Post-Election Violence in Mongolia

by Robert Koehler on July 1, 2008

Korea isn’t the only one in the neighborhood dealing with unhappy campers — allegations that the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), the former communist-era ruling party, rigged the recent general election has led to violent protests.

No candles in these protests, unless one counts the headquarters of the MPRP, which was set alight, reportedly with Prime Minister Sanjagiin Bayar still inside. Police have reciprocated the love by firing rubber bullets into and above the crowd. Demonstrators also reportedly stoned firefighters as they came to put out the blaze. Lovely.

No word on whether the duty-free shop in the lobby of the MPRP headquarters survived the fire.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Canadian Mad Cow July 1, 2008 at 10:39 pm

If they really want a taste of democracy and freedom, they should be more like Americans: do nothing when you have rigged elections.

2 cmm July 2, 2008 at 9:14 am

Korean Riot Policeboys take note: rubber bullets

3 Anton July 2, 2008 at 10:15 am

The riot policeboys at one point did take note. Rubber bullets were a mainstay of crowd control here in the 1980s. I remember reading almost Onion-esque news briefs about how many tear-gas cannisters and rubber bullets were used in any given year when Roh Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam were the cocks of the walk. And the numbers were large.

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