When the city of nothingness roars!

You probably haven't heard it, it wouldn't surprise me Mongolia is not that important for the rest of the world... It wont make the news, is more important to talk about the cat that has been trapped in the celling for a week that a country that went astray after the elections!

The people are roaring, it seems to me they are demonstrating for more than just the results of the elections and the corruption that has been blamed. It seems to me and it's my personal opinion, they are taking out of their system all those years of complaisance.
Little background: This past Sunday we had the parliamentary elections. The MPRP (Mongolian people revolutionary party), which ruled Mongolia in the communist era and ever since actually, was announced to have won 47 of the 76 seats in parliament while its main rival, the Democratic party, took 26 (not the official results). Groups of protesters, alleging fraud clashed with the police in the capital and this is how it all started.... Since they have burned the building of the Revolutionary party, they have being throwing stones, the police replied with rubber bullets, sheer madness!

My personal experience on this, and Mam i know you gonna read this but i assure you i am fine!!!!
I had planned to have a beer after work with a friend straight after work, there we are at the beer garden enjoying the sun and the cold beer, when text messages start arriving, from UNDP, from AYAD, saying dont go near the square or UB hotel as the situation is pretty critic... We forward the msg and keep on chatting with, to be honest, a certain excitement, nothing ever happens in Mongolia... We are not to far from the square but we can not hear or see a thing. Some other friends join us we go for dinner, a pretty common night after all. While having dinner the Italian Consul calls one of our friend saying go home now and dont go out till further notice, at the same time other calls saying more or less the same go through. Is then that we start realising it might be really serious and decide to short the night and go home. We make "teams", grouping people by places. Sebastian and I are heading north, and we have to pass next to were the whole thing is going on. We decide to have a look and evaluate the situation and then decide what to do. It looks tense but ok, we walk really fast among a fair amount of people (the demonstration is further east), and talk very quietly, dont want everyone to notice us, we already stand out by the look.

I dont know if i've told you but i live in front of the UN headquarters, when we turn into my street a police van-truck is blocking the street with around 40 police men. I just assumed they were protecting the UN. What i've forgotten is that i actually live next to the police station, to get to my building i have to go through the police parking gates. Needless to say it was packed, seriously packed with police men with the whole riot gear on them, it could've been a fantasy, 100 men in uniforms (the modern version of 300!)... but it looked pretty scary then. However, till then i'm just thinking they are just ready to intervene. Say goodbye, go upstairs and start making myself a cuppa (which i just remember i still havent had!). And is when it starts, the roar, is coming, i've heard it before but usually i am in it. It getting closer and closer. I go to the balcony, they are actually fighting to get in my street, the sound is horrendous, bottles, stones, people shouting slogans, screaming of pain, all together. I run to get my camera and start filming i wanted to get that sound, i knew there will be no image (too dark). Then i realise i'm being more than just insensible i'm being stupid, i get inside and turn the lights off... When it really starts! they dont want the UN they want the police station were all the people arrested during the afternoon are being held (didnt know that till now). After that is just madness, the same sound but at my feet, and then the shooting and the screaming! My curiosity is seriously held back by, I have to say, fear. There I am sitting on the floor far away of the windows (stones are being thrown never know where they are gonna end huh?), and blank, well probably not blank, but i cant remember what i thought then. I call the emergency number I have and me and my cynicism that will one they put me down, says something along the lines "I'm sorry to bother you, i know is nothing you can do right now but the riot is just in front of my building and i know is impossible for you to come and pick me up but could you tell me a joke!" We have a little chat about the current situation, the positive side of all this situation, and promise to keep in touch. My phone start ringing madly, it's on the news, they are at the police station, i live at the police station. "yes i'm fine, is scary but i'm fine" and so on...
That was an hour ago, they are gone, the activity on the street still pretty mad, but is more the police running around organising themselves to intervene in some other places. I can now hear the van bringing the people arrested, i hear the horrible sound of the electric shock thingy and individual people screaming. Is relatively calm, slowly back to normal.


The country is now in a four-day state of emergency with a curfew. The organisation i came with has encouraged us not to go to work tomorrow and stay at home. I am going to try to sleep now (is 3am here) and tomorrow will be another day.

So, again, i am fine, am safe... Impressed but fine and safe.
I think i needed to write it down to canalise all the excitement (maybe in English is only a positive term i see it as too much energy and adrenaline going on)

I'll upload the videos on youtube, so again sophievda79 as user name!

And here some photos I stole (well with permission) from a friend...

the HQ of the MPRP

it ended up with a bulldozer...