RE: Open Society Forum article: April 4thMongolian protesters demand president resign in dispute involving Ivanhoe Mines
Updated at 11:59 on April 5, 2006, EST.
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (AP) - About 3,000 protesters clashed with police Wednesday, demanding that Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar and other officials resign in a dispute over a contract with Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. of Vancouver (TSX:IVN) to mine a huge copper deposit.
Protesters gathered in the Mongolian capital's central square and tried to march to the adjacent Government House but were blocked by about 300 police.
The protesters want Enkhbayar's government to push for more favourable terms from Ivanhoe, which wants a concession to mine the Oyu Tolgoi copper deposit that it discovered in the country's south.
There have been no accusations that Ivanhoe acted improperly.
Copper mining is a major part of the economy of this impoverished former Soviet satellite, a sprawling grassland where many people are traditional nomadic herders of cattle and sheep.
Politicians have clashed repeatedly over how to exploit the country's mineral resources. The opposition accuses the government of giving away Mongolia's wealth and wants the national minerals law changed to give the government a large share in any foreign-owned mine.
"We are demonstrating against foreign mining companies getting too much of our wealth," said B. Batdorj, a university student who took part in the protest on Wednesday.
"Mongolian people should get more benefit from the natural resources of Mongolia than foreign mining companies."
Protesters included members of Mongolia's Green party and the Radical Reform, Just Society and Our Mongolian Land civic activist groups.
They also demanded the resignation of Finance Minister N. Bayartsaikhan and Minister of Industry and Trade B. Jargalsaikhan, who are in charge of negotiations with Ivanhoe.
https://www3.cjad.com/content/cp_article.asp?id=/global_feeds/CanadianPress/BusinessNews/b040545A.htm