On Monday, December 5, in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, participants of a mass protest over a corruption scandal related to the export of coal to China stormed the Government Palace.

The police announced their readiness to disperse the spontaneous rally by force if its participants did not disperse by 10:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. Kyiv time).

This is reported by the Mongolian publication zarig.mn.

Protests in Ulaanbaatar began the previous evening.

The reason was the report of the theft of coal worth 12.9 billion dollars, which was planned to be supplied to China.

Local media reported that the amount of coal exported from Mongolia was different from the amount received by the Chinese side.

Due to dissatisfaction with the investigation of the case concerning the export of coal to China to bypass customs control. 

Chinese authorities have already announced that all officials involved in the coal theft have been executed.

The Chinese side sent the names of Mongolian politicians connected with this case to the Prime Minister of Mongolia.

Participants of the protest are mainly students and young people.

They demand the prosecution of those involved in the theft of coal, limiting the increase in prices, as well as communication with the officials involved. 

The protesters are speaking under the slogans "Enough of robbing the people", "Immediately catch the thieves who stole the people's opportunities", "Name who stole the coal" and "Let's unite against the thieves".

The Great State Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia, against the background of non-stop protests, is urgently discussing the issue of introducing a state of emergency in the country.

During the protests, about eight people were already injured, four of them were injured in the stampede.

Mongolia's prime minister created a task force to investigate reports of coal theft and invited protesters to join it.

It will be recalled that earlier the expansion of quarantine due to COVID-19 in China resulted in unprecedented protests in the western region of Xinjiang and in the capital of the country, Beijing.

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