.
And some was thrown back by the police ;) . Still I cannot see how 5 tonnes of rubble can count as evidence for anything.
I think you might have the number wrong. All media reports had it at 35 tons not 5. 35t was the total weight of rocks and debris collected during the cleanup.
possibly. the early report from news.mn: http://www.news.mn/news/section=home/page=index#0.6561267251861844
had the 5 tonnes detail. but they all seem to have different figures.