On June 9, 2022, the court of the Khan-Uul district of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar sentenced the champion judoka and the former president of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee (MNOC) Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar to 16 years in jail for brutally murdering his childhood friend and a fellow judoka Erdenebilegiin Enkhbat, putting an end to a legal saga that kept the nation in awe for more than a year.

After becoming the first Mongolian to ever win an Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008 and later, in London 2012, the first Mongolian Olympic multimedalist, Tüvshinbayar was destined to rise to stardom in a country that traditionally reveres wrestlers, and his success, according to Reuters, “prompted leaders from feuding parties to join thousands of revellers in the streets to celebrate their champion.” Indeed, he soon became known as the person whose victory helped Mongolia overcome the parliamentary deadlock between the rivals Democratic Party and Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) following a post-election violence that claimed five lives in July 2008, while CNN would generously credit him as the sports legend who single-handedly sparked the country’s interest in judo.

Along with being decorated with the country’s highest professional and athletic awards and titles, including the Hero of Labor order (Хөдөлмөрийн баатар), he soon became one of the most prominent media icons in Mongolia, featuring in Pepsi ads and, of course, in political campaigns, as his fame as a “unifier of the Mongolians in times of trouble” carried on. Thus, he became the campaign promoter of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Khaltmaagiin Battulga, a former world champion wrestler, who would eventually win the elections in 2017 in the second round with a narrow margin of 50.6 percent. Besides being an extravagant and controversial politician and businessman, who named his group of companies “Genco,” in reference to the name of the Corleone family’s company in “The Godfather,” as well as the builder of the biggest equestrian statue in the world, Battulga was also the president of the Mongolian Judo Federation, so that the success of Mongolian judokas, including the Olympic triumph of Tüvshinbayar, was often attributed to him.

Already before the presidential elections of 2017 Tüvshinbayar was regarded as the protégé and a close associate of Battulga and the Democratic Party, so that in 2016 he, a native of the Zavkhan province, participated in the parliamentary elections in the Bayankhongor province in southwestern Mongolia, the traditional constituency of the president-to-be, just to scandalously lose by a margin of 98 votes. A few weeks later he gave up his bid for the third Olympic medal by losing in the first round at Rio 2016, and this failure was broadly linked to his involvement in the election campaign and neglecting athletic duties. In 2020, he was about to participate in the parliamentary elections again from the same district, but instead ran as a sole candidate for the presidency of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee with the backing of the country’s president, and was elected by a sweeping 94.6 percent. Interestingly, in February 2022, he was appointed the adviser to the current Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, who, by the way, serves as the chairman of the rival Mongolian People's Party.

However, after his protector became the president of Mongolia, Tüvshinbayar was accused of being a bully while gaining notoriety for his excessive alcohol consumption. Prior to the deadly brawl in 2021, he was involved in at least three instances of physical violence, one of them right on the eve of the presidential elections of 2017. The future president had to deny it and even defended Tüvshinbayar in a public interview while casting his vote:

Translation Original Quote

How could that be possible? You should stop believing in such things. Not only would champion Tüvshinbayar never beat a person, he would never touch anybody.

The president would be proven wrong. On April 2, 2021, while meeting with a few prominent Democratic Party figures from his native Zavkhan province, including the provincial governor, chairperson and representatives of the municipal council, an intoxicated Tüvshinbayar attacked and beat up his childhood friend and a promising star of Mongolian wrestling (үндэсний бөх), the holder of the rank of “national falcon” (улсын начин), Erdenebilegiin Enkhbat, after allegedly knocking him out with a heavy object. Suffering from numerous traumas and severe brain damage, Enkhbat passed away in a South Korean clinic on December 24, 2021 at the age of 37, without regaining consciousness.

After the bloody assault, many were hesitant to openly blame the legendary athlete, as was the case of the Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene, who bluntly stated that it was “inappropriate for him to say whether Tüvshinbayar was right or wrong,” praising, nevertheless, his “glorious” deeds in unifying the nation during the time of turmoil. Today, after more than a year since the heinous attack, the legendary hero who gave honor to the nation is slowly but steadily turning into a national villain, taking along with him the political reputation of the former president Battulga.

In the meantime, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data, Mongolia holds one of the worst homicide rates in Asia ranging annually between 7.24 and 5.98 (per 100,000 population) between 2014 and 2020, compared to that of 6.66 of Afghanistan (2018), 3.23 of Kazakhstan (2020), and 2.19 of Kyrgyzstan (2018). In Europe, only Russia has a higher homicide rate of 10.7 (2020). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) homicide data, in 2019, 197 intentional homicides were registered in Mongolia, compared to 90 in Georgia, the country with a compatible population. According to official national statistical data, the number of criminal actions causing deaths (intentional and unintentional homicides, accidents, suicides and inducing to suicide) rose by 17.3 percent from 382 in 2020 to 448 in 2021. According to a parliamentary report, between 70 to 80 percent of intentional murders in the country are committed under the influence of alcohol. What is even more alarming, for the first six months of 2022, the overall crime rate in Mongolia rose by a frightening 89.9 percent compared to the same period of 2021.

Written by Zhar Zardykhan

Rank-and-filer Ichinojo won his first title on Sunday at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with 12 wins and three losses.

Ichinojo and Yokozuna Grand Champion Terunofuji were tied with 11 wins before the final day.

Ichinojo beat Ura on the final day, while Terunofuji lost to Ozeki Champion Takakeisho in the final bout.

Ichinojo became the first wrestler from the Hiramaku group, the lowest of the five ranks in the top Makunouchi division, to win a championship since Daieisho at the January 2021 tournament.

Ichinojo also became the eighth Mongolian-born wrestler from the Makunouchi division to win a title.

He did not take part in the last tournament because of a coronavirus infection.

Ichinojo maintained his style of pushing while grabbing his opponent's belt with his left hand throughout the tournament, and beat Terunofuji on the fifth day.

SEOUL: Southeast Asia is becoming a new battleground for South Korean convenience store chains, with local brands rushing to open stores in countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam.

Local convenience store chain GS25’s operator, GS Retail, said Monday it has joined hands with Malaysian retail conglomerate KK Group to make forays into the Malaysian market, reported Yonhap news agency.

KK Group operates 610 KK Mart convenience stores in Malaysia and owns other businesses, such as hotels and resorts.

The two companies will open their first GS25 convenience store in Malaysia next year, under a “master franchise deal” where KK Group pays royalty fees to operate GS25 stores in the Southeast Asian country.

Their goal is to further expand the number of GS25 stores to 500 over the next five years, it said.

Malaysia is GS25’s third entry overseas, after Vietnam and Mongolia.

Southeast Asia is seen as a promising market for local convenience store operators due to its relatively young population and rapidly growing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.

South Korea’s largest convenience store chain by the number of stores, BGF Retail, recently opened its 100th CU store in Malaysia’s southern state of Perak and plans to increase the number to 500 within the next five years.

Emart 24, the fourth-largest local player by the number of stores, also operates 20 stores in Malaysia.

Competition is heating up in Mongolia as well.

CU operates 225 stores in Mongolia as of June this year. Its competitor GS25 operates 70 stores there since its entry last May. - Bernama

China’s C919 narrow-body jet, the country’s first domestically designed commercial passenger aircraft, is nearing certification, having successfully passed test-flight tasks, state-owned manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) said on its official social media account on Saturday, as cited by Reuters.

According to the manufacturer, six test planes successfully finished their tasks and the aircraft is now ready to receive a flight certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which is necessary for commercial operations.

Beijing launched the C919 aircraft program back in 2008, but it faced a flood of regulatory and technical setbacks, including US export controls. While the plane is assembled in China, the C919 relies on Western components, such as flight controls and jet engines. Production started in 2011, and the first prototype was ready in 2015.

The first C919 is expected to be delivered to state-owned China Eastern Airlines in August. The airline placed an order for five C919 jets back in March 2021.

The C919 was designed to rival Europe’s Airbus 320neo and the US Boeing 737 MAX planes. However, this may prove difficult, as Airbus has a strong presence in the country (142 planes were delivered to Chinese companies in 2021 alone), and the Boeing 737 MAX was cleared to operate in China again earlier this year after two fatal crashes grounded the plane in 2019. At least 100 MAX planes are expected to be delivered to Chinese carriers this year.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the U.S. U.Batbayar visited George Mason University and met with the university’s Presidential Chief of Staff Ken Walsh.

While expressing gratitude to George Mason University for implementing the 2+2 program in cooperation with the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, the Ambassador discussed the ways to effectively implement this program. The sides also agreed to implement the university’s scholarship program in Mongolia and involve Mongolian students in the 3+2 program.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of George Mason University. 40,000 students study in the university’s four branches in Fairfax, Arlington, Manassas, and Incheon, South Korea.

Peruvian YouTuber, interpreter Andrea Alessandra Daza La Rosa, known as Andi, gave the following interview to talk about her stay in Mongolia, her lifestyle and her point of view. She is studying in Seoul, South Korea to become a Korean language teacher but is also learning Mongolian on her own and making vlogs in Mongolian on her YouTube channel, Andi’s Diary.

How long do you plan to stay in Mongolia?

At first, I planned to stay in the country for a month but I like this place so I think I will be here for two months.

How was your first impression of Mongolia? Was it different from your expectations?

Even though I have many Mongolian friends in South Korea, I didn’t know much about the country. When I started learning Mongolian, I really enjoyed Mongolian songs. I used to watch a lot of music videos. From those videos, I could see some parts of Ulaanbaatar or the country. Before coming here, I got a small image of this country through these things. When I decided to come here, I told some of my Mongolian friends, “I will go to your country soon.” They said, “No way, why? It’s a dangerous place!” and advised me to be careful, not to walk alone on the street or talk to strangers. Therefore, I was so afraid. In the beginning, to be honest, I was also a little worried because it was my first time going to such an unfamiliar place by myself. I used to live in China to study. But when I went to China for the first time, I could already speak Chinese. When I was studying there, I traveled to South Korea with my Korean friends. Hence, before I moved to South Korea, I already knew what the country would be like.

I thought about what would happen in Mongolia while waiting for the plane at the airport because my Mongolian friends warned me that this place is very dangerous. But when I came here, my first impression of the city was like, “This country looks like my country.” I did not think that this place would be so similar to my country, especially the streets and buildings. Since we live in South Korea, my friends probably gave me those warnings and maybe they think it might be a dangerous place for me compared to South Korea. But I found Mongolia identical to my country. I don’t think it’s a dangerous place because I know that some South American countries are more dangerous. There were drunken people on the streets of Ulaanbaatar, but I didn’t feel any danger here. But of course, if I ignore them, everything will be fine. Mongolians are very friendly. This place is better than I thought.

When you came here, you went to the Playtime Festival and traveled to some places near Ulaanbaatar, right? Can you share your best memories from these travels?

I went to a concert by Ice Top boy band the first week I got here. My friend bought me a ticket for this concert, but I went by myself. I had no idea how concerts were held in Mongolia. According to the ticket information, the concert was supposed to start at noon. However, I went there at 2:00 p.m. thinking that it might not start at that time. When I got there, people were waiting outside the Central Stadium where the concert was held. It was really hot that day. I was wearing a jacket but it suddenly started raining. I guess the concert was stopped twice due to hail and heavy rain. People started running to cover themselves from the rain. I was like, “What’s going on?” and ran after the others. Then, the rain stopped and people came back to the stage. I was very close to the stage. It started raining again, but people didn’t care anymore. They were just jumping, singing and dancing. I thought I should go home because I got all wet and it was a cold night. But then, I realized that there were a lot of people behind me. Since there was no way out, I stayed there. Then, my cell phone died because water got into it. The two girls in front of me asked for my Instagram account and we had a great time together. It was my first concert experience.

I also went to the Playtime Festival. I had so much fun. I somehow lost my money there. So I only had money left for half the ticket. When I gave half of the ticket, I was nervous and didn’t know what to do and the girl selling the ticket paid for the rest of the ticket. She was so kind.

You can speak many languages, namely Spanish, English, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese. Why did you decide to learn Mongolian?

I am interested in learning difficult languages in general. So I learned Chinese. It is said that Mongolian is also a difficult language to learn. Since I started learning Mongolian later, my Mongolian is still a little poor. In particular, I first prepare and memorize what I will talk about and make my YouTube videos. I want to learn Russian in the future.

I found it interesting that you make YouTube videos in Mongolian. Why do you make your videos in Mongolian?

I thought Mongolian food was really delicious, so I immediately tried making khuushuur. Mongolian food is very similar to Peruvian food. So, for the first time, I made a video of myself making khuushuur and uploaded it on YouTube. The khuushuurs I made were very tasty. Then, Mongolians saw my video and left a lot of positive comments. They said, “Good luck, beautiful girl”, “You speak Mongolian well”, and “Make more interesting videos”. Therefore, I started making the next videos in Mongolian.

In general, how are people’s comments on YouTube? How do Mongolians react to your videos?

Mongolians are very friendly and kind. People always try to help me learn things I don’t understand. I read a lot of comments from Mongolian people. Some people say, “You have to be careful in Mongolia. They are mean. You shouldn’t trust people.” But I think that’s not true. Of course, in every country, there are all kinds of people. As a foreigner, I see that in general, Mongolian people behave properly. There are a lot of nice people.

You said you liked Mongolian food a lot. What is your favorite Mongolian dish?

Yes, I love Mongolian food, especially khuushuur and buuz. I have tried making many Mongolian dishes on my own. The most difficult dish to make was buuz because I couldn’t fold them. I don’t understand how people can wrap it so quickly. I also love banshtai tsai (milk tea with dumplings). I love eating it on a cold day.

You have lived in many countries. Have you ever thought of living in Mongolia? Do you see it as an affordable place to live in?

To be honest, groceries and consumer goods seemed more expensive than I expected.

Besides learning languages, what else do you like to do?

I like playing the piano and traveling. I am also interested in making YouTube videos and trying different cuisines.

What is your favorite Mongolian artist?

I like many singers. The first Mongolian singer I started listening to was Uka. My friend showed me her songs and I thought her style was really cool. The artists I listen to the most are Roockie, Vandebo, AM-C, The Wasabies band and NMN. I like most of their songs. I would say my favorite singer is AM-C because I think he is very cute and handsome. He used to be my crush.

Do you plan to make other types of YouTube videos in the future?

Yes, I will make more interesting travel videos in Mongolia. I also want to make some videos, asking questions from random people.

Russian oil companies, affected by the Western measures, are offering massive discounts to their customers. This is the case of Mongolia, which obtained an agreement to buy gasoline at a reduced price from the company Rosneft. Thus, the agreement guarantees the Russian company an export of refined products while the market is shrinking considerably.

Agreement between Mongolia and Rosneft

Rosneft specializes in oil extraction, processing and distribution. It is the second largest oil producer, after Gazprom.

The negotiations between Mongolia and Rosneft will allow the country to offer gasoline at retail prices 35% below the market price. As a result of the agreement with Rosneft, the Mongolian government will be able to reduce the price pressure on its citizens. In fact, Mongolia will pay $840 per ton of Al-92 gasoline or about $99.4/bbl.

The selling price of fuel in Mongolia will be offered at 2,390 Togrog/liter, equivalent to 76 cents, until the end of 2022. This is about 1,340 Togrog/liter (43 cents) less than the market price.

According to Yondon Gelen, Minister of Mines and Heavy Industry:

“The significant reduction we are able to secure through the end of the year will protect consumers and businesses and help strengthen Mongolia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In fact, the significant reduction in prices until the end of the year will help ease the cost of living in the country.

This decision also underlines Russia’s strategy to offer gasoline at reduced prices. Because of the sanctions, it wants to secure outlets for its oil exports.

The Australian Hydroponic Farmers Federation (HFF) announced two of its committee as life members.

At the 12th Biennial conference in Dandenong earlier this month, David Pearson and Tony Spurling were given the honour for their service to the industry. Mr Pearson, who also previously owned Country Fresh Herbs, is retiring from the committee because he wants to spend more time travelling with his wife Marika.

"What I have done with the HFF, I have done because I wanted to do it," Mr Pearson said. "I have got more out of it than I could ever have imagined. This is just an honour that I just cannot thank everyone enough for, and I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone, but equally spending a little bit of time for ourselves as well."

The HFF also announced Tony Spurling as the fifth life member of the organisation. He became involved in the industry when he set up Gateway Hydroponics in Coldstream, Victoria. He joined the HFF in 2001 and was nominated in 2006 to the committee.

"You don't join an organisation like this to get as much as I have out of it," he said. "You get out more than you put in and I certainly feel that over the 21 years in the industry that is what seems to happen; we get out so much more than we put in - I almost feel guilty about it. It's a fantastic organisation and we have a fantastic bunch of people."

Construction of a greenhouse industry in Mongolia

One of the many projects that Mr Pearson passionately worked on during his time at the HFF, and is most proud of, was helping people in Mongolia establish a greenhouse, by sharing his experience from the Australian industry, including resources, knowledge and finances.

"Back in 2011, my wife Marika and I were doing some philanthropic work helping people in Mongolia," he said. "And I walked out of the airport lounge at Ulaanbaatar, the capital, and on my way into the city, I thought to myself that we could change the whole country with hydroponics. If you know nothing about Mongolia, the temperature can range from minus 50 degrees to 38 degrees (Celsius) - growing in that situation is very difficult. So, if you couldn't plant and harvest anything in 60 days, there was no point in planting. The people we knew over there were only eating their animals, not fruit and vegetables."

About every decade, Mongolia experiences a weather event called a Dzud, which is a summer drought followed by a wet and snowy winter, and this kills a lot of the fodder to sustain herds - as a result of the 2010 event, 8 million animals were lost and the people were left with nothing for basic sustenance.

After the Dzud, Samaritans Purse Australia, with whom Mr Pearson was involved, established a vegetable-growing commune. In a village of 38 families, a well was dug and a 300 square metre single-skin poly greenhouse was established to grow basic produce. In addition, the city of Ulaanbaatar pumps free hot water (86 degrees) throughout the city homes, which was identified as a heat source for the greenhouses in the city but not country areas.

"Around that time, we put out our hand brought them out to Australia and they attended our conference, and we taught them a bit about hydroponics," Mr Pearson said. "After a couple of years, they came up with an idea of what a greenhouse should look like that would work for them in the country areas. Now what has happened is that they have become 260 days a year of being productive, by using simple stuff that they came up with themselves. I took over some cheap LED grow lights and hung them up, and they work in their climate which goes down to minus 50."

So, hydroponics and greenhouses added many weeks on either side of the three-month growing season, effectively doubling the production window. But it was not just the establishment of a greenhouse, it was educating the people of Mongolia. Host Turkuu Yadmaa was sponsored by the HFF to visit Australia and some greenhouses, network with local growers and attend a previous HFF conference, where he gained valuable skills to take back home - and he embraced the whole concept and its possibilities for improving the lives of people in his country.

Since returning home, Mr Yadmaa has built more than 100 small locally designed and built greenhouses that are producing vegetables - and they have now upgraded to LED lights and using yak dung for heating. Mr Pearson says learning how some basic and simple growing systems have ensured that people and livestock have enough food to eat despite their harsh climate.

Migration of populations is a fundamental movement of humankind. Migration from rural areas to urban areas exceeds migration from cities to rural areas around the globe, signifying an increasing urbanization trend. This trend is even stronger in poorer and developing countries. For obvious reasons, these movements require further coordination.)

We now face the need to discuss and understand how this reverse migration unfolds, its consequences and how to address them, and what to pay attention to first, and to work together to ensure the government works efficiently.

Moving to cities

The rural-urban migration has been increasing exponentially, resulting in 47.6% of Mongolia’s population living in Ulaanbaatar as of the end of 2019. The figure was 27.1 % in 1990, 33.1% in 2000, 45.1% in 2010 respectively. The population of Govi-Altai, Zavkhan, Uvs, Arkhangai and Dundgovi decreased in the last two decades (MLSP).

The factors intensifying the population shift include low disaster management capacity in the countryside, better opportunities of education and jobs, as well as improved infrastructure in the city.

The flow of people towards the city has accelerated urbanization. However, it also brought a steep population rise, leading to noise, soil, water pollution and overload on infrastructure.

Ulaanbaatar city administration even imposed restrictions on the registration of incoming residents in 2017-2020. Although the limitation reduced the number of registered people, it did not reduce the number of unregistered citizens, and had no effect on 83 percent of them (IOM, 2021). In 2017, 25,000 citizens registered residency in the capital, and in 2019, 6,800 citizens registered. Unregistered citizens face economic, social, and health risks and cannot access basic social services.

China has used a similar system (hukou) since 1958 and stopped it in cities with a population below 3 million in 2014. In the big cities of our southern neighbor, in addition to paying a registration fee, it is necessary to have a high income, business skills, overseas education, and relatives with the city's "hukou" (Chan and Buckingham, 2008). It is impossible to access either job market, education, or healthcare, without hukou.

In the democratic Mongolia, the constitution provides everyone with the right to choose where to reside and where to work. It was thought that the government understood from its own experience and that of its southern neighbor, that the problem of population migration is not an administrative one, but an economic one. The mayor D.Sumiyabazar has recently proposed the halt of registering new residents in Ulaanbaatar until 2027, but fortunately, the proposal was not approved by the citizen’s representative’s council. The issue is growing in size and complexity, but the solution is still stuck.

Reverse migration or the movement of population to the rural areas

One way of reducing urban concentration is the migration from cities to the countryside or the so-called “reverse migration”. Between 2015 and 2020, a total of 43,478 citizens moved from the city to the countryside, including more than 3,000 people in Tov, Selenge, and Orkhon provinces each (NSO). There is limited information on reverse migration. The stories of families doing so are varied, and we have found some successful cases.

Let's briefly present some successful cases of the families that were invited to the "Reverse Migration" discussion held recently in Ulaanbaatar. One example is the young family of Ch. Yeruultuvshin and S. Buyantogtokh which moved from the capital to Durgan Soum, Khovd Province and found a way to work and live while sharing their stories with the country on social networks. It is estimated that residents in UB spend an average of 845 hours a year in traffic jams. Spending this time learning foreign languages and improving their education, this couple has established an English language club at the Soum Center and is training citizens in digital literacy. (FB: countrysidefamily/хөдөөний айл)

We can also highlight the stories of few individuals, for instance G. Amarzaya (fb: Zaya Guna), who has a master’s degree from Ireland and runs a successful pastry business (Batmax Co) in Zavkhan province since having relocated from Ulaanbaatar to her hometown; Doctor B. Tuvshin (fb: Tuvshin Bayasgalan), who moved to Khuvsgul province and performed numerous cancer surgeries that spared the transportation cost for many patients; Kh. Erdenebulgan (fb: Монгол овогт Хишигийн Эрдэнэбулган), a former journalist at the National Broadcaster who is running a high-yield animal husbandry after moving to his hometown of Bulgan province; and J. Oyunchimeg (fb: Oyunchimeg Batzuu), who started a sewing factory in Uvurkhangai and created many jobs.

These people mentioned the advantages of moving to the countryside such as fresh air, live without traffic jams, school classes with fewer students, closer relationships with people, and great business opportunities. All of them noted that for the first time in the history of Mongolia, the internet is available in all provinces and soums of Mongolia, most of which are connected by paved roads, and the possibility to buy anything or learn any skill from anywhere in the world.

There is a shortage of residential apartments, commercial spaces and specialized human resources that are essential for the movement to the rural areas. University students usually move to the city and start a family, bringing their parents to look after their children. The employment fund for supporting businesses is hard to access with its complex terms and conditions.

Many young people have the will to move to the countryside, but they hesitate as they lack information. If they are pointed in the right direction and have their professions linked to the rural areas, the shift will take place more.

A uniform business producing neat, clean and uniforms up to standard suited for the local conditions for students and the military organizations at the provincial capitals, for example, can become a business running all year round. Moreover, there is a high need for ger covers and national costumes in all provinces. If they manage to start a sewing workshop, install modern machines, and train workers, they can make 2-5 million tugriks per month. It is commendable that under the new revival policy of Mongolia, the establishment of factories in rural areas is exempted from taxes.

Moving forward, it is time to pay special attention to the ensuring of a high salary for jobs, providing good English language teaching and learning opportunities in rural areas and educating the local residents. It is necessary to support the development of the provincial capitals through economic measures, including tax and other means. For example, if the national Naadam celebrations are held in every province, rotating every year through competitive selection like the Olympics, will have a tangible impact on the domestic tourism industry.

I urge the government to look at reverse migration as an opportunity instead of perceiving it as developmental hindrance.

2022.07.06

Trans. by Riya.T and Munkh-Erdene.D