10Aug08
Trip Start
Feb 15, 2008
1
11
13
Trip End
Ongoing
UlaanBaatar,
Mongolia
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I have spent the six weeks since I wrote the last blog working in the laboratory on some new diagnostic tests, and while I find them really exciting I appreciate that not everyone reading this blog shares my enthusiasm, so I'll merely mention that we have been trialling a number of new diagnostic tests for brucellosis to work out which is the most appropriate to be used in Mongolian's brucellosis eradication campaign
The river in UB full of water.
. We have also been optimising some polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based tests, and developing the cell culture laboratory further. I have also been trying to secure funding for long term improvements to the diagnostic veterinary pathology in Mongolia, as it is easily the weakest link in the diagnostic chain here.I have had a few days out in the countryside around Ulaanbaatar, which looks totally different during summer. Mongolia had a significant amount of rain in June and consequently pastures are green and lush all around the country. Its good news for herders and tourists! I had a very mellow day out in Terelj National Park last month, visiting a beautiful Buddhist monastery in the morning and then spending the afternoon snoozing beside a stream with horses grazing nearby and eagles soaring up above. And just last week I spent a day at a little ger camp near a river about 2 hours drive from UB. I was invited by a friend from work - Batchimeg - who lives nearby. It was very peaceful and relaxing with wonderful views from the top of a nearby hill.
There have been some fairly significant political developments here in Mongolia recently. Some of you may have read or heard about them on the news. On July 1, three days after the national elections that I mentioned in my last blog, it was announced that the Mongolian Revolutionary Party (MRP) had won a clear majority of seats in the parliament and would be asked to form the next government
A voter getting his finger marked
. Unfortunately the Mongolian Democratic Party (MDP), the other large political party in the country, believed the MRP had committed electoral fraud in order to gain power. They encouraged their supporters to demonstrate in the centre of the capital. The demonstrations got out of hand and led to an all night riot in which five people were killed, hundreds injured, and the MRP building was burnt to the ground. The Mongolian Art Gallery is next door to the MRP building and sadly this was also attacked and set on fire and many irreplaceable artworks destroyed. This kind of political violence is unprecedented in Mongolia, and a state of emergency was declared for four days to allow control to be regained. A 10pm to 8am curfew was put in place and other restrictions imposed. Most Mongolian I have spoken to are deeply embarrassed about the violence and say that they believe you should be able to demonstrate but definitely not burn buildings and attack people. Since the one night of violence there has been no trouble at all, however there are concerns over the welfare of 200 people still being held in custody over incidents related to the night of violence. And the political situation has not been resolved. While the MRP gained a clear majority in the parliament it did not gain enough seats to reach a quorum, and it therefore needs the MDP to attend the new parliament. However the MDP is refusing to take part until its allegations of vote rigging are addressed
People voting in the Mongolian elections
. Consequently Mongolia does not have a government at the moment. Negotiations have been going on for over a month now but no compromise has been reached.So it has turned out to be a very interesting time to be living in Mongolia!
But enough of the serious political stuff. The Olympics have started and I have no fewer than 16 television channels all showing Olympic action! Unfortunately none of the channels are in English. I have Chinese, Russian or Mongolian commentary, but it doesn't seem to matter much, you can still follow the action! Mongolia's sporting strengths lie in archery, wrestling, and shooting, so the Mongolian channels are slightly biased towards these sports. It's very educational for me as I don't follow these sports at all!
I hope you enjoy the photos and are all having a happy summertime!
