Mongolians protest alleged theft of coal sold to China

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Protesters have tried to force their way into Mongolia’s State Palace, incensed by allegations of corruption linked to the coal trade with China. The U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar issued an alert Monday saying that several hundred protesters gathered in the city’s Sukhbaatar Square during the weekend and marched to the presidential residence. The demonstrators were demanding that the government investigate claims that 385,000 tons of coal was stolen from stockpiles on Mongolia’s border with China. Foreign sales of Mongolia’s vast mineral wealth, coal and other resources are a perennial source of conflict for the country, where nearly one in three people live in poverty. The pandemic has left many Mongolians struggling to make ends meet, with inflation topping 15%.