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Wrapped in layers of thick clothing to protect themselves from the cold, Mongolians sleep on the streets in the very center of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and say they will not move until they see justice served in a high-profile embezzlement case with the coal sector.

The arrests of senior officials suspected of corruption caused a stir in this vast East Asian country and prompted thousands of people to gather in the center of the Mongolian capital in protests that continued for the eighth day in a row yesterday, writes BTA.

Many protesters planned to spend the night in Genghis Khan Square, also known as Sukhbaatar, despite temperatures regularly dropping below minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Protesters in Mongolia: We will not stop until the authorities impose penalties for corruption in the country

Dressed in the so-called del sheepskin (a folk costume that looks like a long tunic), in wolf pelts and shod in horseskin boots to keep them warm, they are determined to stay there as long as necessary , to get justice, even though they sleep on styrofoam and cachet mats.

"I will stay here until the thieves are punished," a demonstrator, who has been sleeping in the square for four days and refused to give her name, told AFP.

She admits she fears for her safety after police beat some protesters last week.

"The Big Fish"

Demonstrators say they are encouraged by the support of the population, with local people supplying them with food and encouraging them with guidance.

Even prominent personalities and influencers on social networks responded to the calls for protests.

"So many people care about us. Ordinary people bring us drinks, food (. . .) and warm clothes," 22-year-old Ariunzaya Tsengelsayhan told AFP. 

"A person gets warm if he sleeps between two others, tightly touching each of them. Every two hours we switch places to make sure we are all warm," she explains.

"Two days ago, after I gave an interview for state television, a man brought me a sleeping bag and a mattress," the girl adds.

Authorities are banning demonstrators from pitching traditional Mongolian ger tents (or yurts) on the north side of the square, home to parliament and the imposing statue of national hero Genghis Khan.

"Outside, on a bed, the dogs are sleeping. The government treats us like dogs. We sleep on a bed," notes a participant in the protest, who also wished to remain anonymous.

"We want to raise a ger to stay warm and continue our demonstration," he adds.

The government said it had arrested Ganhuyag Battulga, a former director of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi, one of Mongolia's biggest coal mining companies, and a dozen other people accused of money laundering from coal abuses.

These arrests failed to quell the anger of the demonstrators.

"We want the big fish," said 30-year-old Bayaraa Damiran, who spends the night in Chinggis Khan Square.

We want to know (who are) the big fish at the top."

mass protests

Mongolia